Canada-U.S. border closure extended into September

OTTAWA – The ban on non-essential travel between Canada and the U.S. across the land border has been extended another month amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The restrictions will now remain in place until at least Sept. 21.

The border was first shut down to all-but-essential traffic in March. This is the fifth time the closure has been extended.

We are extending the reciprocal restrictions at the Canada-US border for another 30 days, till Sept. 21, 2020. We will continue to do what’s necessary to keep our communities safe.

— Bill Blair (@BillBlair) August 14, 2020

“We will continue to do what’s necessary to keep our communities safe,” Public Safety Minister Bill Blair says in a tweet.

The agreement between Canada and the U.S. was set to expire on Aug. 21. The goal behind the land border closure is to limit the spread of the coronavirus. While case numbers in the U.S. had been on the rise, they have seen a decline recently.

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• Canada-U.S. cross-border travel will be forever changed by coronavirus, experts say

• Canada-U.S. reach agreement to extend border closure

So far, the U.S. has confirmed more than five million cases of COVID-19 in that country since the outbreak began. Canada has reported more than 121,000.

Truck drivers, Canadians, and Americans who cross the border for essential work or other “urgent” reasons, as well as some others are exempt from the closure.