The US Will Keep Its Land Border Closed To Canadians Until At Least August 21 & Here's Why

The Canada-U.S. border won't be open for non-essential travel for at least another month, government officials in the U.S. have confirmed.

On July 21 — two days after Canada confirmed it would reopen to fully vaccinated Americans from August 9 — the United States government announced its land border will remain closed to non-essential travel for another month.

In a notice pre-published in the U.S. Federal Register, officials acknowledged that COVID-19 vaccination rates have improved. However, it suggests that reopening the land border to discretionary travel right now is too risky.

"Given the outbreak and continued transmission and spread of COVID-19 within the United States and globally, the Secretary has determined that the risk of continued transmission and spread of the virus associated with COVID-19 between the United States and Canada poses an ongoing 'specific threat to human life or national interests,'" it said.

The latest travel ban extension is set to end at midnight on August 21, 2021.

A day earlier, when asked why the U.S. had not shared details of a reciprocal reopening of its borders, Trudeau told reporters that Canada would not tell what other countries do.

"Canada is not going to any more dictate what the U.S. should be doing around its border policy, than we would accept the U.S. to dictate us around our border policy," he said.

Before you get going, check out our Responsible Travel Guide so you can be informed, be safe, be smart, and most of all, be respectful on your adventure.