Canada to allow entry of vaccinated Americans

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday that Canada could begin allowing fully vaccinated Americans to enter the country in mid-August for non-essential travel, and would be able to receive travelers from other countries from at the beginning of September are already vaccinated.

Trudeau spoke to Canadian provincial officials on Thursday and his office released a document on the appeal. He stressed that if the country maintains its current positive vaccination rate and public health conditions persist, the border can be opened.

“Canada may be able to accommodate fully vaccinated travelers from all countries by the first days of September,” according to the text. “He highlighted the ongoing discussions with the United States on plans to reopen and indicated that we might expect to begin allowing fully vaccinated United States citizens and permanent residents to enter Canada in mid-August for non-essential travel. “

Trudeau noted that Canada continues to lead the G20 countries in terms of vaccination rates, as about 80% of eligible Canadians have received their first dose and more than 50% are fully vaccinated. He noted that the number of infections and cases of serious illness continues to decline in the country as the vaccination rate increases.

At the start of the pandemic, the United States and Canada closed their border of more than 8,800 kilometers (5,500 miles) to non-essential traffic. Due to rising vaccination rates and declining contagion rates, some sectors are unhappy that the two governments have not presented detailed plans to fully reopen the border.

Canada began easing restrictions this month, allowing the return of Canadians or legal permanent residents who are fully vaccinated without having to serve a quarantine. But among the requirements is to test negative for the coronavirus before they return, and another once they return.

Pressure has increased for Canada to continue to ease border restrictions that have been in place since March of last year.

Commercial transit between the two countries has been carried out normally since the start of the pandemic. Canadians can fly to the United States if they show proof that they have tested negative for COVID-19.

The American Travel Association estimates that each month the border is closed costs $ 1.5 billion. Canadian officials say their country received 22 million foreign visitors in 2019, of which around 15 million were from the United States.