The Department of Homeland Security says the U.S. borders with Canada and Mexico will remain restricted through at least June 21, with only trade and essential travel allowed until then. The restrictions had been set to expire Friday.
DHS confirmed the move in a tweet Thursday, but noted it is “working closely with Canada & Mexico to safely ease restrictions as conditions improve.”
The agency, in conjunction with its Canadian and Mexican counterparts, originally closed the borders to leisure travelers in March 2020, at the start of the pandemic. The restrictions have been extended on a monthly basis ever since.
Canada now requires anyone entering the country by plane or land to be tested in advance for COVID-19, and anyone coming in from the U.S. must prove they are doing so for essential reasons and must quarantine upon arrival.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said he would prefer to wait until 75% of his country is vaccinated before fully reopening the border. “My gut tells me it’s going to be (closed) at least well into the fall of 2021,” he said.
– Jayme Deerwester
Also in the news:
►Michigan will fully lift outdoor capacity limits on June 1 and, starting July 1, end indoor gathering caps that were put in place to curb spread of COVID-19, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Thursday.
►The archbishop of Detroit says face masks are no longer mandatory inside Roman Catholic churches in southeastern Michigan for people who have been vaccinated against the coronavirus.
►The number of Americans seeking unemployment aid fell last week to 444,000, a new pandemic low and a sign that the job market keeps strengthening as consumers spend freely again.
►A study of 280 nursing homes in 21 states across the U.S. provides real-world confirmation of the COVID-19 vaccines’ effectiveness: About 1% of residents tested positive for the virus within two weeks of receiving their second dose, and only 0.3% did more than two weeks after being fully vaccinated, researchers reported Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. Most of the cases did not produce any symptoms.
📈 Today’s numbers: The U.S. has more than 33 million confirmed coronavirus cases and 588,000 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. The global totals: More than 165 million cases and 3.4 million deaths. Nearly 352 million vaccine doses have been distributed in the U.S. and 279.3 million have been administered, according to the CDC. More than 126.6 million Americans have been fully vaccinated — 38.1% of the population.
📘 What we’re reading: Japan continues to struggle with COVID-19 but is still scheduled to open its doors for the Summer Games. Why some are calling it a “ridiculous idea.”
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