Only Minor Changes Expected to Border This Month; Toronto Doctor Says No Reason To Wait

Only Minor Changes Expected to Border This Month; Toronto Doctor Says No Reason To Wait

July 14, 2021 ctn_admin

The Toronto Star says Canadians and Americans can expect only minor changes to the Canada-US border this month.

The current border closure agreement is due to expire a week from today, July 21. There has been considerable pressure to let fully vaccinated Americans and other foreign residents into Canada, but the Star said two sources suggested only small tweaks are likely to be announced.

The issue is likely to be raised during today’s weekly conference call between Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Canada’s premiers, who appear to have mixed opinions on the issue. Western Canadian premiers appear to favour looser border restrictions, and possibly Quebec. Ontario Premier Doug Ford has repeatedly for tougher border rules, although he’s been quiet on that front for several weeks.

The Prime Minister and other federal officials have stated several times that they want to see 75% to 80% of adult Canadians with two vaccinations before they’ll significantly ease border rules. As of July 14, Vaccine Tracker Canada says 79.2% of Canadians have received one vaccine, while 51.6% are double vaccinated.

In a story in the Buffalo News, Toronto doctor Isaac Bogoch, a member of a federal panel on COVID-19, said there are very few reasons to keep the border closed to double vaccinated Americans.

“I think it’s a matter of time that the border opens initially to fully vaccinated individuals – and when I say just a matter of time I imagine it’s not going to be a long time, because there’s very few reasons to have that border closed to fully vaccinated individuals,” Bogoch said on Tuesday.

Trudeau recently said Canada won’t open its border to unvaccinated visitors for quite some time, but that Ottawa is working on a plan to allow foreign visitors to come to Canada if they’ve had two approved vaccine doses. He said such a plan would be coming within weeks, not months.

As of July 5, fully vaccinated Canadians and permanent residents, as well as foreign residents with the legal right to enter the country, including some family members, can arrive and skip quarantine if they’ve had two vaccine doses. Others, however, still have to undergo a 14-day quarantine upon arrival. Those coming into Canada by air also have to arrange a three-day stay at an official quarantine hotel, which can cost upwards of $2,000.

Trudeau on Tuesday said the government continues to work toward an internationally accepted standard on vaccinations, according to the Star.

“We’re looking at what the (World Health Organization) is certifying in terms of vaccines, we’re looking at what other countries are doing around the range of vaccines,” he said.

The Canadian tourism industry has repeatedly warned that the critical summer season will be lost if more foreign visitors, particularly Americans, aren’t allowed to visit and spend their money on Canadian hotels, restaurants and attractions.

CTV reports that the representative of France President Emmanuel Macron’s government in Ottawa yesterday argued the Canadian border should be reopened to the French as soon as possible.

“The borders will have to be reopened relatively quickly now for us to put Canada back on our travel plans,” Ambassador Kareen Rispal said. “We would be very happy if the French could return to Canada without constraints other than being doubly vaccinated, taking tests, etc.

“We aren’t asking to return to Canada in a haphazard way.”

A recent Nanos research poll found that 63% of Canadians want the border opened this summer or this fall.