Canadians believe US border leaves them more vulnerable to coronavirus
May 19, 2020 at 12:07 PM EDT – Updated May 20 at 6:45 AM
TORONTO (AP) — Canada and the U.S. have agreed to extend their agreement to keep border closed to non-essential travel during the coronavirus pandemic.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says border is a source of vulnerability so the agreement will be extended by another 30 days.
The restrictions were announced on March 18 and were extended in April. Trudeau said Canada’s provincial leaders clearly wanted to continue the measures.
Commercial and essential travel is still permitted. This includes healthcare workers, truck drivers and Canadians who live in the U.S. part of the year.
The U.S.-Canada border is the world’s longest between two nations.
Many Canadians fear a reopening. The U.S. has more confirmed cases and deaths from COVID-19 than any country in the world, though its per capita numbers are well below many other nations.
Copyright 2020 Associated Press. All rights reserved. Gray Media, Inc. contributed to this report.