US To Ease Land Border Restrictions in Canada and Mexico

The US announced that it is going to lift land border restrictions in both Canada and Mexico by early November. This will mark the end of a 19-month restriction placed since March 2020.

According to US Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, the administration “will begin allowing travelers from Mexico and Canada who are fully vaccinated for COVID19 to enter the United States for non-essential purposes, including to visit friends and family or for tourism, via land and ferry border crossings”.

However, there is no exact date when will US officials lift both land and air travel restrictions. US officials simply said that it will be “very soon”.

Similar But Not Identical Protocols for Travelers Using Land Border

Unvaccinated travelers from Canada and Mexico will be prohibited from entering the US. Homeland Security said that the administration is coming up with “consistent, stringent protocols for all foreign nationals”. This will apply on air, land, or ferry.

According to US officials, rules applied to travelers crossing land borders are similar to the requirements for international air travelers. However, it isn’t going to be identical. Foreign travelers crossing land or ferry will have to complete vaccination but will not necessarily need to show proof of vaccination unless asked by US Customs and Border Patrol during secondary inspections.

On the other hand, foreign air travelers will need to show proof of vaccination plus a negative COVID19 test before boarding.

Good for Business

San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria welcomes this move. He said that it’s hard to quantify the economic impact of the travel restrictions. Some of the high-end malls on the city’s border with Tijuana didn’t have a lot of shoppers since the pandemic started. In Nogales, Arizona, 40 retail businesses closed on the main strip since travel restrictions started.

In Del Rio, Mexican tourists represent 65% of retail sales according to Blanca Larson, executive director of chamber of commerce. She said that “Along the border, we’re like more of one community than two different communities”.

Senator Maria Cantwell said that this “will provide great relief to those waiting to see friends and loved ones from Canada”.