While restrictions remain in place at the Canada-US border, several US Senators are stepping up to urge President Joe Biden to once again allow Canadians to cross into the neighbouring country.
Democratic and Independent Senators Jeanne Shaheen, Maggie Hassan, Jon Tester and Angus King asked the president to lift the restriction before October in an open letter to Biden.
“A plan with some indication of when your administration would feel comfortable lifting border restrictions based on public health data would provide clarity to businesses and families along the northern border,” the letter wrote.
In the letter, the senators also criticized the apparent contradiction of Canadians being allowed to fly into the US while land borders continue to be closed.
“We struggle to understand the public health rationale for the disparate treatment in modes of travel,” the senators wrote.
The latest extension of border closures by the US was set to expire on September 21, 2021. However, on Monday, Biden announced that the border will remain closed for at least another month.
New US regulations also require any air traveller to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 test taken 72 hours before boarding a plane and proof that they are vaccinated.
Recently, the Canadian government opened up nonessential travel to fully vaccinated Americans on August 9.
Despite this move, the US has not yet indicated when it would be lifting its restrictions on the land border.
Canada’s border with the US has been closed since at least March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic was at its height.
