DETROIT – Travel restrictions across the U.S.-Canada border will remain in place at least through April 21, 2021, officials announced Thursday.
According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the border will remain closed to non-essential travelers through the new April date to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. The restrictions in place prior to Thursday were slated to end on March 21.
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To prevent the further spread of COVID-19, and in coordination with our partners in Canada and Mexico, the United States is extending the restrictions on non-essential travel at our land borders through April 21, while ensuring continued flows of essential trade and travel.
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) March 18, 2021
“To prevent the further spread of COVID-19, and in coordination with our partners in Canada and Mexico, the United States is extending the restrictions on non-essential travel at our land borders through April 21, while ensuring continued flows of essential trade and travel,” a Twitter post from the DHS reads Thursday.
“Informed by science and public health guidance, we will work with our counterparts to identify an approach to easing restrictions when conditions permit and with the protection of our citizens from COVID-19 at the forefront of our minds,” reads a second DHS tweet.
The same rules will still apply: Essential travel, including certain workers and transportation of goods, is still allowed to cross the border between the neighboring countries. Nonessential travel is prohibited across the U.S.-Canada border.
Canada and the U.S. have limited border crossings since March 2020, extending the restrictions each month.
On Dec. 1, 2020, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the ban on nonessential travel with the United States will not be lifted until COVID-19 is significantly more under control around the world.
Read more: Canada: US border measures to last until COVID is under control
For the latest on cross-border programs and services, travelers can call the Canada Border Services Agency’s Border Information Service at 1-800-461-9999.