Trudeau Keeps US/Canada Border Crossings Closed

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the US-Canadian border is staying closed another month.

Speaking at his usual morning talk in Ottawa, Trudeau said he and US officials have agreed to keep the border closed to all but essential travel for another 30 days.

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Canadian and US officials agreed in mid-March to close the border for 30 days. That decision was extended another 30 days in April, reaching to May 21. Adding another 30 days to that would mean the soonest the border would open to normal traffic would be June 20.

Provincial premiers and other Canadians have been calling on Trudeau to extend the border closure due to the large number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. and the fear of having the virus spread north of the border.

Trudeau said the U.S. was fully in favour of the extension.

“This is an important decision that will keep people in both of our countries safe," the Prime Minister said. “The decisions that were taking are very much made week-to-week in this crisis. The situation is changing rapidly and we're adjusting constantly to what are the right measures for Canadians to get that balance right between keeping people safe, and restoring a semblance of normality and economic activity that we all rely on."

The move will make it tougher still on airlines such as WestJet and Air Canada, which have dozens of flights between the U.S. and Canada during normal times.