White House plan silent on easing Canada-U.S. restrictions
WASHINGTON — The White House overhauled some of its international travel restrictions Monday, but left in place a controversial ban on travel across the Canada-U.S. land border even as it announced that, by early November, it would allow overseas air visitors who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
It was the first clear indication in months U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration is getting ready to ease and streamline the patchwork of travel restrictions first imposed at the outset of the pandemic in March 2020, when Donald Trump was still president.
But the ongoing prohibition on recreational travellers driving from Canada and Mexico — extended for a 19th month until Oct. 21 — came to some as nothing short of a slap in the face.
“Canadians should be pissed off, and for good reason,” said Rep. Brian Higgins, a New York congressperson who has been fighting for months to convince the White House to ease the restrictions.
Maintaining the travel ban at the land border undermines the very same public faith in the COVID-19 vaccines the Biden administration is working so hard to convince Americans to embrace, he added.
“The White House is in conflict with itself, and in conflict with the science that they support and push others to follow,” Higgins said in an interview. “Their legitimacy and credibility on this issue has taken a justifiably hard hit. The White House isn’t speaking with one voice.”
The new rules replace Trumpera travel bans that restricted visits to the U.S. by those who had recently been in the United Kingdom, the European Union, China, India, Iran, Ireland, Brazil and South Africa.
Passengers will have to show proof of vaccination before boarding, as well as a negative COVID-19 test taken no more than three days prior to departure.
In that respect, they are similar to the requirements Canada began imposing over the summer — initially on returning Canadians, then on U.S. citizens and permanent residents, then finally earlier this month on all foreign nationals.
Air travel to the U.S. from Canada was not restricted, and it’s not yet clear whether the new vaccination rules will be imposed on Canadian passengers when they take effect.
The rules at the Canada-U.S. border have also allowed trade and essential workers to move between the two countries unfettered.
The other burning question is whether Canadians who received the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which has not been approved for use in the U.S., will meet the eligibility test.
Federal officials say they are pressing the Biden administration to ensure those people will be allowed in.
About 3.9 million people in Canada have received a mixeddose regimen of COVID-19 vaccines, with an estimated 1.4 million of them having received an AstraZeneca dose, Public Health Agency of Canada data indicates. More than 223,000 people are fully vaccinated with AstraZeneca.