Canadian PM announces closing border to most non-citizens to slow coronavirus spread
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada will close its border to most non-Canadian citizens or permanent residents in an effort to slow the spread of novel coronavirus in that country, the Abbotsford News reported Monday, March 16.
Trudeau said U.S. citizens are exempt from the ban “for the moment,” according to a CNBC story Monday.
Commerce trade and citizens from Mexico, the Caribbean, Saint Pierre and Miquelon also will be allowed in an out of the country, the Abbotsford News reported.
Trudeau made the announcement from Ottawa, where he is in self-isolation with his wife who tested positive for COVID-19, CNBC reported.
“We can still slow the spread of this virus … but that window is closing,” Trudeau said, according to the News.
Trudeau also urged Canadians who are abroad to come home while they still can, according to a CTV story, and anyone who has COVID-19 will not be permitted to enter the country.
“If you’re abroad, it’s time for you to come home. If you’ve just arrived, you must self-isolate for 14 days, and finally all Canadians as much as possible, should stay home,” Trudeau said, according to CTV.
The National Post reported that the restrictions would not affect flights between the U.S. and Canada.
Whatcom County impact
Fewer British Columbia residents crossing the border could have a large impact on a Whatcom County economy already struggling to learn what a post-outbreak landscape is going to look like.
In 2019, southbound traffic through the five Whatcom County border crossings totaled 12.8 million, which was a 4.7% decrease compared to 2018, according to data compiled by the Border Policy Research Institute at Western Washington University.
A report on a 2018 survey done also by the institute collected data at the border from travelers about where they were going and the purpose of their trip. It found that 23% of respondents said they were going shopping, while another 24% said they were on vacation or visiting family.
In October, the institute reported that a weekend count of license plates at retail parking lots in Whatcom, Skagit and Snohomish counties found 13.8% of the more than 10,000 license plates counted were Canadian.
This story was originally published March 16, 2020 at 11:30 AM.
