Canadian border guards are silhouetted as they replace each other at an inspection booth at the Douglas border crossing on the Canada-USA border in Surrey, B.C., on Thursday, August 20, 2009. Canada's border agency has quietly begun sharing information with U.S. Homeland Security about the thousands of American citizens who cross into Canada each day.
Image Credit: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
October 19, 2020 - 8:55 AM
WASHINGTON, Wash. - Restrictions on non-essential travel between Canada and the United States are being extended until at least Nov. 21.
Public Safety Minister Bill Blair confirmed the news today on Twitter.
Incidental travel — vacations, day trips and cross-border shopping excursions — has been forbidden since March in an effort to limit the spread of COVID-19.
The restrictions do not apply to those providing essential services in either country, including trade shipments and cross-border workers.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said the restrictions won't be lifted until there's clear evidence the pandemic is easing in the United States.
President Donald Trump, however, said last month that Canada wants the border to reopen "pretty soon" — a claim that is not supported by public opinion polls.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 19, 2020.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2020