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Mayors, MPs Calling For End to COVID-19 Restrictions at Borders

Tuesday, 20 September 2022 13:46

By Linda Morgan

Numerous politicians, including Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati and Niagara Falls MP Tony Baldinelli, have signed a letter urging the Canadian and U.S governments to get rid of COVID-19 restrictions at the border.

A group of MPs and border-city mayors say the U.S. and Canadian government need to lift COVID-19 restrictions at the border now. 

The group has published an open letter to U.S. President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, asking them to remove "unnecessary" rules and return the border to a pre-pandemic state. 

The letter was signed by 22 border city mayors, as well as several MPs and members of Congress. 

The group says removing restrictions would help border communities recover from the impacts of the pandemic. 

"When COVID-19 was at its peak and border measures were effective at slowing transmission rates, we did our part to keep Canadians and Americans safe," the letter states. "Now, we have been left behind in the recovery effort as both countries have largely returned to normal daily life."

The letter says restrictions are no longer needed for health reasons, and keeping them in place would only hurt communities and businesses located near the border. 

While the letter didn't specifically mention the ArriveCAN app, the screening tool has been under fire. 

Travelers returning to or visiting Canada need to use the app to declare their vaccination status and travel plans, and vaccination requirements remain in place for both Canada and the U.S.

Federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra has previously spoken in favour of the app, saying it makes crossing the border more efficient. 

The letter can be found below. 


 

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