Restrictions at U.S. border to remain in place until end of July, Blair says

Travel restrictions at the Canada-U.S. border will remain in place for at least another month.

Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said the Canadian and American governments are extending restrictions on non-essential international travel until July 21.

He added in a tweet that the government will provide details Monday of plans to let fully vaccinated Canadians and permanent residents enter the country.
 

Our number one priority as we fight #COVID19 is keeping Canadians safe. In coordination with the U.S., we are extending restrictions on non-essential international travel and with the United States until July 21st, 2021.

— Bill Blair (@BillBlair) June 18, 2021

The measures at the border have been in place since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. The pressure to relax the restrictions has been building from businesses on both sides of the border — and increasingly from American lawmakers — as vaccination rates climb in Canada.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said that 75 per cent of Canadians would have to be vaccinated before restrictions could be lifted. To that condition, Trudeau also added the caveat that the outbreak needs to be at a stage where minor flare-ups can be handled without the risk of wider spread.