US extends land border restrictions with Canada, Mexico again, keeping tourists out
COVID-19 case count. The restrictions had previously been extended through Aug. 21.
“In coordination with public health and medical experts, DHS continues working closely with its partners across the United States and internationally to determine how to safely and sustainably resume normal travel,” DHS Tweeted Friday.
The restrictions have been extended every month since they were first implemented in March 2020, when DHS and its Canadian and Mexican counterparts closed the borders to leisure travelers to limit the spread of coronavirus.
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Since then, travel restrictions on the Canadian side of the border have eased, with the country reopening to fully vaccinated U.S. citizens and permanent residents earlier this month. Travelers from the U.S. can fly into Mexico and Canada, although the Canadian government will soon require all air travelers and passengers on interprovincial trains to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
While travel trade groups and world leaders have been pressuring the Biden administration to lift travel restrictions, the United States so far is holding on tight to its travel restrictions despite having one of the highest rates of new COVID-19 cases in the world.
The United States currently accounts for about one-fifth of all new COVID-19 cases across the globe, according to Johns Hopkins University data. As of Friday morning, the U.S. had reported more than 3 million COVID-19 cases over the last 28 days, compared to 38,197 cases in Canada and 465,635 cases in Mexico over the same period.
What else should I know about the travel restrictions?
- The mandate does not prevent U.S. citizens from returning home.
- The restriction applies to land and ferry travel.
- The Department of Homeland Security says it continues to enforce U.S. immigration laws at all U.S. borders, including between ports of entry.
Follow USA TODAY reporter Bailey Schulz on Twitter: @bailey_schulz.