The ban on non-essential travel between Canada and the United States is set to expire on June 21, but sources said that it is likely that it will be extended to further curb the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
A report by Reuters cited a source from the U.S, who sought for anonymity, saying that “It’s going to be a clean rollover” and that they “will want to look at it again in July.”
This ban on travel, which does not affect trade, was first imposed in March. It was renewed in April and May.
A Canadian source told Reuters that with several provinces in Canada already limiting travel within the country, from province to province, it is going to be more difficult to relax the restrictions on non-essential travel with the U.S.
As of writing, Canada has a total of 96,653 cases, 7,897 deaths, and 55,572 recoveries. Meanwhile, the U.S. remains to be at top of the chart with 2,046,075 cases, 114, 167 deaths, and 788,885 recoveries.
In the same article by Reuters, a spokesperson for Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, confirmed that both countries think that the ban worked well.
While this ‘worked well’ in terms of recommended health measures, the tourism industry which is already beaten up by the pandemic might suffer more if this continues.
Another anonymous source from the Canadian government said in the same report that some sectors are pushing for reopening the border. The ban on travel not only directly affects the tourism of the countries, but it has cost several jobs with all the flight cancellations.