(CNN) – The Canada-United States border is expected to remain closed for another 30 days, until August 21.
Prioritize the safety of Canadians
“We recognize that the situation remains complex in the United States with respect to Covid-19,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters on Monday. “We will continue to keep Canadians safe and keep our economy flowing.”
The border between the United States and Canada is expected to remain closed for another 30 days, until August 21.
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The Prime Minister of Ontario, Canada’s largest province, is on board with the shutdown. “I see these Florida numbers and they are amazing, 15,000 people who contacted COVID in one day,” Doug Ford told reporters earlier this week. “That is scary, but we are very vigilant, we do not rush to anything.”
“People are nervous. It doesn’t mean we don’t love our neighbors or we don’t want to resume with travelers,” he recently told CNN Travel. “But I think everyone is understandably cautious because in their own home community they feel they have done the right thing … and there is this concern, if you will, that others will come in too quickly.”
Newfoundland, Canada generally receives many American tourists, but not this year.
Getty Images / Stephen Saks
“(Americans) are a big part of the business here, but people aren’t too excited about them traveling right now. Everyone here is pretty much in agreement that they don’t come until they gather their story there.”
In previous summers, Americans helped fill the rooms of Earl’s century-old house in Tilting, gazing at icebergs, wandering around the picturesque towns on the small island, and participating in art events through the world-famous Fogo Island Inn.
But Earl will close his B&B for the rest of the season and hopes to see visitors from the United States next year.
Essential visitors only
While truck drivers and other essentials for North America’s “economic services and supply chains” cross back and forth as needed, the border is closed to most American citizens.
American travelers driving to their home or a job in the state of Alaska can also travel through Canada, but traffic must be “direct, continuous and uninterrupted”, and are only allowed to stop to sleep, to go to the bathroom , gas or food (requires wearing a mask and practicing social distancing at any stop).
Alaska’s “Into the Wild” bus was a magnet for hikers out of its depth, until it was phased out in 2020.
Alaska National Guard
Travelers need to pack a lot of paperwork, says Rebecca Norton, a Calgary immigration attorney who works with U.S. citizens who want to visit her family, including new grandchildren, in Canada.
“They need to prove that their child is their child, therefore, a birth certificate. They need to demonstrate the status of their (child) in Canada, making a copy of the Canadian visitor’s record or passport. If they are married to a Canadian, they must have a copy of the marriage certificate, proof that their spouse is a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. They have to prove that their spouse is in Canada, so a copy of a (Canadian) driver’s license, “he says Norton.
If a U.S. citizen is trying to visit a de facto spouse, they must demonstrate that they have lived together for at least one year.
Discretionary travel prohibited
US citizens cannot enter Canada for “discretionary travel,” which includes walks, birthday parties, boating across the border, picking up a pet, or opening a summer home.
At this time, American travelers cannot access hiking, boating, and other discretionary travel in Canada.
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“Between March 22 and July 1, a total of 10,104 foreign citizens were denied entry to Canada from the United States as a result of their travel purpose being considered discretionary,” said Jacqueline Callin of the Canada Border Services (CBSA) to CNN Travel in an email. “Of the 10,104, 8,815 were US citizens and 1,289 were citizens of other countries that came from the United States.”
CBSA’s individual agent, either at the airport or at the land crossing, makes the last call about whether anyone can enter Canada. The agent will ask about your health and may send you to a public health officer for further testing for the coronavirus (in recent weeks, more Canadian public health workers have been dispatched to busy border crossings to help check on people by Covid-19).
If it shows any signs or symptoms of Covid-19, it will be returned to you.
The agent will ask you for proof that your trip is really “essential” and that you have a plan to go directly somewhere (a hotel or relative’s home) and quarantine him for 14 days.
The agent will obtain your contact information and send you on your way with a brochure explaining the quarantine instructions.
“The CBSA people expect travelers to talk about their quarantine plan,” says Norton. “Exactly where they will be staying, how they will get to their quarantine location, ideally in a private vehicle. They have to travel directly from the port of entry to the quarantine location and must remain there for 14 days. Days and I cannot leave for any reason ”
Travelers should also explain how they will get groceries and other necessities, such as having an Airbnb host who drops supplies on the porch. Norton has seen cases where CBSA calls the Airbnb host to confirm.
Rules and regulations
“There are some compassionate reasons for allowing people to travel. They only have to go through quarantine once they reach their destination,” RCMP Cpl. Deanna Fontaine told CNN Travel. “If they have been allowed to travel to visit the family, they have to quarantine and they have to physically distance themselves on the road and things like that.”
Banff, a popular tourist destination for American travelers, has seen some Americans travel. Mounties, however, can fine people who violate the rules.
TripAdvisor Traveler Photo
The Mounties could also confiscate vehicles and send people to a special quarantine hotel on their own.
“We saw an increase in the number of American travelers arriving and making stops and not following instructions from the Canada Border Services Agency, which in itself is not acceptable,” says Fontaine. The issuance of a large number of tickets appears to have helped reduce “the number of cases in which American travelers have tried to break the rules.”
In the past few weeks, the Mounties have received calls from concerned citizens and at least one hotel in Banff reporting that Americans are out.
In one case, Canadians were driving a rental car that had American plates. In another it was an American who had been living in Banff before the pandemic.
“I think the traveling public is concerned about the origin of all these days,” says Reeder of TAIT. “If you’re coming from the United States right now, for a completely discretionary and nonessential trip, everyone is a little bit more curious as to why you might be in town.”
But Reeder offers dishonest travelers the benefit of the doubt. “I think there may be some people who blindly feel that because they have done the right thing in their home state or province, that gives them authorization to go uncontrollably into other areas.”
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