The beginning of the pandemic shocked the world by halting all travel. Americans in foreign countries had to fly home immediately once COVID-19 started spreading at a faster rate. In an attempt to slow the spread, the borders between the United States and Canada closed down. The timeline of this closure has been confusing for anyone desperate to cross this border.
The beginning of this pandemic startled everyone because we didn’t know anything about this virus or what was going to happen next. The whole world shut down, pausing our lives as we knew it. When it started, we all thought a 14-day quarantine was simply going to fix it. Over 600 days later and we’re still amidst travel restrictions.
The Canadian border has been closed to non-essential travelers since March of 2020. U.S. citizens have not been allowed to travel to Canada due to the pandemic. During the Trump administration, Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau was not allowing any U.S. travel unless it was work, medically necessary, or if you had immediate family living in Canada. Trump was also not allowing any travel from Canadians to the United States by land or sea, but they were allowed to come by air. The rules of the restrictions were hazy at times and always changing. International experts were reviewing these restrictions and putting new ones in place on the 21st of each month.
Throughout the pandemic, Canadian officials have done a lot more to try to limit the spread of COVID-19. With lots more restrictions in place, it made it a lot harder to cross the border even if you were considered essential or immediate family. A strictly enforced 14-day quarantine was required for every person who entered Canada, where they would check up on you by phone call everyday to make sure you were following the guidelines, as well as an occasional visit by law enforcement. In August of 2021, Canada allowed non-essential travel for vaccinated Americans into the country, by land or air. Anyone entering the country needs a non-viral COVID-19 test.
On November 8, 2021, the United States allowed our northern neighbors to enter our country by land without a COVID test. This is huge and exciting news for everyone who hasn’t been able to see their families due to the pandemic. The lift of restrictions is long-awaited for many businesses who rely on Canadian tourism and is a step towards some sense of normalcy.