Travel restrictions on the US-Canada border extended through May 21, 2021

DETROIT – Travel restrictions between the United States and Canada have been extended for another month.

The US-Canada border has been closed for non-essential travel since March 2020.

In December 2020, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the ban on non-essential travel with the United States will not be lifted until COVID-19 is significantly more under control worldwide.

READ: Canada: US border measures last until COVID is under control

For people who can’t see their loved ones on either side of the border, frustration reaches a new level.

“You can visit your relatives and other states as if we were stuck,” said Katerina St. Louis. “We have friends there who we haven’t seen for a year.”

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The past year has been a bit of a nightmare for St. Louis. Since the border restrictions were introduced in March 2020, St. Louis and many others have been unable to cross the border, even though other forms of travel are permitted.

“I have family in St. Clair Shores. I can’t get in my car and cross the road alone to go to my family, ”St. Louis said. “But I can board a plane with thousands of people on a full flight through Toronto to fly to Detroit. Like, does that make sense? “

But is the flight worth the headache that follows?

“If we fly somewhere, if we fly back to Toronto, we have to pay $ 2,000 to get retested,” said St. Louis. “We have to pay $ 2,000 to stay at this hotel for three days.”

Finally, she is also concerned about her compatriots’ access to the vaccine.

“You vaccinate two and a half million people every day,” said St. Louis. “We only vaccinated four million people. Like, I don’t understand. “

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Public Health Agency of Canada released the following statement on Wednesday: