{"id":54051,"date":"2021-07-22T18:35:26","date_gmt":"2021-07-22T22:35:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/?p=54051"},"modified":"2021-07-22T18:35:26","modified_gmt":"2021-07-22T22:35:26","slug":"trudeau-announces-us-border-opening-while-cases-remain-low","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canada-info.ca\/en\/trudeau-announces-us-border-opening-while-cases-remain-low\/","title":{"rendered":"Trudeau announces US border opening while cases remain low"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Anastasia Avvakumova<\/p>\n

On Monday July 19,\u00a0Prime Minister Justin Trudeau<\/a>\u00a0announced that August 9 is slated as the starting date for allowing fully vaccinated U.S. citizens into Canada for non-essential travel.<\/p>\n

The\u00a0border<\/a>\u00a0restrictions will lift at 12:01am EST on Monday, August 9, three weeks following the milestone announcement, provided case numbers continue the trajectory of decline.<\/p>\n

The local data shows cause for optimism.\u00a0Island Health\u00a0<\/a>cited 2 new cases this week for a total of just 14 active cases as of Wednesday, July 21. Of these, only 1 is hospitalized and none are in critical care. The total for patients currently hospitalized across B.C. is 48, the lowest it has been since last September. In the\u00a0Greater Campbell River Local Health Area<\/a>, the reported number of cases decreased from 3 to 1 for the week ending July 17. The overall rate of samples testing positive for COVID-19 is less than 1% on Vancouver Island and most of the province.<\/p>\n

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\"Map<\/a>

Screenshot of Vancouver Island from the B C Centre for Disease Control Local Health areas for the epi-week (new cases) of July 11-17, 2021. Greater Cempbell River is CR<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

Canada\u2019s border restrictions have been in place since March 18, 2020. The upcoming big shift will see U.S. citizens and permanent residents who meet the specific criteria to be exempt from the previously mandatory 14-day quarantine and essential travel reasons.<\/p>\n

U.S. President Joe Biden\u00a0<\/a>did not reciprocate with an easing. Two days following Trudeau\u2019s announcement, the U.S. administration confirmed the extension of its closure to the nationals of both Canada and\u00a0Mexico\u00a0<\/a>until August 21. This is speculated to be due to the U.S. not being ready to reopen its southern border and navigating political complexity by choosing to keep all land borders shut.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the Canadian government plans to lift restrictions for eligible travellers from the rest of the world on September 7. It\u2019s possible this decision will be reviewed, as international flights arriving from overseas \u2014 notably Mexico \u2014 have been reporting a rise in infected travelers. This is despite the fact that passengers must show proof of a recent negative COVID-19 test prior to boarding an aircraft.<\/p>\n

An increase in cases has also been reported in countries such as Israel, the\u00a0United Kingdom<\/a>\u00a0and other European nations. Among these recent cases internationally, a large portion is attributed to people who have only received one or neither of the vaccine doses. (A similar phenomenon was reported in British Columbia last month).\u00a0France<\/a>\u00a0has responded domestically with harsh regulations requiring vaccine passports, which caused huge protests to erupt nationwide in the last week. Demonstrators are appalled at losing their freedoms and signs such as \u201cHands off my natural immunity!\u201d summarize the clash in beliefs.<\/p>\n

Links of Interest<\/h2>\n