Restrictions at U.S. Border to Remain in Place Until End of July, Blair Says

Canadian and American flags fly near the Ambassador Bridge at the Canada-USA border crossing in Windsor, Ont., on March 21, 2020. (The Canadian Press/Rob Gurdebeke)

OTTAWA— Travel restrictions at the Canada-U.S. border will remain in place for at least another month.

Public Safety Minister Bill Blair says the American and Canadian governments are extending restrictions on non-essential international travel until July 21.

He adds in a tweet that the government will provide details on Monday about plans to let fully vaccinated Canadians and permanent residents enter the country.

The measures at the border have been in place since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.

The pressure to relax the restrictions has been building from businesses on both sides of the border, and increasingly from American lawmakers as vaccination rates climb in Canada.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has previously said that it would take 75 percent of Canadians getting vaccinated before restrictions can be lifted.