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U.S. extends travel restrictions at Canada, Mexico land borders

JAMES MCCARTEN

The White House overhauled some of its international travel restrictions Monday, but left in place a controversial ban on travel across the Canada-U.S. land border even as it announced that by early November, it would allow overseas air visitors who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

It was the first clear indication in months that U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration is getting ready to ease and streamline the patchwork of travel restrictions that were first imposed at the outset of the pandemic in March, 2020, when Donald Trump was still president.

But the continuing prohibition on recreational travellers driving from Canada and Mexico – extended now for a 19th month until Oct. 21 – came to some as nothing short of a slap in the face.

“The White House is in conflict with itself, and in conflict with the science that they support and push others to follow,” said Representative Brian Higgins, a New York congressman who has been fighting for months to convince the White House to ease the restrictions. “Their legitimacy and credibility on this issue has taken a justifiably hard hit. The White House isn’t speaking with one voice.”

Maintaining the travel ban at the land border undermines the very same public faith in the COVID-19 vaccines that the Biden administration is working so hard to convince Americans to embrace, he added.

The new rules replace Trump-era travel bans that restricted visits to the U.S. by those who had recently been in Britain, the European Union, China, India, Iran, Ireland, Brazil and South Africa. Passengers will have to show proof of vaccination before boarding, as well as a negative COVID-19 test taken no more than three days prior to departure.

In that respect, they are similar to the requirements Canada began imposing over the summer – initially on returning Canadians, then on U.S. citizens and permanent residents, then finally earlier this month on all foreign nationals.

Air travel to the U.S. from Canada has never been restricted, and it’s not yet clear whether the new vaccination rules will be imposed on Canadian passengers when they take effect. The rules at the Canada-U.S. border have also allowed trade and essential workers to move between the two countries unfettered.

The other burning question is whether Canadians who received the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which has never been approved for use in the U.S., will meet the eligibility test. Federal officials say they are pressing the Biden administration to ensure those people will be allowed in.

“This is all a part of the process,” White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday when asked about specific vaccine requirements, as well as whether and when the land border restrictions would be amended or eased.

“We don’t have any updates or predictions at this point in time, but obviously we are continuing to consider – as is evident by our announcement today – how we can return to a place of travel and people being able to move from country to country, including at our land borders.”

The U.S. is clearly more willing to allow people into the country via air than by land – evidence of the importance they place on the ability of airlines to handle the cumbersome chore of screening travellers and ensuring they meet the necessary health requirements.

“It’s incredibly frustrating, it confounds logic and something’s got to give,” said Scotty Greenwood, president and chief executive of the D.C.-based Canadian American Business Council.

“I don’t understand the policy rationale for discriminating against Canadians based on their proximity. If we’re willing to allow Canadians to fly and we’re now willing to allow other nations to fly, why wouldn’t we allow Canadians to drive? It doesn’t make any sense.”

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2021-09-21T07:00:00.0000000Z

2021-09-21T07:00:00.0000000Z

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