Border city mayors 'urgently ask' feds to drop land border testing requirements
CTV
More than a dozen mayors from across Canada have written an open letter to the Canadian government, “urgently asking” the feds to drop all testing requirements for fully-vaccinated travellers at the Canada-United States land border.
More than a dozen mayors from across Canada have written an open letter to the Canadian government, “urgently asking” the feds to drop all testing requirements for fully-vaccinated travellers at the Canada-United States land border.
The letter comes just days after Ottawa changed testing requirements, removing the need for a molecular test, taken within 72 hours of their land entry, for people entering Canada.
Now, fully vaccinated travellers have the option to instead show proof of a laboratory-issued antigen test taken a day before the scheduled flight or arrival at a land border crossing.
“As you know, border communities have been at the forefront of the federal strategy and have paid a heavy price with the border being closed to all but essential travel for 20 months,” the letter states. “Even now, the border remains under very strict testing guidelines that are not justified by current science and are out of line with public health officers’ mandates.”
The mayors believe the federal government’s pledge to constantly review border measures is moving too slowly, noting health ministry officials indicate the current guidance will not be reviewed until the end of March, 2022.
“The time to end testing at the land border is now,” the mayors’ letter states.
“In March, Canadians will soon witness full capacity in NHL games with 20,000 fans with no testing requirement, but fully vaccinated American tourists will not be able to cross over the border in their own family car without an unnecessary, expensive test administered by a health professional,” reads the letter. “This absurdity will undermine Canadians’ confidence in all levels of government.”