US extends travel restrictions at land borders

(Representative photo) Flags of Mexico, Canada, and USA.

The United States has extended the closure of its land borders with Canada and Mexico to non-essential travel such as tourism through September 21, despite Ottawa’s decision to open its border to vaccinated Americans. The latest 30-day extension by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), came after Canada said in July that it would start allowing in fully-vaccinated US visitors starting August 9 for non-essential travel, after the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic prompted a lengthy ban that many businesses have called crippling. “In co-ordination with public health and medical experts, the DHS continues working closely with its partners across the United States and internationally to determine how to safely and sustainably resume normal travel,” the DHS said on Twitter. The United States has continued to extend the extraordinary restrictions on Canada and Mexico on a monthly basis since March 2020, when they were imposed to address the spread of Covid-19. Reuters reported this week the extension was expected. The latest restrictions extend the prohibitions beyond the end of the busy US summer tourism season. Airline officials say it will be at least weeks and potentially months before any US travel restrictions are lifted, citing the rising number of Covid-19 cases. The US land border restrictions do not bar US citizens and lawful permanent residents from returning to the US. Separate from the Canada and Mexico land border restrictions, the United States bars most non-US citizens who within the last 14 days have been in the United Kingdom, the 26 Schengen countries in Europe without border controls, Ireland, China, India, South Africa, Iran, and Brazil. The White House confirmed on August 5 that it may require visitors from abroad to be vaccinated as part of its plans to eventually reopen international travel, but it had yet to decide and would not immediately lift restrictions.