Canada May Reopen Border To Fully Vaccinated Americans In August

SEATTLE - Canada may reopen its border to fully vaccinated Americans starting sometime in mid-August.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Thursday that the border could reopen if Canada's vaccination rate held steady. If that happens and COVID-19 case counts remain low, vaccinated Americans could be granted passage as early as mid-August, with other countries following in September. Trudeau has promised to share more information on the border reopening early next week.

The Prime Minister had previously said border restrictions would remain in place until 75 percent of Canadians had been fully vaccinated. As of this week, 80 percent of eligible Canadians have initiated vaccination, but only half are fully vaccinated.

Canada closed all 5,500-miles of its border with the US back in March 2020, during the first major wave of the pandemic. The current travel restrictions close the border to all but Canadian citizens, permanent residents, residents registered under the Indian Act, and essential foreign travelers.

Currently, fully vaccinated travelers who are permitted to enter Canada do not need to enter quarantine or take a COVID-19 test to be allowed into the country. Fully vaccinated travelers entering the country by air are also no longer required to stay at government-authorized hotels.

To be considered fully vaccinated, travelers must have taken all doses of a vaccine recognized by the Canadian government — the Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines — and have waited two weeks for full immunity to kick in. The vaccine can have been administered in any country, though travelers will need to provide documentation at the border proving they have been inoculated.

Anyone who provides falsified vaccine documentation could be subject to a $750,000 fine or up to six months behind bars.