National media reports indicate Canada is warming up to the idea of easing some border restrictions on Tuesday, June 22.
Politico reported that the Canadian government is open to the idea of easing COVID-19 restrictions at the Canada-U.S. border as the country's vaccination rates for COVID-19 get close to 75% of the country's adult population. In late May, Canada had vaccinated more than 68% of adults with at least one shot, according to the article posted Monday, June 7.
Canada appears to be pushing for a phased approach and wanting to make sure those entering the country are fully vaccinated.
In a separate article, Bloomberg reported that Canada is making plans to loosen the 14-day quarantine period for people who are fully vaccinated and that details will be announced in the coming days. On Tuesday, June 8, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said a border reopening would focus on those who are fully vaccinated, according to an article posted by CTV News.
On whether the border reopening would happen around June 22 has not been decided yet, Trudeau said, adding that his team is talking to medical professionals and that a formal announcement is coming later, according to the CTV article.
June 22 is a key date because that is when the current restrictions banning non-essential travelers are set to expire. Extending the restrictions another 30 days would be a big blow to the tourism industry because July and August are traditionally the busiest travel months for crossings on both sides of the border.
If the U.S.-Canada border does begin reopening around June 22, it would come at an opportune time for Whatcom County retailers who have done without Canadian shoppers for the past 15 months. The Canadian dollar has strengthened recently and has hovered around 83 cents this past week compared to the U.S. dollar. A Canadian dollar above 85 cents tends to provide shopping deals for Canadians in Whatcom County for a variety of goods, including gas and dairy products.
It is unclear what the reaction of travelers will be if the border does open later this month, said Laurie Trautman, director at Western Washington University's Border Policy Research Institute. On the Canadian side, there will be a rush of people who want to see their Whatcom County friends and family, as well as check on property.
While much of the Canadian population has had at least one shot, very few are fully vaccinated. That, and the fact that Canadian public opinion is still fragile when it comes to opening back up, leads Trautman to believe there might be an initial rush, but that it will take time for normal cross-border traffic to return.
"Will we get the same-day shoppers crossing the border? Not right away," Trautman said. "Canadians are still really sensitive to this issue, more than in the U.S. where more people are fully vaccinated. They are still at a very different place than we are."
