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The Canada-U.S. land border will remain closed for another 30 days until Sept. 21, Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said Friday.
Canadian and U.S. officials have agreed to keep the border between the two countries closed to all non-essential travel for at least another month.
Both countries are still battling to slow down the spread of Covid-19.
The current agreement set to expire on August 21st banned all recreational travel between the two nations.
“We will continue to do what's necessary to keep our communities safe,” Blair said in a tweet.
We are extending the reciprocal restrictions at the Canada-US border for another 30 days, till Sept. 21, 2020. We will continue to do what’s necessary to keep our communities safe.
— Bill Blair (@BillBlair) August 14, 2020
The agreement, as it stands, exempts the flow of trade and commerce, as well as temporary foreign workers and vital health-care workers who live and work on opposite sides of the border.
Exemptions are also made for Americans transiting to Alaska.
As of June 9th, foreign nationals who are immediate family members of either Canadian citizens or permanent residents are permitted entry into Canada.
This has allowed both foreign and cross-border Canada-U.S. families to reunite under strict regulations including having to self quarantine in Canada.
Brian Higgins, a Democratic congressman for the New York district told CBC he was disappointed but not surprised that the border closure was extended.
“I have been working with Canadian officials at the federal level for several months toward the goal of getting a mutually agreed-to plan to open the border or, short of that, expanding the category of who is an essential traveller,” said Higgins, who was among nearly two dozen members of Congress to sign a letter in July calling for a plan to reopen the border.
Although the land border is closed, air travel from Canada to the United States is still allowed under the current U.S. Covid entry requirements.
