Canada and U.S. not in agreement on partial reopening of border

Maine Governor Janet Mills and the state's congressional delegation want the U.S. government to follow Canada's lead in easing restrictions on nonessential travel across the shared border. The Canadian government announced on July 19 that it would allow Americans fully vaccinated against COVID 19 to visit for nonessential purposes starting on Monday, August 9, provided they get tested, register with the ArriveCAN app or web portal and meet other requirements. However, the U.S. government issued a statement on July 21 that it would keep its borders closed to nonessential travel until at least August 21.
In a July 21 statement, Mills urges the U.S. government to follow suit. "The State of Maine is inextricably bound to our Canadian neighbors. Our ties stretch across our economy, our culture and our families. The decision to prolong the border closure on our end only diminishes these ties, hurts local economies and separates families, particularly in northern and eastern Maine, whose relatives in Canada will be unable to travel here to see their loved ones. I share the federal government's concern about the spread of COVID 19, but vaccines are now available, and Canada's vaccination rate now exceeds that of the United States. The time has come for the U.S. government to safely open the border," she says.
U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King and Representatives Chellie Pingree and Jared Golden released a copy of a letter to Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas urging President Joe Biden's administration to allow fully vaccinated Canadians to come to the United States for business or leisure. They contend that Canada stands to benefit from American tourism with no traffic in the other direction. While public health comes first during a pandemic, guidelines and standards could be developed to allow Canadians to visit, they contend.
"For example, Canada requires American citizens and permanent residents to provide a negative COVID 19 test within 72 hours and proof that they are fully vaccinated 14 days prior to travel. You and others in the administration should work to issue similar guidelines for reciprocal travel," the letter states.
"The border closure has also made it nearly impossible for family members to see each other. This pandemic has costs that cannot be calculated, as countless Americans have not had an ability to have their Canadian family at milestone events such as weddings, anniversaries, graduations and holidays for well over a year now. It is time to create and implement guidelines that will allow families to come together once again," the letter states.
More Americans will be able to come to Canada starting on August 9, but most Calais or Lubec residents might still hesitate before popping over for coffee or to see family. They will need to register online with ArriveCAN and, despite their vaccination status, must show proof of a negative COVID 19 test within 72 hours before entering Canada and could be required to take a day one COVID 19 test on a randomized basis. They will not have to quarantine but will need a quarantine plan in case an issue arises. Unvaccinated children under 12 will no longer need to quarantine, but they must follow public health rules, allowing them to accompany their parents or guardians on errands.
U.S. citizens are exempt from the U.S. border restrictions for the pandemic when returning to the U.S.
Mainers coming to New Brunswick will be visiting a province where people still wear masks and keep two metres apart. The provincial government is sticking to its plan to keep COVID 19 rules in place until 75% of people 12 and older become fully vaccinated. The number stood at 60.7% on July 21.
The announcement mostly affects Americans, but one change will make life easier for Canadians making short trips to the United States. As of August 9, they can get their "pre entry" COVID 19 test before leaving Canada as long as they return within 72 hours.
Community leaders welcomed this July 19 announcement as a step in the right direction. "Yes, I think it's a good thing, but I feel if the person is vaccinated, they shouldn't have to have the test. That's my personal feeling, anyways. Our border towns depend on the American tourists, also the families that have been separated. Let's pray it gets better," Campobello Island Mayor Harvey Matthews says in a text message.
"I believe the biggest effect will be the families can be reunited. It's been a very long year and a half for some of these folks. I myself don't visit Campobello often. I don't have family there, but there are a lot of people in Lubec that do," Lubec's town administrator Renée Gray says in an email. She encourages people intending to cross the border to check with the Canada Border Services Agency and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection on what restrictions still apply.
St. Stephen Mayor Alan MacEachern welcomes the announcement although, looking at it with what he calls "unexpert eyes," he is not completely aware of what hoops Americans still need to jump through. "Americans can come to Canada for nonessential stuff, you know, for shopping or touring or whatever they want visiting, as long as they have got two vaccines," he says in an interview. Besides making themselves aware of Canadian rules, he cautions Americans to check up on their own rules. "If they come over, are they allowed to go home?" he asks rhetorically. "So, they might want to check their own rules before they leave. I know I would. You've got to go home," this Canadian mayor says.
"At least we're moving in the right direction to get there," MacEachern says, adding, "We're inching ahead, so that's a good thing."
"There are so many Mainers who have not been able to see their relatives in Canada for more than a year. For months, I have repeatedly called for the easing of travel restrictions on the Canadian border. The Biden administration should enact a reciprocal policy for Canadians who want to visit the U.S.," Collins says in an email sent earlier in the day before the congressional delegation released the letter to Mayorkas.
The two countries imposed nearly identical restrictions on nonessential travel in March 2020. The Canadian cabinet ministers who spoke on July 19 say the changes will go ahead despite the understanding that the United States intended to keep the restrictions in place. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says each country has the right to set its own rules at the border.
Canada began to ease restrictions on July 5 by allowing Canadian citizens, permanent residents and others with a right of entry to come to Canada without quarantining or taking a day eight test. The government says that if things go well with COVID 19 following the changes starting on August 9, Canada will open the border on a similar basis to people from other countries on September 7. "This shift allows us to focus efforts on unvaccinated travellers while still keeping track of new variants," according to Canada's Health Minister Patty Hadju at the news conference in Ottawa announcing these changes.
"We have taken a cautious and careful approach, and we will always put the health and safety of Canadians first. Today's announcement is a step in the [right] direction," says Canada's Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair.
Privy Council Minister and Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc, a New Brunswick Member of Parliament, acknowledges that the U.S. did not intend to reciprocate by easing restrictions on Canadian travellers. "We continue to regularly speak to our American partners in order to ensure the safety, security and economic well-being of both our countries. Should the situation evolve drastically, we are prepared to adapt our border measures according to our needs," he says, speaking in French.
According to the backgrounder accompanying the July 19 news release, American citizens and permanent residents currently living in the United States can enter Canada from the United States if they are fully vaccinated with one of the four vaccines approved in Canada -- Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson -- at least 14 days before arrival.
These travelers must provide information including proof of vaccination electronically via the ArriveCAN app or web portal, meet pre entry testing requirements, be asymptomatic on arrival and must show paper or digital copy of vaccination documentation. All travelers must present suitable quarantine plans and be ready to quarantine if they do not meet all requirements for exemption and follow all local public health rules.
The Canadian government says these rules could change quickly if the COVID 19 situation deteriorates. At last count, more than 68% of Canada's total population and more than 78% of people 12 and older had their first shots. More than 43% of total population and more than half of people 12 and older are fully vaccinated. In New Brunswick, the government reports 80.8% of people 12 and older -- more than 71% of total population -- had their first shot, and 60.7% of people 12 and older -- more than 53% of total population -- had both shots as of July 21.
Federal and provincial governments and health officials encourage Canadians yet to do so to get vaccinated.
New Brunswick reported no new COVID 19 cases on July 21, leaving the total of active cases reported across the province at seven, none of them in Zone 2 which includes Charlotte County.