The border between the United States and Canada will remain closed to nonessential travel through September 21.
Canadian Public Safety Minister Bill Blair announced that Canada will be extending their closure of its border with the United States, tweeting on Monday: “We will continue to do what’s necessary to keep our communities safe.”
In a follow-up tweet, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that both Canada and the U.S. are working mutually to “take this step to keep people in both countries safe – because your health and safety is always our top priority.”
The Canadian government has worked to curb the movement of Americans through Canada who are on their way to Alaska. American travelers headed to Alaska have been limited to five crossings in Western Canada and they must commit to taking a direct route, rather than spending extra time in Canada. U.S. immigration lawyer, Len Saunders: “If you’re traveling to Alaska and you’re an American citizen and you have legitimate travel plans, I do believe you should be checking-in and checking-out so that you can’t make a three day trip, maybe, a three week vacation. So, I agree with that.”
Cross-border workers like truck drivers, health care workers, and airline crews are all permitted entry.