Travel Restrictions Must Remain a While Longer, Trudeau Says

Health and travel restrictionsfor Canada need to remain in place a little longer, says Prime MInister Justin Trudeau. But there's good reason for optimism.

“There is hope” for a “slightly better summer,” Trudeau told the media Tuesday. But the Prime Minister said restrictions need to stay in place until at least 75% of the population has at least their first shot and community transmission is better controlled through tracing, virus testing and tamping down on the spread of COVID-19.

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According to federal data, 40% of the adult population has had one shot already, the CBC rsays.

“We all know, in some places, cases are really high,” Trudeau said. “We can’t ease public health restrictions until cases are way down. We all want to have a summer where we can see our loved ones and invite our friends over for BBQs.”

“We can have that summer,” he said. “That’s what I’m excited about.”

Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam said case counts are “slowly declining” across the country but that the third wave is still going strong in several regions of Canada.

The Canada-U.S. border closure is set to expire on May 21 but will almost certainly be extended. The same is likely for the federal government’s controversial quarantine hotel program.