Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau revealed on a Winnipeg radio station that the Canada-U.S. border would remain closed to non-essential travel until the United States lowers its COVID-19 infections.
In September, it was announced that the border would reopen on Oct. 21. However, the steady increase of positive COVID-19 cases – which has reached 7.9 million, according to data from John's Hopkins – has extended the reopening date. There are now over 200,000 deaths due to the virus, the CDC reports.
“We have committed to keeping Canadians safe and we keep extending the border closures because the States is not in a place where we would feel comfortable reopening those borders,” Trudeau told the radio station, as reported in Bloomberg.
“We will continue to make sure that Canadian safety is top of mind when we move forward. We see the cases in the United States and elsewhere around the world, and we need to continue to keep these border controls in place,” he added.
Travel restrictions do not apply to air, freight rail, or sea travel between both countries. Commercial crossings for trade and commerce will continue as usual.
Family members of Canadian citizens or permanent residents can cross the border into Canada but must stay in the country for at least 15 days.
Additional Coronavirus information and resources:
Click here for a page with resources including a COVID-19 overview from the CDC, details on cases in Michigan, a timeline of Governor Gretchen Whitmer's orders since the outbreak, coronavirus' impact on Southeast Michigan, and links to more information from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, the CDC and the WHO.
View a global coronavirus tracker with data from Johns Hopkins University.
This article was written by WXYZ.
