Four US senators urged President Biden to allow fully vaccinated Canadians to enter the US via land ports of entry.
Democratic Senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan from New Hampshire, Jon Tester from Montana, and independent senator Angus King from Maine sent a letter to President Biden. The senators want President Biden to ease travel restrictions on Canada by October. They are also requesting the administration to create a public plan on how to reopen the land border.
In the letter, they said that “our communities have been deeply affected by the restrictions on travel”. They pointed the “close professional and personal ties” that their communities have with Canada. They also mentioned that travel restrictions have led to “economic and emotional strain in our communities”.
Senator Tester has already called for the Biden Administration to re-open the borders last May. Tester then pointed out that family farmers and small businesses are affected by the strict border restriction. He then followed on that plea in July with a letter to the Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas.
The senators also questioned the rationale behind prohibiting vaccinated Canadians to drive to the US-Canadian border when they can fly to the US. The senators said that “We struggle to understand the public health rationale for the disparate treatment in modes of travel”.
The White House hasn’t commented yet on the letter. However, White House coronavirus response coordinator Jeff Zients said on Wednesday that the US will “maintain existing travel restrictions”. The White House will renew the travel restrictions before September 21.
In August, the US extended its restrictions on land borders with both Canada and Mexico for non-essential travelers. On the other hand, Canada opened its land borders to vaccinated Americans. Canada began accepting fully vaccinated nonessential travelers from the US since August 9.
Apart from Canada, the United States prohibits the entry of most non-US citizens that have been in the UK and other European countries, China, India, South Africa, Iran, and Brazil.
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