The US Is Reopening Its Land Border To Fully Vaccinated Canadians Next Month
Full details are expected to be announced on Wednesday. 🇨🇦🇺🇸
The U.S. land border is set to reopen to fully vaccinated Canadians in early November, according to American officials.
In a statement on October 12, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro N. Mayorkas announced that non-essential travellers who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will be permitted to cross the U.S. land border.
Officials say visitors from both Canada and Mexico will be able to enter for discretionary reasons, including visiting friends and family, tourism, shopping and more.
White House officials say non-essential visitors will be asked about their vaccination status at land border crossings, per Global News. Those who are not fully vaccinated with an approved series of vaccines will not be permitted to enter the country.
The rules are expected to be slightly different to air travel, as proof of a negative COVID-19 test will not be required to cross U.S. land borders.
From January 2022 onwards, the rules will also be applied to essential travellers like students, health care workers and truckers. Officials say this phased approach will enable these people to get vaccinated if they haven't already.
Which vaccines will be accepted?
Travellers who've received a full course of vaccines approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the World Health Organization will be considered fully vaccinated — which includes Canadians who received the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
Officials say they're still considering whether travellers who received a mix of COVID-19 vaccine doses will be permitted. In Canada, this is over 3.9 million people.
Further details, including what kind of vaccines will be accepted, are set to be announced on Wednesday.
When will the U.S. land border reopen?
Last month, the White House confirmed that fully vaccinated travellers from around the world would be able to enter the country via plane for non-essential reasons from November, although an official date has yet to be announced.
The U.S. land border remains closed to discretionary travel until at least October 21, although this is expected to be extended once again until the early November reopening date.
Fully vaccinated Americans have been able to cross the land border into Canada for travel, tourism and visiting family and friends since August.
Health Canada has a robust website with all the latest information on COVID-19 vaccines and can answer any questions you may have.