Canada has indicated that the Canada-U.S. border will remain closed to non-essential travel until June 21, 2020. “Non-essential” travel includes travel that is considered as tourism or recreational in nature.
The restrictions may be extended again. On March 21, the restrictions on essential travel across the border were implemented for a 30-day period in an effort to stem the transmission of COVID-19. The 30-day period was thereafter extended to May 21, 2020. The restriction may be extended again.
That being said, the Canada-U.S. border has remained open to trade in goods and services. The partial closure of the border does not affect essential travel, including truck and rail traffic carrying food, fuel, essential medicines, personal protective equipment, and other goods essential to supply chains.
Individuals who must travel for essential work (e.g., nurses) and for urgent reasons continue to be able to cross the border. Several categories of people are permitted to travel because they provide critical services, if they have no symptoms. These include people who:
- are making necessary medical deliveries required for patient care, such as:
- cells;
- organs;
- tissues;
- blood and blood products; and
- other similar lifesaving human body parts,
- work in the trade and transportation sector who are important for the movement of goods and people, including:
- truck drivers; and
- crew on any plane, train or marine vessel,
- cross the border regularly to go to work, including in the health care sector or critical infrastructure workers; or,
- have to cross the border to provide or receive essential services, including emergency responders and personnel providing essential services to Canadians related to the COVID-19 outbreak.
Flights between Canada and the United States still continue, however there are fewer flights per day.
For more information about Canada’s import restrictions, please contact Cyndee Todgham Cherniak at 416-307-4168 or at cyndee@lexsage.com. There is more information posted on the LexSage website.