US border to remain closed until at least Aug 21

The U.S. land border will remain closed to non-essential travel until at least Aug. 21, according to a renewal order issued by the American government Wednesday.

In a notice pre-published in the U.S. Federal Register, the U.S. government says that while vaccination rates have improved, opening the land border to non-essential travel still poses too great a risk.

"Given the outbreak and continued transmission and spread of COVID-19 within the United States and globally, the Secretary has determined that the risk of continued transmission and spread of the virus associated with COVID-19 between the United States and Canada poses an ongoing specific threat to human life or national interests," the government wrote.

The new order expires one minute before midnight on Aug. 21.

The American order comes only a few days after the Canadian government announced its land border would open to fully vaccinated U.S. citizens on Aug. 9 and to fully vaccinated travellers from other countries on Sept. 7.

Speaking to reporters today, Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said he has been working closely with U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, who informed him of the U.S. government's plan to keep its land border closed to non-essential travel.

"There are a number of considerations that I know that the American government is currently undertaking with respect to their borders and that work will continue," he said.

Blair said the U.S. policy doesn't affect Canada's decision to open its border next month.

"Our responsibility, of course, is to look after the best interests of Canadians and to follow the advice of our public health officials," he said. "That's precisely what we have done."

Democratic congressman Brian Higgins said he was infuriated by his own government's announcement.

"For months now, people and businesses along the border have been strung along month after month, holding out hope for the border to reopen," said Higgins, who represents a district in New York state that includes Buffalo and Niagara Falls.

"Today's decision by the Biden administration harms economic recovery and hurts families all across America's northern border; this is completely unnecessary."

Higgins said keeping the U.S. land border closed to non-essential travel "is illogical given the success of vaccines and counterproductive, putting the United States at a disadvantage given Canada's decision to welcome back vaccinated Americans effective Aug. 9."

Perrin Beatty, president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, was sharply critical of the U.S. government's decision and the lack of coordination with Canada's move to open the land border to fully vaccinated Americans with a PCR test starting August 9.

"It flies in the face of both science and the most recent public health data," said Beatty, who urged the Canadian government to press Washington to change its mind. "It's hard to see how allowing fully vaccinated Canadians to enter the U.S. poses a public health threat when travel within the U.S. is unrestricted."

Beatty said vaccination rates are higher in Canada than the U.S. and infection rates are lower, and pointed out that the U.S. has adopted different rules for those who fly to the States and those who want to drive.

More to come.

Elizabeth Thompson can be reached at elizabeth.thompson@cbc.ca

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