U.S. border closure impacting businesses that rely on Canadians

WHITE ROCK (NEWS 1130) — British Columbians are among those now forced to delay their upcoming plans to travel to the U.S., after the Department of Homeland Security extended the restrictions around non-essential travel at land crossings until Sept. 21.

It’s a major blow for those businesses that have historically benefited from a cross-border relationship, especially between B.C. and Washington state.

“Really disappointed….we’ve been hopeful that there would be some change about the border policy especially since how successful Canada has been from a vaccination standpoint,” President and CEO of Visit Seattle Tom Norwalk said.

“It’s tough. It’s such a huge and important part of our tourism economy,” he said, adding, “it just does not quite seem to make sense.”

Canada started welcoming fully-vaccinated Americans on Aug. 9., something he says adds to the confusion as to why the travel is so one-sided.

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Fully vaccinated U.S. visitors are required to show proof of a negative molecular test for COVID-19 that’s no more than 72 hours old, and must also use the ArriveCAN app or online portal to upload vaccine details.

Norwalk says it could be done in the U.S., and questions why the delays continue.

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Restaurants in U.S. border towns have also taken a hit without Canadian customers after measures were introduced in March 2020.

Among those feeling the financial blow, Gary Slavin, who is the owner of Rustic Fork in Blaine, which is located just a few minutes from Surrey’s Peace Arch border crossing.

“We can’t sit here and put pressure on our own community to keep coming back,” he said about the need for a larger customer base.

“We’ve had restaurants that are shut down Monday to Tuesday. We’ve shut down Monday and some lunches. It’s just that’s what we have to do to basically survive right now until that border opened and see more Canadians coming down and venture into our places,” Slavin explained.

“Whether it’s morning, afternoon or night, we need the support here,” he added.

He says the situation is frustrating, and made even worse by not knowing month-to-month whether business will be back or not.

“The asymmetry between the way Canada is handling it, and the way the U.S. is handling it is really troubling,” the Canadian-American Business Council said.

“I hope they won’t keep it for a month, that Customs and Border Patrol in the U.S. and our Department of Homeland Security will find a way to be able to validate vaccines and COVID tests so that Canadians are able to travel to the United States,” CEO Maryscott Greenwood said, adding that the economic relationship between the two countries is an estimated $7 billion a year.

The U.S. says it’s working closely with its partners both domestically and internationally on decisions to resume normal travel.

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