Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said that the Canada-U.S. border will remain closed until life gets back to “normal,” translating to when 75 percent of Canadians have received at minimum one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
The Canada-U.S. border is the longest border in the world and it has been closed few days after the pandemic started in March 2020. Since its closure, most travellers that have crossed it to enter Canada have had to undergo quarantine for two weeks. The closure has been in place for 14 months — the longest in the histories of both countries.
Trudeau said: “We continue to work very closely with American authorities and with Canadian experts on how we can move forward in a way that is safe for Canadians.
“We know we are not yet out of this third wave, and we know there are still real concerns (with) transmission of the virus.
“Hopefully, (we) will get to a better place, when the time is appropriate,” he continued. “We’re all eager to get back to normal, but we know that before we get back to normal, cases need to be under control, and over 75 per cent of people need to be vaccinated.”
Trudeau recently disclosed that it was his government’s opinion that getting 75 percent of eligible Canadians vaccinated with at least a dose is important to resuming activities like barbecues and picnics. Over half of eligible Canadians have have so far received at least one dose.
Trudeau didn’t reveal how the border reopening process would happen, only that measures to “ensure we’re keeping Canadians safe” would be carried out while border restrictions are loosened.
