When do you think the border will reopen?

[ilovetotravel1977]

Will we need to quarantine for 14 days once in the US?

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I'm in northern Alberta and my daughter, her hubby and the new grandbaby are just outside the Calgary area. It's killing me to not be able to see them. My parents are in Saskatchewan and other family members as well. I can totally relate to your situation. We can't even go from province to province really.

Is the government monitoring province to province travel? Can you be turned away at a provincial border?

 

[hdrolfe]

Is the government monitoring province to province travel? Can you be turned away at a provincial border?

I can't answer for Alberta to Sask but I know the bridges from Ottawa going TO Gatineau (Ontario to Quebec) are being monitored and only essential travel is allowed. Going the other way is not from what I understand. I imagine it depends on how many border points there are between provinces.

Will we need to quarantine for 14 days once in the US?

That's a good question. Obviously for the essential workers right now they aren't, but I wonder if they open the border to non-essential if it will. I don't think either country has announced that yet as part of their plans.

 

[bcwife76]

Will we need to quarantine for 14 days once in the US?

In the US they seem to be doing that on a state by state basis. Right now Hawaii and Alaska have mandatory 14 day quarantines in place, I think Florida still has it for NY residents only. I don't know about any other states doing this.

 

[bcwife76]

The PM hasn't mentioned the cruising industry (AFAIK) since his initial announcement in early March about our ports being closed til July 1. Obviously one can not exist without the other (ie. No cruises at all until the US CAN border is open). So this basically squashes the Alaska cruising season. I know that some cruise lines have cancelled all AK sailings for this year while some have drastically cut back their sailings but still offer some. Realistically, the Alaska cruising season won't even take place this year, I'm assuming?

 

[isabellea]

Is the government monitoring province to province travel? Can you be turned away at a provincial border?

I know there are police checkpoints to go to ON from QC (OPP) and from ON to QC (SQ). Within QC there are even checkpoints between administrative regions. For example, regions like Bas St-Laurent (region closest to NB) or Abitibi (north) are sealed by police and no one goes in unless you have proper paperwork that proves you are essential.

 

[StarSeven7]

As a Canadian citizen living in the US (due to DH's employment....he is also a Canadian citizen) it is my hope that the borders open ASAP. We have a young adult son living in Ontario and elderly parents (one of whom has Alzheimer's Disease) from whom we are indefinitely separated. While I understand the reason for the closure, it doesn't make it any easier to bear.

And before anyone jumps in with "well, that's the risk you took when you chose to leave Canada", NOTHING like this had ever happened in our lifetimes. We were well educated and aware of the reasons which may cause us to be unable to travel home (visa/work permit issues, terrorism threats, those kinds of things) but "global pandemic" was not on anyone's radar when DH was transferred cross-border three year ago.

I feel ya! I’m in the same situation as an American citizen living in Canada (married to a canadian) with all my family just a few hours drive away in Michigan. We normally cross the border all the time to go visit. I have a SIL in Chicago in the same boat as well (Canadian married to an American). This closed border is brutal and I can’t wait for it to open back up! Once the border opens up, we will try to plan a visit to my family even if it requires a 14 day quarantine afterwards. If my DH is still working from home it won’t be much of an issue. If he’s back at the office then that would be a problem so I’m not sure if we’d do it then. My DH said “Yes, 100%!” When I proposed the idea to him yesterday as he’s very close to my family as well. We booked a camping trip in Maine/New Hampshire/Vermont for the beginning of July but we will most likely cancel that now, and probably concentrate our vacation time on visiting with family in Michigan if that becomes possible.

 

[ilovetotravel1977]

Definitely check points for the NS / NB border...only essential workers can pass through.

 

[Pumpkin1172]

Is the government monitoring province to province travel? Can you be turned away at a provincial border?

Yes and No. Most people are not going anywhere. I know in Alberta, unless it is an emergency or for work, they are urging us NOT to travel to different areas.

I do know that if you want to get into the NWT...you absolutely can't get there. If you were going to school in the south, when you come back into the territory, you have to have a plan of where you will quarantine in only 3 different places. You have to show proof of hotel bookings. No private staying with relatives or friends. You have to basically get authorization from the health minister to cross the boarder.

I have family and friends in Hay River, which is one the other three areas you can isolate. Two of them work for the health authority, so yup...all the above is true. The remote communities just don't have the facilities to handle anything like this, so they are taking every precaution they can. And many of Indiginous people living there are already at a higher risk, not to even mention that their healthcare system would NOT be able to handle many cases that required extensive hospital care. Just trying to get them to Yellowknife to the hospital there is hard enough...and now with spring...that creates another headache to find a plane equipped to land on rivers that are blocked and jammed with ice flows etc etc etc It would be a night mare.

 

[hdrolfe]

The PM hasn't mentioned the cruising industry (AFAIK) since his initial announcement in early March about our ports being closed til July 1. Obviously one can not exist without the other (ie. No cruises at all until the US CAN border is open). So this basically squashes the Alaska cruising season. I know that some cruise lines have cancelled all AK sailings for this year while some have drastically cut back their sailings but still offer some. Realistically, the Alaska cruising season won't even take place this year, I'm assuming?

Dr Tam mentioned cruises in her interview today (it's on CBC news website if you want to read it) but she says something about re-evaluating cruises in Canada by July. From the way she was talking, I don't think they will be coming here, which puts the Alaska season out for the year I would guess? She was talking about how it would bring thousands of people to a port and the danger of opening too fast.

 

[BLAZEY]

I think it will stay closed until the US is able to get control of the spread. Currently The US has 33% of total known cases worldwide, 13% of recovered and 28% of deaths. To many people still not taking this virus seriously. I don't see not essential travel to the US before January 2021.

 

[StarWarsNerd24]

I am pretty sure international border crossing is under Federal Jurisdiction, so the provinces will have no say over when non essential international travel can be opened up again.

 

[StarWarsNerd24]

I don't see not essential travel to the US before January 2021

I would agree with you.

 

[pinkle]

I would agree with you.

 

[pangyal]

Just FYI, the non-essential travel restrictions only apply to land crossings, for anyone who is not aware of this (full disclosure- that would be me as of four hours ago ). Canadians and Americans can cross back and forth, even for non essential travel, using air, sea or rail as of this moment and have been able to do so since March when the block was announced.

Sorry if I was the only person who didn’t know this!

 

[StarWarsNerd24]

even for non essential travel, using air, sea or rail as of this moment and have been able to do so since March when the block was announced.

Didn't know that either, but air travel cross border for all intents and purposes was halted by the airlines.

 

[bankr63]

Didn't know that either, but air travel cross border for all intents and purposes was halted by the airlines.

Reduced, maybe. Halted, no. Anyone who lives near an airport can tell you that the jets are still taking off and landing. Not nearly as frequently, but they are still coming and going. Here is an image of all of the aircraft over North America at this time (11:45 EDT Tuesday night). Surprising how many are UPS and FedEx flights (maybe not considering the situation), but lots of commercial passenger traffic too.

 

[bcwife76]

Just FYI, the non-essential travel restrictions only apply to land crossings, for anyone who is not aware of this (full disclosure- that would be me as of four hours ago ). Canadians and Americans can cross back and forth, even for non essential travel, using air, sea or rail as of this moment and have been able to do so since March when the block was announced.

Sorry if I was the only person who didn’t know this!

Uh no, I wasn't aware of this either! Huh...learn something new every day!

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

I think it will stay closed until the US is able to get control of the spread. Currently The US has 33% of total known cases worldwide, 13% of recovered and 28% of deaths. To many people still not taking this virus seriously. I don't see not essential travel to the US before January 2021.

I cant see the current PM halting immigration that long. And if immigration is considered essential, a Canadian returning home to Canada to visit family better also needs to be consided essential.

 

[Gina-Gina-Bo-Bina]

Just FYI, the non-essential travel restrictions only apply to land crossings, for anyone who is not aware of this (full disclosure- that would be me as of four hours ago ). Canadians and Americans can cross back and forth, even for non essential travel, using air, sea or rail as of this moment and have been able to do so since March when the block was announced.

Sorry if I was the only person who didn’t know this!

Interesting. If this keeps up too long, I would absolutely consider flying home.