The U.S.-Canada land border will stay closed to nonessential travel for at least another month, but fully vaccinated Canadians may have an easier time traveling to the U.S. by air.
The land-border restrictions, enacted last March as the Covid-19 pandemic took hold in both countries, will be extended at least until July 21, the Department of Homeland Security said Monday.
However, the agency also said that it “notes positive developments in recent weeks and is participating with other U.S. agencies in the White House’s expert working groups with Canada and Mexico to identify the conditions under which restrictions may be eased safely and sustainably.”
That announcement follows national reports that leaders from both the U.S. and Canada would meet last week to discuss lifting the pandemic-induced closure.
Border towns and tourist stops in Vermont are yearning for the influx of visitors and dollars that a fully open Canadian border would bring.
At the same time, Canada announced Monday that it’s loosening some of its restrictions for fully vaccinated citizens and permanent residents crossing back into their country — its “first phase” of reopening the land border.
Beginning July 5, those travelers won’t have to quarantine for two weeks or get tested eight days after arriving back in Canada. And fully vaccinated air travelers will no longer need to stay at government-authorized hotels, the government said in a press release.
Travelers will still need to be tested before crossing and on arrival. But the moves by the Canadian government may make it easier for Canadians to visit the U.S.
The stringent border closure last year separated families with members in both Vermont and Canada. Over the months, Canada allowed immediate family members, extended family members and long-term partners of its citizens to cross the border, but the U.S. never reciprocated the policy.
Canadians have been able to fly to the U.S. but, as separated families told VTDigger in March, the costs and quarantine requirements for air travelers kept people home.
So those folks who are fully vaccinated may now find it easier to visit family in the U.S. come July 5.
But they must be asymptomatic, have a paper or digital copy of their vaccination documents and provide Covid-related information electronically through a government app before arriving.
They must also have a “suitable quarantine plan, and be prepared to quarantine,” in case border officials determine they don’t meet the requirements for entry, the Canadian government says.
