U.S., Canada Agree to Block Leisure Travel Between the Countries
Trump Says U.S., Canada Close Their Border After Virus Spreads
(Bloomberg) --
The U.S. and Canada say they have agreed to close the border between the two countries to non-essential traffic as the coronavirus spreads but will allow trade to continue.
“We will be, by mutual consent, temporarily closing our Northern Border with Canada to non-essential traffic,” Trump said in a tweet on Wednesday. “Trade will not be affected.”
Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke Wednesday morning and agreed to the mutual measure.
The indefinite ban -- essentially blocking tourism between the two countries -- will have wide exemptions for business and commerce that have yet to be disclosed.
Trump said later Wednesday at a White House news conference that the border closing would likely last 30 days. “And hopefully at the end of 30 days, we’ll be in great shape,” Trump said.
Trudeau earlier this week urged Canadians abroad to return home, and restricted flights from places other than the U.S., Mexico and the Caribbean. In a statement Wednesday, his office said, “Travelers will no longer be permitted to cross the border for recreation and tourism.”
Trudeau said he and Trump agreed that they would preserve “essential travel” and supply chains. “These supply chains ensure that food, fuel and life-saving medicines reach people on both sides of the border,” Trudeau’s office said.
The border closing comes as the number of coronavirus cases has been rising in both countries. In the U.S., more than 7,700 people tested positive for the virus, and in Canada there were 657 people with positive tests, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
Trump has also placed travel restrictions on European countries in an effort to slow the spread of the virus. The president has said travel restrictions within the U.S. are also possible.
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