DETROIT – Officials in Canada and the United States have decided to keep the countries’ border closed to non-essential travel for another month to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The current extension of the border crossing restrictions is set to expire Aug. 21. That is now extended another 30 days to Sept. 21. The restrictions were first announced on March 18 and were extended in April, May, June, July and now until Sept. 21.
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Chad Wolf, the United States’ acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security tweeted Friday:
“We continue to work with our Canadian and Mexican partners to slow the spread of #COVID19. Accordingly, we have agreed to extend the limitation of non-essential travel at our shared land ports of entry through September 21.”
Canada’s Public Safety Minister Bill Blair also tweeted the announcement:
“We are extending the reciprocal restrictions at the Canada-US border for another 30 days, till Sept. 21, 2020. We will continue to do what’s necessary to keep our communities safe.”
The statement by Bill Blair comes a day after Mexico announced a similar measure for its border with the United States.
Essential cross-border workers like healthcare professionals, airline crews and truck drivers are still permitted to cross. Truck drivers are critical as they move food and medical goods in both directions. Much of Canada’s food supply comes from or via the U.S.
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