Border closure extension slammed by one and all

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The U.S. government appears set to keep the land borders closed past November.

The Biden administration announced September 20 it plans to loosen air travel restrictions beginning in November. Currently, residents of 33 countries are unable to visit the U.S. including the European Union, England, China, South Africa and India, among others.

Visitors will be required to be fully vaccinated and have a negative Covid-19 test result within 72 hours of their departure to the U.S. White House pandemic coordinator Jeffrey Zients said the changes do not apply to the land borders, which has politicians on the border seeing red.

“Another month brings another border extension. That means more unpredictability, suffering, and frustration for our border communities. It does not follow the science to say Canadians can fly from Vancouver to Seattle but cannot drive from British Columbia to Whatcom County. It is a disservice to families and businesses along the border that vaccinated Americans can travel north to Canada, but we have not reciprocated,” Congresswoman Suzan DelBene wrote in a release issued the same day.

“The Biden administration must take immediate steps to reopen the Canada-U.S. border to vaccinated Canadians.”

New York Congressman Brian Higgins was equally unsparing in his reaction: “Continued closure of the U.S. border to vaccinated Canadians is completely unnecessary and unexplained.

“It is welcome news that the White House is making progress on reciprocating international public health measures to protect air travelers. Yet it is inexplicable that no announcement on easing travel restrictions at land ports of entry is being made today since the livelihoods of communities across the northern border depend on cross-border commerce.”

The current U.S. restrictions were due to expire on Tuesday, September 21; however, these were extended until October 21 marking the 19th month of closure. Given that Zients said that travel over the land border would not be relaxed when air travel is in November, it seems likely that land restrictions will extend at least into November and probably longer.

Locally, Point Roberts Chamber of Commerce president Brian Calder issued a scathing response. “I didn’t realize there was another level below bottom, but it’s found us!,” he wrote in a media release.

“We cannot wait any longer,” he added. “There is absolutely no reason why fully- vaccinated Canadians cannot be extended the same privilege as travelers from the UK and EU. Point Roberts is on the precipice of total collapse.

“Without a clear date that the border will reopen, we cannot begin recovery planning, including attracting a lost labor force. Presently, 88.3 percent of eligible British Columbians aged 12 and older, have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and 80.5 percent are fully- vaccinated. Eighty-seven percent of Point Roberts residents are fully-vaccinated.

“We need to start making plans to get out of this hole, but we are hamstrung by a government that refuses to acknowledge that the hole exists. President Biden, open our border,” he concluded.

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