U.S. Extends Restrictions at Mexico, Canada Borders Through Jan. 21

A Canadian maple leaf is seen on The Peace Bridge, which runs between Canada and the United States, over the Niagara River in Buffalo, New York, U.S. on July 15, 2020. (Brendan McDermid/Reuters)

WASHINGTON—U.S. land borders with Canada and Mexico will remain closed to non-essential travel until at least Jan. 21 with coronavirus cases spiking to record numbers across the country, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said on Friday.

The decision means the next administration will determine when it will drop the restrictions, first imposed in March to control the spread of the virus. Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf said on Twitter the latest one-month extension was to “continue to prevent the spread of COVID.”

Statistics Canada said in October that August visits to Canada by car by U.S. travelers were down 95.7 percent, and the number of U.S. travelers to Canada by plane fell by 97.9 percent.

By David Shepardson