The Canadian government begins work to reopen the border with the United States

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has begun preliminary internal discussions about reopening the border with the United States., Even as Canada stays far from its neighbor when it comes to vaccines.

Three people familiar with the matter said that senior officials have begun to formally talk about options for how to proceed. One of the questions being considered is whether a two-way system should be used in which the quarantine and testing requirements of vaccinated travelers should be alleviated.

The longest international border in the world It has been closed since March 2020 for most non-essential travel, which has dramatically reduced ground and air traffic between the two countries. The restrictions severely affected the country’s aviation and tourism sectors in particular. One estimate indicates this These measures cost these industries about 20 billion Canadian dollars (16.5 billion US dollars) in revenue last year.

Michael said, “In the end, it is a political decision, and at what point does the Canadian side do, and slow at this stage, the Canadian side has decided that it is ready for the reception and what are the categories of people to open up.” Kirgin, the former ambassador of Canada to the United States, in a phone interview. “A gradual re-opening would be a logical approach.”

Officials said any reopening of the border would be gradual and depend on a decline in cases in both countries.

Delay in vaccinations

The third wave of the epidemic hit the northern nation the most because of A. A vaccination campaign that has been slowed by supply problems and shipment delays. Several Canadian provinces remain under prolonged lockdown even as the country ramps up its vaccination campaign.

Officials said the reopening of the border is not likely to be imminent and discussions in the government are only just beginning. According to the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker, 34.1% of Canadian residents received a dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, and only 2.7% were fully vaccinated, compared to 46.6% and 35.8%, respectively.

It is unlikely that most Canadians will be fully vaccinated until September, Trudeau said.