BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The United States-Canada border has been closed for 446 days. It’s 446 days too many for separated families and friends.
“We’re in jail,” said Marcella Picone, whose fiancé is in Canada across the border. “It’s now our time to be essential,” she said.
Wednesday, the Canadian Government announced come sometime in July, fully vaccinated Canadian citizens or eligible foreign nationals can leave Canada and return to Canada without having to quarantine for 14 days in a government authorized hotel. Upon arrival, those Canadian citizens will be required to take a COVID-19 test and quarantine until they are given a negative test result.
The land border is still closed to all non-essential travel, and Americans who are not already authorized in Canada cannot cross. Picone says this announcement does nothing for the countless families who say unfortunately they are not considered essential.
“We don’t understand why our government decided to close off the land barrier but the air has always been open,” she said.
Congressman Brian Higgins, who has been pushing for the reopening of the border says President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau are scheduled to meet about this issue sometime Thursday or Friday.
“In the end, these are the only two decision makers who matter,” Higgins said.
