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Canada – U.S. Border closure extended to Sept. 21

OTTAWA, ON., August 14, 2020 — Today, Bill Blair, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness announced on Twitter that the Canada – U.S. border will remain closed at least for another month until September 21, 2020.

“We are extending the reciprocal restrictions at the Canada-US border for another 30 days, till Sept. 21, 2020. We will continue to do what’s necessary to keep our communities safe,” reads the statement.

We are extending the reciprocal restrictions at the Canada-US border for another 30 days, till Sept. 21, 2020. We will continue to do what’s necessary to keep our communities safe.— Bill Blair (@BillBlair) August 14, 2020

The current extension of the border closure agreement was set to expire on August 21. The border closure between the two countries, was enacted in March and has been extended five times on a month-per-month basis ever since.

This means the borders are still only open to commercial traffic and essential workers crossing back and forth for work. Recreational, vacation type visits are still not allowed.

Those exempted from the agreement also include temporary foreign workers and vital health-care workers such as nurses who live and work on opposite sides of the border. Also, foreign nationals who are immediate family members of either Canadian citizens or permanent residents can enter Canada to be reunited.

The United States has reported over 5.25 million cases and over 167,000 deaths due to COVID-19, while Canada has reported a total of 121,234 cases and 9,015 deaths. Canada has 4,665 active cases of COVID-19.