Canada extends COVID border restrictions to Sept. 30

Canada’s vaccine mandate for border-crossing truck drivers will remain in place until at least Sept. 30, restricting unvaccinated foreign nationals from entering the country.

Americans crossing the U.S.-Canada border must be fully vaccinated against COVID-19, are subject to random arrival testing and are mandated to load data through the ArriveCAN app within 72 hours of travel, according to an announcement from the Public Health Agency of Canada.

“As we move into the next phase of our COVID-19 response, it is important to remember that the pandemic is not over,” Canada Minister of Health Jean-Yves Duclos said in a statement. “We must continue to do all that we can to keep ourselves and others safe from the virus.”

The announcement follows a decision from the Canadian government in June to pause mandatory vaccination requirements for most domestic and international air travelers, as well as the suspension of the mandatory vaccination requirement for employers in the country’s federally regulated air, rail and marine sectors.

The United States has an identical border policy for truck drivers and unvaccinated foreign nationals in place. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security announced in April it was indefinitely extending the requirement of non-U.S. individuals seeking to enter the U.S. from Canada or Mexico by land — including essential activities such as work, business or education — to provide proof of full vaccination against COVID-19.

About 30,000 trucks cross the U.S.-Canada border every day, including the Ambassador Bridge, which connects Detroit to Windsor, Canada. The bridge is a vital trade link, processing about 10,000 trucks and $300 million to $500 million worth of goods daily.

Protests over vaccine mandates and COVID-19 restrictions erupted across Canada in January, with truck blockades halting commercial traffic at critical U.S.-Canada border crossings.