Trudeau: US-Canada border could open to fully vaccinated Americans in August



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Almost 80 percent of eligible Canadians have received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine; and at least 53 percent are fully immunized, according to deputy chief medical officer Howard Njoo.

These vaccination rates are higher than in the United States where nearly 56 percent have received at least one dose and more than 48 percent are vaccinated.

The Trudeau government has previously suggested that current border restrictions will not ease until at least 75 percent of the Canadian population have been fully immunized.

Pressure from the United States: Trudeau’s cautious approach to the land border did not make him many new friends in the United States, including Rep. Brian Higgins (DN.Y.) and New York State Assembly Member Jonathan Rivera.

The couple released a joint statement earlier this month urging the Canadian government to open the land border, arguing that “the need for such drastic measures has now expired.”

“We respectfully call on the Canadian authorities to use the powers defined by their offices to end the final closure of the border on July 21 and bring our two great nations back to a place of historic camaraderie,” the statement said.

Midwestern lawmakers unanimously passed a resolution at the Midwestern Legislative Conference on Wednesday calling on the White House and Canadian governments to strike a deal to ease restrictions to allow fully vaccinated travelers to cross the US border. -canadian.

Quick context: The Canada-U.S. Border has been closed to all non-essential travel since March 2020. This initial agreement between the two countries at the start of the pandemic has been extended every month.

The last extension is scheduled to expire on July 21.

Trudeau has taken a cautious approach against pressures to reopen the Canada-U.S. Border to non-essential travel. In a series of interviews this week, he cited concerns about the Delta variant and case studies of countries that have reintroduced restrictions due to a spike in new cases. He stressed that any ease of border restrictions should be introduced in the next steps “in stages”.

And after: Reading Trudeau’s meeting with his provincial and territorial counterparts indicated that more details on a possible plan to reopen the border will be revealed next week.

On the mobility of fully vaccinated Canadians, Trudeau said more work needs to be done nationally and internationally.

The Prime Minister told reporters on Tuesday that his government would work with provinces and territories “to ensure that there is internationally accepted proof of vaccination that will allow Canadians to travel freely for years to come.”

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