U.S. keeps land border closed for remainder of summer

Vancouver -

Summer road trips south of the border are officially out of the question. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has extended the land border closure between Canada and the United States until at least Sept. 21.

In a tweet, the DHS confirmed non-essential travel into the U.S. from Canada and Mexico would be restricted, to minimize the spread of COVID-19, including the Delta variant.

Brian Calder of the Point Roberts Chamber of Commerce calls it a crushing revelation.

“I’m feeling like I fell off a boat, asked for a life jacket, and they threw me an anchor,” he said.

Point Roberts relies heavily on revenue from Canadians, who travel to the small enclave in droves for leisure activities in the spring and summer months. With Canadians unable to visit the community since March 2020, Calder and some Washington politicians fear Point Roberts could turn into a ghost town.

“Washington State people support the idea,” said Calder. “The federal government says no. Canada, to its credit, is doing more for a foreign place, Point Roberts, than our own government is.”

In a statement to CTV News Vancouver, Mike Faulk, the press secretary for Washington State Gov. Jay Inslee, said:

“We are disappointed by this decision. There ought to be a way to accommodate border communities bearing the burden of the closure … We will continue to urge the (Biden) administration to make progress on this issue as soon as possible.”

Inslee isn’t the only Washington State politician speaking against the extended closure. Patty Murray, U.S. Senator for Washington State, released a statement on Friday morning, saying:

“This is the wrong decision by the (Biden) administration — there must at the very least be an exemption for Point Roberts as we work to safely reopen the U.S.-Canada border.”

Canada reopened its land border to American travellers on Aug. 9. Visitors from the U.S. planning to cross into Canada must be fully vaccinated and have proof of a negative COVID-19 test.

Meanwhile, Washington State is dealing with all-time high rates of COVID-19 transmission and hospitalizations. Across the state, an average of five to 10 people are dying of COVID-related illnesses daily. Fifty-nine per cent of Washington state residents are fully vaccinated. However, in Point Roberts, roughly 87 per cent have received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.

“We’re trying as hard as we can,” said Calder. “We’ve got the best (immunization) record of anybody, and we’re treated the worst. It’s bizarre.”