Canada-U.S. border announcement could reportedly come Friday

Easier travel between Canada and the United States could soon resume for fully vaccinated people.

After the federal government said they were taking step towards easing restrictions earlier this week, The Toronto Star is reporting an announcement could be made as soon as Friday.

It is expected to be a long, gradual process and first steps would likely allow for smoother cross-border travel for people who are fully immunized.

A Friday announcement would come 10 days ahead of the renewal date for the current border restrictions between the two countries, set to expire on June 21.

The initial easing of restrictions would likely not trigger a flood of tourists heading south for the summer given that only 8 per cent of Canadians are currently fully vaccinated. That is compared to approximately 42 per cent of U.S. residents.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau confirmed this week that Canada will begin taking steps to ease travel restrictions for fully vaccinated travellers – though he did not provide a timeframe.

“We are looking at how we can ease the rules, based on science,” said Trudeau. “We will have more announcements to make regarding measures that may be eased for those who have had both doses in the weeks to come.”

The U.S. State Department updated its travel advisory for Canada this week from ‘do not travel’ to ‘reconsider your travel,’

“We would make a decision about the Canada border based on the guidance of our health and medical experts,” said White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki. “I’m sure that when that decision is made, we would communicate through diplomatic channels, but I don’t have anything to predict about the timeline.”

The Tourism Industry Association of Canada warned Tuesday that some of its members may be forced out of business if the restrictions wipe out another summer travel season.

“President Biden formally asked for a border reopening plan immediately after taking office, and so far, Canada has been slow to make any public progress,” said president and CEO Beth Potter in a statement.

The U.S. President is also facing pressure from border states to ease border restrictions as soon as possible to provide relief to the U.S. travel industry.

Many questions still remain, including implementing a standardized proof-of-vaccination that would be accepted on both sides of the border.

Trudeau has been in talks with allies about the creation of an International vaccine passport, a topic that could be raised during the G7 meeting happening later this week.

The border has been closed to most residents for almost 15 months, current exceptions are being made for essential trips and for allowing Canadians to repatriate from abroad.