The Biden Administration has lifted border restrictions for land and ferry crossings with Canada and Mexico, and a host of other countries for air travel (mostly Europe) to fully vaccinated travelers on November 8. This comes several months after Canada reopened its borders. Unvaccinated visitors will still be barred from entering the United States from Canada or Mexico at land borders. The reopening effectively signals a new phase in the recovery since restrictions were put in place in March 2020.
Travelers entering the U.S. will be questioned by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers about their vaccination status before being allowed to cross. CBP officers will have discretion to send travelers to secondary screenings for their documents to be checked, but there will be no testing requirement for those crossing the land borders.
For air travelers, the airlines are required to verify vaccine records and match them against ID, and if they don’t, they could face fines of up to nearly $35,000 per violation. Airlines will also collect information about passengers for contact tracing efforts.
Several Northeast border state governors praised the move to lift the restrictions – their statements are provided below.
Governor Janet Mills issued the following statement in response to the Biden Administration’s decision to reopen the Canadian border in November:
“I welcome this long overdue step forward. For too long, the closed border with our Canadian neighbors has made it difficult, if not impossible, for cross-border families to see one another, and it has strained our local small businesses and our state’s tourism industry. I applaud the Administration for heeding my call and that of Maine’s Congressional Delegation by reopening the border with Canada in a safe way.”
In July 2021, Governor Mills criticized the Biden Administration for its decision to keep the border with Canada closed to nonessential travel and called on them safely reopen the border. To support businesses disrupted by the extended closure of the border, the Governor launched a $10 million economic recovery grant program in August 2021 for certain businesses and organizations within 25 miles driving distance of the US-Canada border crossing.
Governor Kathy Hochul released the following statement:
“I applaud our federal partners for reopening our borders to Canada, something I have called for since the beginning of the closure. Canada is not only our trade partner, but more importantly, Canadians are our neighbors and our friends. From Western New York to the North Country, I look forward to welcoming our Canadian neighbors back to New York as we continue to rebuild and recover from this pandemic.”
Governor Scott issued the following statement regarding the reopening of the land border with Canada for non-essential travel:
“Last night the White House informed me that, next month, fully vaccinated Canadians will be able to cross our land border once again. This is a significant step forward on the path from pandemic to endemic management of COVID-19 and will mean a great deal to many Vermonters and our communities.”
“Vermont and Canada are not just neighbors, our communities are linked by family, friends, social and cultural connections, natural resources, commerce and more. Reopening the land border will allow our communities to reunite, after being separated for nearly two years.”
“This decision by President Biden’s administration is based on the very clear fact that vaccines work. Americans know vaccines are our best tool for getting back to normalcy. And today’s announcement is another very positive step forward.”
“Vermont and Canada are not just neighbors, our communities are linked by family, friends, social and cultural connections, natural resources, commerce and more,” Scott said.