Detroit Regional Chamber > Canada, US extend border restrictions to July 21

Canada, US extend border restrictions to July 21

June 16, 2020

The United States and Canada have agreed to extend their agreement to keep the border closed to non-essential travel through July 21. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday’s agreement extends the closure by another 30 days. The restrictions were announced on March 18 and were extended in April and May.

Both countries reached an agreement in March to temporarily close the border to non-essential travel — meaning no recreational visits — while keeping it open to commercial traffic and essential workers who cross the border for work, and has already extended the deal twice so far. Americans who are returning to the U.S. and Canadians who are returning to Canada are exempted from the border closure.

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases globally has surpassed eight million, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. More than 2.1 million of those cases are in the United States. There have been more than 437,000 deaths from COVID-19 around the world, with more than 116,000 of them in the U.S.

Canada sends 75% of its exports to the U.S. and about 18% of American exports go to Canada. The U.S.-Canada border is the world’s longest between two nations.