FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: Drivers wait to cross through Canadian customs at the Canada-US border near the Peace Arch Provincial Park in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, March 16, 2020. REUTERS/Jesse Winter/File Photo
May 13, 2020
(Reuters) – The Canada-U.S. border is expected to stay closed to non-essential travel until June 21 amid the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic, the Globe and Mail newspaper reported on Wednesday.
Canada and the United States had agreed on April 18 to extend border restrictions for another 30 days as cases of the disease continue to rise in both nations and leaders weigh how and when to allow all businesses to reopen.
Canada asked for a 30-day extension and it is almost certain that Washington will agree to the proposal, the Globe and Mail said https://tgam.ca/2T0zwkl, citing sources familiar with bilateral talks.
Representatives for the State Department could not be immediately reached for comment on the report.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada was “looking at stronger measures” to ensure the virus was not being spread by people crossing the long border with the United States, but gave no details.
While the northern U.S. border remains restricted, officials had allowed trade-related travel to continue.
(Reporting by Bhargav Acharya in Bengaluru; additional reporting by Susan Heavey in Washington; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Bernadette Baum)
