Monday was a tale of two countries regarding travel from the United States; Canada announced it would open its border to Americans, while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned all Americans to not travel to the United Kingdom.
The video above includes the announcement of the border opening from Canada Minister of Health Patty Hajdu, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki’s response to a reporter asking if the U.S. will reciprocate, and U.K. Chief Scientific Officer Patrick Vallance discussing the expected rise in COVID-19 deaths in the U.K. in the coming weeks.
In order to enter Canada starting Aug. 9, Americans will need to have been fully vaccinated with a vaccine approved in Canada for two weeks prior to entering Canada. The rest of the world can start entering Canada Sept. 7.
“Our approach at the border has always been based on the latest science and evidence,” Health Minister Hajdu said. “This approach will be, the relaxation of measures will be a gradual process taking into account the vaccination rate of Canadians and our own epidemiological situation.”
A date for the U.S. to allow fully vaccinated Canadians to cross into the U.S. by land is not yet known. “We are continuing to review our travel restrictions. Any decisions about reopening travel will be guided by our public health and medical experts,” Press Secretary Psaki said. “We take this incredibly seriously, but we look and are guided by our own medical experts and not in a, we’re not, I wouldn’t look at it through a reciprocal intention.”
Any Canadian can currently fly to the U.S.
Across the pond, the CDC bumped its travel health warning for the U.K. to Level 4, the highest level it can go. The CDC said to avoid travel to the U.K. if possible; if you have to travel there, make sure you are fully vaccinated. The CDC said due to the current situation in the U.K., even fully vaccinated travelers may be at risk for getting and spreading COVID-19 variants.
“We do expect there to be over a thousand people per day being hospitalized with COVID because of the increased infections,” Chief Scientific Officer Vallance said. “But the rate should be lower than they have been previously because of the protective effects of vaccination and the real importance of making sure that everybody gets vaccinated.”
