U.S. Border Closure With Canada and Mexico Extended to July (Video)

The U.S. has extended its border closures with Canada and Mexico to July, according to the Department of Homeland Security.

The land border closure, which restricts non-essential travel between the U.S. and its neighbors to the north and south, will be extended until July 21, Chad Wolf, the acting U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, confirmed in a statement on Tuesday, specifying the date of the extension on Twitter.

“Based on the success of the existing restrictions and the emergence of additional global COVID-19 hotspots, the Department will continue to limit non-essential travel at our land ports of entry with Canada and Mexico,” Wolf said. “This extension protects Americans while keeping essential trade and travel flowing as we reopen the American economy.”

The restrictions were first announced on March 18 and later extended in April and May, The Associated Press reported.

The border closure prevents non-essential crossings, but allows certain people to cross, including Americans coming back to the U.S. and Canadians returning to Canada, the wire service reported. It also does not restrict essential trade, DHS noted.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a speech the extension was “an important decision that will keep people in both of our countries safe as we continue fighting COVID-19.”

The U.S. has recorded more than 2.1 million confirmed cases of COVID-19, according to Johns Hopkins University., the most of any country in the world. Mexico has recorded more than 159,000 confirmed cases while Canada has recorded over 101,000.

Closing the border with the U.S. isn’t the only mitigation measure Canada has implemented. The country has also banned medium and large-sized cruise ships in its ports until at least the end of October in an effort to prevent the further spread of the virus.

Several areas in Mexico, on the other hand, have started looking ahead with plans to welcome tourists back to the beaches and towns. Puerto Vallarta, Cancun, and Los Cabos have all implemented tourism-related reopening plans.