US-Canada Border Won’t Reopen Anytime Soon, Says Canadian PM Trudeau

Based on declarations made yesterday by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, it’s now clear that the U.S.’ northern neighbor won’t be welcoming vacationers or leisure travelers until we’re well into 2021.

Canada won’t agree to lift its ban on leisure travel from the United States, Trudeau told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. on November 30, until the current COVID-19 outbreak has been reined in. “Until the virus is significantly more under control everywhere around the world, we’re not going to be releasing the restrictions at the border,” he said.

The bilateral ban on non-essential, cross-border travel between the U.S. and Canada was established in March and has been renewed by both nations on a monthly basis ever since, based upon continuing evaluations of epidemiological conditions in both countries.

Trade and essential commerce remain unaffected by the border restrictions, in recognition of the fact that the two nations’ economies are highly integrated and interdependent. According to a Reuters report, 75 percent of Canada’s exported goods go to the U.S. each month. “We are incredibly lucky that trade in essential goods, in agricultural products, in pharmaceuticals is flowing back and forth as it always has,” Trudeau remarked.

As on other fronts, the travel industry continues to suffer amid the extended border restrictions, but the premiers of Canada’s major provinces reportedly indicated that they have no intention of lifting restrictions while COVID-19 cases in the U.S. continue to escalate.

A second surge of coronavirus infection is also sweeping across Canada, and government and local authorities are beginning to reinstitute restrictions on businesses and cap the number of people allowed at gatherings.