Canada-US border closure extended to Nov. 21

10/22/2020

Restrictions have been in place for nearly seven months

OTTAWA, ON —

The Canada-U.S. border will remain closed to nonessential travel for another month as both countries work to contain the spread of COVID-19.

Restrictions will remain in place until at least Nov. 21, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed Monday.

"Update on our border: We’ve extended the measures in place at the Canada-U.S. border by another 30 days," Trudeau wrote in a social media post. "Nonessential travel remains restricted until at least November 21st."

The extension follows comments from the prime minister last week in which he said the U.S. is "not in a place" where Canadian officials would feel comfortable reopening ports to leisure travel.

According to data from Johns Hopkins University, the U.S. is averaging more than 53,000 new infections each day — an increase of 14% from the previous week. The country also reported 69,000 new infections on Friday, its highest single-day total for infections since July.

Agreements to limit recreational travel between the two countries were first established in March and have been renewed every month since.

Any travel regarding to the flow of trade and commerce remains exempt from the restrictions, as are essential cross-border workers like health care professionals and airline crews.

Canadian officials have reported fining multiple American travelers for violating the country's mandatory quarantine guidelines, which remain in effect with the newest agreement. Violating guidelines can result in up to $750,000 in fines and up to six months in prison.

A complete list of travel restrictions and exemptions can be found on the Government of Canada travel page.

NBC news

https://www.mynbc5.com/article/canada-us-border-closure-extended-september-vermont-new-york-coronavirus-1603120020/34414929