Canadian media report coronavirus border restrictions to remain in place another month
It appears the U.S.-Canada border will remain closed to non-essential travel for at least another month in an attempt to slow the spread of the new coronavirus.
CTV News in Canada reported on Friday, April 17, that the United States and Canada have agreed to extend the current restrictions another 30 days. The restrictions were scheduled to expire on Tuesday, April 21. Currently exempted from the restrictions are commercial trade and essential workers.
If the restrictions are extended 30 days, that would mean most Canadians will be spending Victoria Day in Canada. Victoria Day, scheduled for Monday, May 18, is traditionally a busy travel weekend at the five Whatcom County border crossings.
In a Tuesday, April 14, news conference, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the reality is it will be weeks before things might start to return to normal, including border travel. The Canadian government also imposed more restrictions for Canadians coming into the country, as each individual needs to have a 14-day quarantine plan, according to CTV News.
The slowdown in traffic flow has been dramatic in places including Blaine. During the first two weeks of April, the two Blaine crossing saw just over 2,000 passenger vehicle entries into the U.S.; typically there are 155,000-160,000 passenger vehicles during this same time frame. That’s according to Laurie Trautman, director at Western Washington University’s Border Policy Research Institute.
