August 9, 2021 by Andrea LaForest
CHAMPLAIN | Though there’s a number of requirements for admission, the Canadian border is officially reopened for land crossings for fully vaccinated Americans.
The international border opened Monday, Aug. 9 as many Americans rejoiced at the long-awaited chance to reunite with family and return to northern travel and tourism.
Ahead of the highly anticipated 12:01 a.m. reopening, U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik applauded the restoration of Canadian cross-border travel and continued to urge the U.S. to take similar “long overdue” action.
“After nearly 17 months, Americans are once again able to reunite with friends and loved ones, and visit their homes up north. I applaud Canada’s leadership in restoring cross-border travel and appreciate the efforts of their provincial leaders in helping secure this long-awaited progress – in clear recognition of the special bond our two nations share,” Stefanik said just hours before the opening.
“In light of this good-faith step from our northern neighbors, the fact that the Biden Administration has not reciprocated Canada’s measures or laid out any plan or timeline for restoring travel into the U.S. is a flat-out dereliction of duty. To make matters worse, the Biden Administration has done little to ensure American travelers and land ports of entry are sufficiently prepared for Canada’s border reopening. The continued restrictions on Canadian travel are incoherent from a public health perspective, given that Canadians have been able to fly into the U.S. throughout the pandemic and now, as they outpace the U.S. in vaccinations, they still cannot make the short trip across the northern border.
In order to cross the border by land, American travelers must:
-Be fully vaccinated at least 14 days prior to entering.
-Be residing in and traveling from the U.S.
-Have a valid pre-arrival COVID-19 molecular test taken in the U.S. (Antigen tests are not accepted).
-Be asymptomatic.
– Submit their mandatory information via ArriveCAN
-Willing to take a test on arrival, if required.
Just days ahead of the border opening, Canadian officials also revised pandemic policies to allow recreational American boaters into Canadian waters without restriction if they have no plans to stop or dock.
Read the full article here: https://suncommunitynews.com/
