U.S. border poised to reopen to fully-vaccinated travellers

The United States intends to allow fully vaccinated travellers to enter the country for nonessential purposes by land and ferry from Canada and Mexico in November, says Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas. His announcement on October 12 did not pin down the day, but Senator Angus King from Maine and Rep. Brian Higgins from upstate New York, who both pushed President Joe Biden's administration to ease restrictions at the border aimed at fighting COVID 19, say the change takes effect on November 8.
Some details remain unclear, but judging from Mayorkas' announcement and information available from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. will not be demanding that visitors entering by land show proof of recent negative COVID 19 tests.
Still, people from St. Stephen and Campobello Island might think twice about popping over to Calais or Lubec on a spur of the moment for coffee with friends or family they have not seen since March 2020, when Canada and the United States put restrictions on crossing the border to keep the pandemic at bay.
Canada relaxed its restrictions on August 9 to allow fully- vaccinated visitors to enter from the United States for nonessential purposes, but the rules still require fully-vaccinated visitors to register in advance online via ArriveCAN and show proof of a negative COVID 19 test no more than 72 hours before arrival.
New Brunswick Southwest MP John Williamson notes online that the requirement for a COVID 19 test before entering the country applies to Canadians returning home from the U.S. as well as American visitors. He says in a Facebook post that this will make day trips to the United States "especially difficult and potentially costly" because the rules require a molecular test such as the PCR for people entering Canada rather than the cheaper and quicker, but not as reliable, rapid tests.
Canadians can get PCR tests in Canada before leaving the country, which works for people planning to return home within 72 hours, and assuming the test result comes back within the same 72 hours -- which Williamson says does not always happen with New Brunswick's testing centres making local outbreaks their priority. "As a result, many travellers visiting Maine should find a U.S. pharmacy for a test, at least as a backup," Williamson posted, but there have already been backlogs reported in Calais for people wanting tests to cross the St. Croix River to St. Stephen, even without Canadians wanting tests to get back home.
Williamson, a Conservative opposition member, intends to press Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government to end testing requirements or allow rapid tests at the border. However, Canada's Chief Public Heath Officer Dr. Theresa Tam, along with Deputy Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Howard Njoo, said in a news conference live streamed from Ottawa on October 15 that they support the requirement for PCR tests at the border while the country copes with the "fourth wave" of the pandemic. Njoo says that 0.2% of travellers entering Canada test positive for COVID 19 despite being fully vaccinated.
These issues will provide grist for debate when Parliament resumes sitting on November 22, but Canadians planning to visit the U.S. should keep an eye out and ear cocked for developments in the days ahead.
Mayorkas says travellers will need "appropriate paperwork that provides proof of vaccination" to enter the United States for nonessential purposes when the restrictions ease next month. He states further that, come January, Homeland Security will demand that all foreign visitors show proof of vaccination whether they come for essential or nonessential purposes. "This new travel system will create consistent, stringent protocols for all foreign nationals traveling to the United States -- whether by air, land or ferry -- and accounts for the wide availability of COVID 19 vaccinations," he states.
According to information from King's office, Canadians crossing into the U.S. for nonessential purposes by car will be asked about their vaccination status on arrival at ports of entry to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers will have the discretion to review documents in secondary screening areas.
An October 15 update, which Higgins says online that he asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to provide, offers some clarity on what "fully vaccinated" will mean for visitors from Canada after November 8. The American border officers will accept vaccines currently approved or authorized for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration: Pfizer BioNTech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson/Janssen, and that acceptance "can be applied to COVID 19 vaccines that have been listed for emergency use by the World Health Organization" including AstraZeneca/Oxford.
Canada has approved the AstraZeneca vaccine but the U.S. has not, although there are clinical trials under way in that country, according to the CDC. Premier Blaine Higgs quipped awhile back at an update live streamed from Fredericton that both he and Trudeau might have trouble crossing the border once the U.S. lifted restrictions because they both received AstraZeneca shots.
Trudeau, in fact, could have faced further trouble at the border because he got Moderna vaccine for his second shot following a first dose of AZ. Canada and many other countries allow different vaccines for first and second shots. The CDC does not recommend this, but according to the October 15 update, border officers can consider visitors to be fully vaccinated if they received "any combination of two doses of an FDA approved/authorized or WHO emergency use listed COVID 19 two dose series."
This does not mean the CDC wants Americans to mix and match vaccines at this point. "The above guidance on interpreting vaccine records does not impact CDC recommendations on primary series vaccination and should not guide clinical practice," the October 15 update concludes -- but it looks like Higgs and Trudeau will be able to cross the border after November 8. Tam and Njoo say they discussed the AstraZeneca and mixed dose issues with American officials.
The roll out might or might not go smoothly but elected representatives in Maine welcome Mayorkas announcement.
"I welcome this long overdue step forward. For too long, the closed border with our Canadian neighbors has made it difficult, if not impossible, for cross border families to see one another, and it has strained our local small businesses and our state's tourism industry. I applaud the administration for heeding my call and that of Maine's congressional delegation by reopening the border with Canada in a safe way," says Maine Governor Janet Mills in a news release.
"It's good to see the White House creating a consistency in travel policy, allowing vaccinated Canadians to drive across the northern border weeks after we began allowing vaccinated Europeans to visit the U.S. via air," King says in a news release. "Bottom line: this action by the White House will reconnect friends and families, and help stabilize local economies that rely on cross border neighbors for business -- a welcome action, especially as the holiday season approaches," he adds.
"Today's long overdue announcement is fantastic news for Mainers who have deeply missed having their Canadian relatives at holiday celebrations, family functions and other milestone events. As a native of Aroostook County, I know all too well how many families have ties on both sides of the border, and they were separated for far too long," U.S. Senator Susan Collins says in a release. "This is also a welcome development for Maine small businesses that have suffered significant revenue losses without Canadian customers, and it will provide a boost to Maine's hard hit hospitality industry, which has been harmed by the absence of Canadian tourists."
"When the U.S. Canada border closed more than a year and a half ago, it created significant disruptions in border towns, where people routinely cross to shop, visit their medical providers, attend church and participate in local events. I repeatedly advocated for the U.S. to loosen its border restrictions, and when Canadian officials began allowing fully-vaccinated Americans to enter their country in August, I urged the administration to reciprocate with similar requirements and safeguards. Today's decision will help to reunite these tight knit border communities," she states. State Senator Marianne Moore of Calais put it more succinctly. "Great news, FINALLY!" she posted.
St. Croix MLA Kathy Bockus reports that the New Brunswick government has arranged to extend the East Coast ferry service to Campobello until the end of November. This will allow time for the adjustment to the opening of the U.S. border in early November. The service will continue to be offered four days a week, depending on the weather. Ferry schedules will be posted by East Coast Ferries on their Facebook site.