US Extends Coronavirus Closures Of Borders With Mexico, Canada

The United States’ land borders with Mexico and Canada will
remain closed to non-essential travel for another month, the US
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced, just days
after Canada signalled plans to ease restrictions on travel from
the US.

The restrictions into the US by land or ferry will remain in
place until at least August 21, the DHS said on Wednesday.

The US restricted non-essential travel into the country in March
2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic – which has killed more than
609,000 people in the US according to Johns Hopkins University data
– and has extended the closure at its borders with Mexico and
Canada on a monthly basis since.

The Canadian government said on Monday that it would allow
fully-vaccinated US citizens and permanent residents into the
country without needing to quarantine as of August 9, pointing to
rising inoculation rates and lowering infections in Canada.

“A gradual approach to reopening will allow our health
authorities to monitor the COVID-19 situation here and abroad.
Canadians have worked hard and sacrificed for each other, and
because of that work, we can take these next steps safely,” Health
Minister Patty Hajdu said.

But after the announcement from Ottawa, questions were raised
about whether the loosening of restrictions would be mutual.

Sources briefed on the matter told the Reuters news agency that
the White House plans a new round of high-level meetings to discuss
the travel restrictions and the potential of mandating COVID-19
vaccines, but no decisions have been made.

In early June, the White House launched interagency working
groups with the European Union, Britain, Canada, and Mexico to look
at how to eventually lift restrictions.

Last month, Mexico’s Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said the
country planned to bolster its coronavirus vaccination effort along
the Mexican-US border in an effort to get the restrictions
lifted.

“Mexico is going to make an extraordinary vaccination effort in
order for our cities to have similar standards to those of the
United States in terms of vaccination,” Ebrard said during a news
conference on June 15.

“Once we reach that stage which will begin today all along the
border, there would be no sanitary argument to maintain these
restrictions,” he said.

Mexico has reported more than 2.6 million coronavirus cases and
236,000 deaths to date, according to the Johns Hopkins University
tally, while Canada has recorded more than 1.4 million infections
and 26,470 deaths.

While nearly 60 percent of US adults are fully vaccinated,
health officials have warned that infections are rising, especially
among the millions of people in the country who have not yet
received a jab.

The United States’ land borders with Mexico and Canada will
remain closed to non-essential travel for another month, the US
Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced, just days
after Canada signalled plans to ease restrictions on travel from
the US.

The restrictions into the US by land or ferry will remain in
place until at least August 21, the DHS said on Wednesday.

The US restricted non-essential travel into the country in March
2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic – which has killed more than
609,000 people in the US according to Johns Hopkins University data
– and has extended the closure at its borders with Mexico and
Canada on a monthly basis since.

The Canadian government said on Monday that it would allow
fully-vaccinated US citizens and permanent residents into the
country without needing to quarantine as of August 9, pointing to
rising inoculation rates and lowering infections in Canada.

“A gradual approach to reopening will allow our health
authorities to monitor the COVID-19 situation here and abroad.
Canadians have worked hard and sacrificed for each other, and
because of that work, we can take these next steps safely,” Health
Minister Patty Hajdu said.

But after the announcement from Ottawa, questions were raised
about whether the loosening of restrictions would be mutual.

Sources briefed on the matter told the Reuters news agency that
the White House plans a new round of high-level meetings to discuss
the travel restrictions and the potential of mandating COVID-19
vaccines, but no decisions have been made.

In early June, the White House launched interagency working
groups with the European Union, Britain, Canada, and Mexico to look
at how to eventually lift restrictions.

Last month, Mexico’s Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said the
country planned to bolster its coronavirus vaccination effort along
the Mexican-US border in an effort to get the restrictions
lifted.

“Mexico is going to make an extraordinary vaccination effort in
order for our cities to have similar standards to those of the
United States in terms of vaccination,” Ebrard said during a news
conference on June 15.

“Once we reach that stage which will begin today all along the
border, there would be no sanitary argument to maintain these
restrictions,” he said.

Mexico has reported more than 2.6 million coronavirus cases and
236,000 deaths to date, according to the Johns Hopkins University
tally, while Canada has recorded more than 1.4 million infections
and 26,470 deaths.

While nearly 60 percent of US adults are fully vaccinated,
health officials have warned that infections are rising, especially
among the millions of people in the country who have not yet
received a jab.