US and Canada extend border restrictions to June 21

The U.S.-Canada border restrictions will be extended for another 30 days as both countries continue to combat the coronavirus pandemic, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Tuesday. 

The border restrictions have been extended in 30-day intervals since March 20. Previously set to be lifted on Thursday, they will now last until June 21. 

“This is an important decision that will keep people in both of our countries safe,” Trudeau said at a press conference. 

Speaking in #Ottawa, PM @JustinTrudeau announces that Canada and the United States have agreed to a 30-day extension of the agreement to close their shared border to non-essential travel due to #COVID19.#Cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/1mYWkTLozb

— Jaro Giesbrecht (@JaroGiesbrecht) May 19, 2020

As of Tuesday, Canada has reported 78,072 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 5,842 deaths. The U.S. has confirmed 1.54 million cases and recorded 90,694 deaths. The epicenter of the outbreak in the U.S. has been New York, which shares a border with Canada. 

President Trump confirmed the extension when asked about it at a White House event about food supply chains. 

“For now, yes, but we’re talking to Canada,” Trump said. He said Washington and Ottawa would look to return to normal “as things clean up in terms of the plague.”

The restrictions ban any nonessential travel between the two countries. The U.S. has similar restrictions in place at its southern border, allowing trade but significantly reducing cross-border traffic. 

The border restrictions with Mexico expire Tuesday. 

The administration is reportedly working to unveil a new order that would indefinitely extend border restrictions amid the coronavirus outbreak, according to The New York Times. 

The move, which is reportedly being reviewed by several government agencies, would keep legal points of entry shuttered and restrict nonessential travel through Mexico and Canada until the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention determines that the coronavirus no longer posed a threat to public health.

—Updated at 12:14 p.m.