BREAKING NEWS: Donald Trump CLOSES the border with Canada to ‘non-essential traffic’ and says it is by ‘mutual consent’ claiming it will NOT affect trade
- Canada and the United States are planning a mutual ban of non-essential travel between both countries to curb the spread of coronavirus
- Roughly 18 percent of all U.S exported goods go to Canada
- About 75 percent of Canadian exports arrive in the United States
- Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he would allow travel into the country from Canadians, Americans and permanent residents
- Anyone coming into Canada would have to self-quarantine for 14 days
- Many Canadians oppose allowing any Americans into their country for fear of coronavirus infection
- Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should you see a doctor?
Donald Trump closed the northern U.S. border with Canada Wednesday, tweeting that ‘non-essential’ traffic would be banned.
‘We will be, by mutual consent, temporarily closing our Northern Border with Canada to non-essential traffic. Trade will not be affected. Details to follow!’ he tweeted.
How the ban will work and exactly when it takes effect was not immediately clear.
The move came after Canada and the United States had worked out the details of a mutual ban on non-essential travel between the two countries amid the new coronavirus pandemic.
Both countries are hoping to choke off the spread of the virus but also eager to continue the critical economic relationship. Canada relies on the U.S. for 75 percent of its exports.
To curb the spread of the coronavirus, the United States and Canada are working on a ban of non-essential travel to either country
Truckers and Canadians who live in the U.S. for the winter are expected to get exemptions from the ban
Truck drivers and Canadian snowbirds, who live in the U.S. for part of the year, are among those expected to get an exemption. Completely closing the border would cause severe economic damage to both the U.S. and Canada as the two economies are integrated. Much of Canada´s food supply comes from or via the U.S. and and 98 percent of its oil exports go to the U.S.
About 18 percent of American exports go to Canada.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday he would close the country’s borders to anyone not a citizen, an American or a permanent resident – and even they have to self-isolate for 14 days on arrival – due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Trudeau said an exemption for Americans, despite the rapid rise of cases in the U.S., would be due to ‘the level of integration of our two economies.’
Trudeau himself went into self-isolation after his wife Gregoire Trudeau tested positive for the virus.
President Trump said the action was taken ‘by mutual consent’ and would not affect trade
For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia. The vast majority of people recover from the virus.
Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said the border is vital to the daily life to people on both sides.
‘Nearly 200,000 people cross that border every day and that border and that traffic that goes across that border is literally a lifeline for both the Canadians and the Americans on both sides of that border,” Freeland said.
‘We get our groceries thanks to truckers who drive back and forth across that border,’ she said. ‘Very urgently needed medical supplies and medicines go back and forth across that border. And essential workers go back and forth across that border every day. So it is a unique relationship for Canada and it’s important for us in handling our situation on the border to be sure that we act to get things right.”
But many in Canada criticized the decision to give Americans an exemption. British Columbia Health Minister Adrian Dix said he vehemently disagreed with the American exemption given the surge in cases in neighboring Washington State.
Trump has heralded the decision to shut off travel with China following the outbreak as critical to stemming the outbreak, even as U.S. cases have surged and deaths hit the 100-person landmark. Last week he announced the shut off of travel from Europe amid the outbreak there, later adding the U.K. to the list.
The administration is now focused on measures to try to cut down on movements of people within the U.S. borders to try to slow the spread of the virus.
The U.S. had surpassed 6,500 cases based on Johns Hopkins University data as of Wednesday. Canada, with its smaller population, was just shy of 600.