The closure of the U.S.-Canada border to non-essential travel has been extended another 30 days to June 21.
The ban prohibits discretionary travel like vacations and cross-border shopping without restricting trade, commerce and essential employees. The ban was set to expire on May 21.
The U.S. has more than 1.5 million active cases of COVID-19, 42% of the world's active infections. The death toll in the U.S. crossed the 90,000 threshold over the weekend, growing at a rate of more than 1,000 fatalities a day. But the country is also reopening, with U.S. President Donald Trump leading the charge.
Asked about the border restrictions Tuesday during an event at the White House, Trump acknowledged the ongoing talks. "We're very close to Canada," he said, describing Trudeau as "a friend of ours." But he also showcased his long-standing eagerness to get the U.S. back to business.
"We're very confident that we're going to have a tremendous, tremendous turnaround. We had to turn it off artificially, and now we're turning it back on, and you're going to see some tremendous numbers," Trump said.
A new poll suggests Canadian aren't in a hurry to reopen the border.
In the latest online survey by Leger and the Association for Canadian Studies, only 16% of Canadian respondents said they want to see the border open by the end of June, while 47% would prefer to wait until the end of the year. Their U.S. counterparts felt differently: 26% voted for reopening the border in June and only 32% supported waiting for 2021.
Politicians and business leaders on both sides of the border have consistently hailed the border restrictions as a success in curbing the spread of COVID-19 while ensuring vital supply chains remain intact.
