U.S.-Canada border shut down to all ‘non-essential’ crossings – By Joel Connelly (Seattle Post Intelligencer) / March 18 2020
About 400,000 people cross the U.S.-Canada border each day, but on Wednesday both countries slapped a ban on all “non-essential” travel along the world’s longest undefended border, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
President Donald Trump announced the travel ban in an early morning tweet, saying: “We will, by mutual consent, be temporarily closing our northern border with Canada to non-essential traffic. Trade will not be affected. Details to follow.”
Some details were supplied an hour later when Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau emerged to speak from self-imposed quarantine to speak. He confirmed the first closure of the border since 9/11, while stressing its limits.
“I spoke to President Donald Trump this morning and we agreed that both Canada and the United States will temporarily restrict all essential travel across the border,” Trudeau said. “Canadians and Americans cross the border every day to do essential work or for other urgent reasons — that will not be impacted.”
Continue to article: https://www.seattlepi.com/coronavirus/article/U-S-Canada-border-shut-down-to-all-15140915.php
