Don't Expect Canada & The US To Have The Same Border Rules Anytime Soon
But "the trajectory is very promising," said one ambassador.
Don't Expect Canada & The US To Have The Same Border Rules ...
Some restrictions are starting to be eased for the Canada-U.S. border reopening, but things now look different if you're entering Canada or entering the United States.
As it stands, the U.S. has made the decision to continue to restrict non-essential travel from Canada at the land border until at least August 21, while Canada will be letting in fully vaccinated Americans for discretionary travel as of August 9.
The fact that travel rules are not reciprocal between the two countries was hashed out at a Zoom panel on July 23 by Kirsten Hillman, the Canadian ambassador to the U.S., and Arnold Chacón, the American ambassador to Canada.
"Coordination doesn't mean you're going to do exactly the same thing," Hillman said during the event when asked why Canada will be reopening the border to fully vaccinated Americans while the U.S. won't do the same for Canadians.
The ambassador mentioned that the rules about the border have been different because the U.S. has allowed Canadians to travel there by air throughout the pandemic with restrictions on land crossings, while Canada has restricted land crossings and air travel from the U.S. the entire time.
"We both are also committed to making decisions based on science and the advice of experts," Hillman said. "The U.S. is doing the same, it's making decisions based on their situation on the ground."
Even though the two countries are taking differing approaches now, there is hope for the rules to be loosened down the road.
"We continue to review our travel restrictions and any decisions about reopening travel are going to be guided by our public health and medical experts," Chacón said. "I think we're in a good place and the trajectory is very promising."
Before the U.S. announced the extension of its restrictions for Canadians, Justin Trudeau also mentioned that there has been an asymmetrical arrangement between the two countries and said his government won't tell the U.S. what should be done with border rules.