U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents must be both
fully vaccinated and test negative for COVID-19 within three days to get across
one of the world’s longest and busiest land borders. Travelers also must fill
out a detailed on application on the arriveCAN app before crossing.
Even though travelers have to register, the Canada Border
Services Agency won’t say how many people they are expecting to enter Canada
for the reopening. But travelers should plan for the possibility of additional
processing time at the border.
“CBSA will not compromise the health and safety of Canadians
for the sake of border wait times,” agency spokeswoman Rebecca Purdy said in a
statement.
While the Canada Border Services Agency won’t say how many
people it’s expecting, Garnet Health, an Essex, Vermont-based company that
offers same-day COVID-19 testing, has seen the number of tests it performs more
than triple in recent weeks. The increase coincides with Canada’s decision last
month to drop a two-week quarantine requirement for its citizens when they
return home from the U.S.
“I imagine once that border opens, we are going to see lots
of people,” said Chelsea Sweeney, the company’s director of business
development.
The U.S.-Canada border has been closed to nonessential travel
since March 2020 to try to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
The U.S. has said it will extend its closure to all
Canadians making nonessential trips until at least Aug. 21, which also applies
to the Mexican border. But the Biden administration is beginning to make plans
for a phased reopening. The main requirement would be that nearly all foreign
visitors to the U.S. will have to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.
But Canadians aren’t waiting for reciprocal rules.
Joel Villanueva, owner of Primo’s Mexican Grill in White
Rock, British Columbia, about 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) north of the U.S.
border, is more than ready for Americans to return.
“Let’s get this thing going,” he said. “A lot of our
customers are from the United States, and we are literally minutes from across
the border. We welcome our Americans, and we depend on their foot traffic.”
Villanueva said he supports people coming who are fully
vaccinated and doesn’t think there will be a rush of Americans initially. But
if his restaurant and dozens of others along the waterfront could fill some
tables with U.S. visitors every day for the rest of the summer, it would be a
big financial boost, he said.
Near the border in Washington state, Blaine Chamber of
Commerce board member Carroll Solomon called the reopening a step in the right
direction for businesses. But she also said it was somewhat concerning because
of an increase in COVID-19 cases nationwide as the highly contagious delta
variant spreads.
“For people who need to get up there (to Canada) for family
reasons, it’s wonderful,” said Solomon, who also volunteers at the Blaine
Visitor Information Center.
With all the hoops people need to jump through — being fully
vaccinated, getting tested for COVID-19 and uploading that information to an
app — she doesn’t think that people will be going to Canada for many day trips.
“I have a lot of friends on the Canadian side and would love
to go have lunch with somebody, but you can’t just do that; you have to plan
days in advance to make sure you can get through,” Solomon said.
It’s going to be an event for the Blaine area when Canadians
can come down on a regular basis, she said.
As far as returning to the United States from Canada, U.S.
Customs and Border Protection spokesman Jason Givens said there’s no
requirement to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test.
“CBP officers have been processing essential travel
throughout the pandemic and remain ready and able to process American citizens
and permanent residents returning from Canada,” Givens said by email.
Steve Blake, who lives in Stanstead, Quebec, just across the
border from Derby Line, Vermont, is hoping his siblings living in the United
States will be able to visit Canada soon so they can hold a memorial service
for their mother who died in early 2020, just before the pandemic closed the
border. But given the requirements, he doesn’t know how quickly that will
happen.
“I’d like it to be sooner rather than later,” he said. -AP