TORONTO, Canada (AP) — The US and Canada are poised to extend their agreement to keep their shared border closed to non-essential travel to August 21, but a final confirmation has not been given, a person familiar with the matter said earlier today.
The agreement would likely extend the closure by another 30 days. The official was not authorised to speak publicly ahead of an announcement this week, and spoke on condition of anonymity. The restrictions were announced on March 18 and were extended in April, May and June.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said this week that a decision on the border would be announced later this week.
“We’re going to continue to work hard to keep Canadians safe and to keep our economies flowing, and we will have more to say later,” Trudeau said.
Mexican Foreign Affairs Secretary Marcelo Ebrard said on Friday that an opening between the US and Mexico “wouldn’t be prudent right now,” given that coronavirus cases in “the states of the southern United States, California, New Mexico, Arizona and Texas, are on the rise”.
Most Canadians fear a reopening. The US has more confirmed cases and deaths from COVID-19 than any country in the world while Canada has flattened the epidemic curve.
(Source: Jamacia Observer)