Border closure extended

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that the U.S./Canada border closure would be extended another 30 days until July 21. The previous closure agreement was set to expire on June 21. 

The U.S. and Canada initially agreed to a temporary border closure on March 21, barring non-essential travel between the two countries to slow the spread of Covid-19. This is the third month-long extension to the initial closure. 

The U.S. has had more than 2.1 million cases of Covid-19 to date, while Canada has had about 100,000, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. The U.S. has about three times
as many cases per capita as Canada. 

The conditions of the border closure remain the same as before. Non-essential travel across the border is prohibited while essential travelers such as health professionals and transportation services continue unimpeded. In normal times, approximately 75 percent of border crossings are made by Canadians traveling to and from the U.S., often to shop, meaning some Whatcom County businesses have been hit hard by the closure.

Beginning June 9, the Canadian government allows immediate family members separated by the U.S./Canada border to enter Canada under certain conditions.