Canada Extends Restrictions On U.S. Travellers Until The New Year
The Canada-U.S. border will be closed to U.S. travellers for another thirty (30) days.
U.S. travellers coming to Canada will have to comply with the renewed travel restrictions until the 21st of January, according to the new Order in Council. U.S. restrictions are now valid up until the same date as Canada’s travel restriction on travellers from all other countries.
This will make it the ninth time that Canada has extended restrictions on travellers coming from the United States Restrictions on travel for recreation, tourism, and leisure first went into force on March 21, making it the longest border closure in the history of the two countries.
Although Canadians can fly to some U.S. destinations, travellers from the U.S. must be exempt from travel restriction or coming to Canada for essential reasons in order to cross the border.
Exempt travellers from the United states include Canadian citizens, permanent residents, immediate family members of both Canadian citizens and permanent residents, approved permanent residents, and holders of work permit among others.
Travellers flying to Canada must now use the ArriveCAN app to send their information to Canadian border services officers and learn how to comply with COVID-19 measures at the border.
Most U.S. travellers who are allowed to travel to Canada must also quarantine for fourteen (14) days or be subject to fines. Certain ports of entry in Alberta allow travellers to be released early from quarantine if they agree to a COVID-19 test.
U.S. travellers coming to Alaska have special instructions. They may only enter at one of the following five ports of entry: Coutts, Kingsgate, Abbotsford-Huntington, North Portal, or Osoyoos.
Anyone with symptoms of coronavirus will be denied entry at the border.
Travel between both countries is down Seventy-eight (78) per cent for those travelling by land, and ninety (90) per cent for those travelling by air, according to the Canadian border’s weekly travellers statistics. These information cover the year-over-year travellers volume between December 7 and December 13.
Only truck drivers are allowed to cross the border without the need to quarantine. This is an effort to keep the supply chain moving between Canada and the United States., as the trade of goods is important to the two countries. Commercial travel between both countries declined 0.43 per cent compared to the same week in 2019.
According to Forbes reports, the reopening of the border will largely be determined by a task force of Canadian and U.S. politicians. The panel is expected to profer recommendations in March 2021.
