Canada takes ‘go slow’ approach on border reopening

Canada is easing travel restrictions on the country’s own citizens who travel abroad and return to the country by dropping a 14-day quarantine for those who have been fully vaccinated.

However, the government is taking a "wait and see" approach for non-essential travel by Americans who want to enter Canada, looking at what the data shows for these first steps before deciding on what’s next.

"I know people are impatient to suddenly get back to normal, but we’re not there yet," Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters in Ottawa Friday.

The travel restrictions prohibiting non-essential travel between Canada and the United States, which have been renewed monthly since early 2020, are currently due to expire on July 21. With limited exceptions for essential workers and close family members, the restriction has eliminated 90% of all land travel at the border.

Trudeau said Canada continues to work with the U.S. to ensure that the countries’ approaches are aligned.

"We will continue to put first and foremost the safety and security of Canadians at the top of everything we do because that’s what Canadians expect," he said.

Trudeau said Canada will have more than 68 million doses of vaccine by the end of July, enough to vaccinate all Canadians by the end of the summer.