Canada-US border to remain closed for one more month

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Saturday (April 18) says his country’s border with the US would not fully reopen for at least one month.

The border — the world’s longest international frontier at 5,500 miles — was shut to all non-essential travelers on both sides on March 21 in response to the coronavirus crisis, though cross-border trade continued.

“We are having ongoing discussions on border issues, on supply chains with the United States all the time,” Trudeau told reporters at a briefing Thursday, Agence France-Presse reported.

But “the reality is that it will still be many weeks” before “we can talk about relaxing the restrictions on our borders,” he said.

We “must protect our citizens, as every country does,” Trudeau added. “Most countries in the world have restricted travel, and Canada and the United States are no exception.”

Earlier this week, in unveiling tougher mandatory quarantine measures for returning travellers, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that the shutdown of the Canada-U.S. border to all non-essential travel was likely going to be one of the suite of public health restrictions that would remain in place for weeks.

Source: Agencies

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