VANCOUVER -- Residents of Point Roberts, Wash., have been exempted from the Canadian government's requirement that all travellers crossing the border by land provide proof of a recent negative test for COVID-19.
The new policy took effect on Monday, but it does not apply to anyone who is "a habitual resident of Point Roberts ... who enters Canada to return to their place of residence or to access the mainland United States."
Point Roberts is a tiny pene-exclave separated from the rest of Washington state by water on three sides. Land access to the community is only possible by travelling through B.C., and residents have been petitioning the Canadian and U.S. government for exemptions to the border shutdown since it began.
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said in a news release that the Consulate General of Canada had informed his office of the exemption on Wednesday.
"Point Roberts residents have had very real concerns about transit ever since the pandemic struck, and this exemption will ease some of the burden," Inslee said in the release.
"I want to thank the Canadian government for hearing our request, and to the state's congressional delegation, who continue working on border access issues for Point Roberts residents."
