U.S. Extends Canada-U.S. Border Restrictions To Aug. 21
The United States is extending the Canada-US border closure to Aug. 21.
Not surprisingly, ACTA president, Wendy Paradis, said that the association “is disappointed that the United States has decided to continue its land border closure until August 21, even to fully vaccinated Canadians.”
Paradis pointed out that: “American leaders across political parties have called for months for Canada to open its border. And yet, despite Canadians having a higher vaccination rate and substantially lower transmission of COVID-19, they have refused to reciprocate and follow a science-based plan to safely open their border and support traveller mobility and an ailing travel and tourism sector.”
The U.S. Notice of Action indicates that “the risk of continued transmission and spread of the virus associated with COVID-19 between the United States and Canada poses an ongoing ‘specific threat to human life or national interests.
It also noted that U.S. and Canadian officials have mutually determined that non-essential travel between the United States and Canada currently poses additional risk of transmission and spread of the virus associated with COVID-19 and places the populace of both nations at increased risk of contracting the virus associated with COVID-19.
And it adds that given the sustained human-to-human transmission of the virus, coupled with risks posed by new variants, returning to previous levels of travel between the two nations places the personnel staffing land ports of entry between the United States and Canada, as well as the individuals travelling through these ports of entry, at increased risk of exposure to the virus associated with COVID-19.
Accordingly, and consistent with the authority granted in 19 U.S.C. 1318(b)(1)(C) and (b)(2),9 I have determined that land ports of entry along the U.S.-Canada border will continue to suspend normal operations and will only allow processing for entry into the United States of those travelers engaged in “essential travel.”
It also notes that the restrictions are temporary in nature and shall remain in effect until 11:59 p.m. EDT on August 21, 2021; but adds that this Notification may be amended or rescinded prior to that time, based on circumstances associated with the specific threat.
