Canada and U.S. Agree to Keep Border Closed to Non-Essential Travel for Another 30 Days
ESSENTIAL TRAVEL ONLY
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Saturday that Canada and the U.S. had reached an agreement to keep existing border measures in place for at least another 30 days. The two countries agreed last month to restrict non-essential travel while at the same trying to allow for trade to continue. “This is an important measure and one that will keep people on both sides of the border safe,” Trudeau said in a Saturday press conference. The prime minister had hinted this week that the U.S. and Canada would move to extend the border restrictions and that they would stay in place for a significant amount of time. But President Donald Trump told reporters in a briefing Wednesday that America’s northern border would “be one of the early borders to be released.”
Trudeau’s announcement comes as Trump continues to push forward with a plan for opening the U.S. economy by May. Governors across the country have pushed back, saying they need to conduct more testing before they can let everyone safely return back to work. Trump said this week that the decision to reopen is ultimately up to the states. Meanwhile Trump supporters and officials have openly supported protesters across the country who are calling on their local officials to loosen social distancing guidelines.