Canada COVID Entry Ban On Foreigners Extended – US Exceptions Allowed In

A nation that prides itself on its open-door policy has opted to extend an already months long limit on foreign nationals entering the country until the end of September, as it struggles to contain the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic.

Limits on entry into Canada first came into play in mid-March.

In an announcement made Friday by the national government in Ottawa, and released on Twitter, Public Safety Minister Bill Blair has, however, offered a glimmer of hope to Canadian citizens looking to return home and those holding permanent residency in the country but anyone entering the country will still be forced to endure a period of quarantine.

It is understood that a number of exceptions have been made to the entry restrictions, with immediate family members of the aforementioned two groups also allowed into the country, most recently in June.

Some Americans too, are exempt from the restrictions aimed at keeping out travelers from the rest of the world.

Canada has long been accused of pandering to U.S. political demands even if contrary to public will.

In the Ottawa – Washington agreement, ‘essential travelers’ from south of the border are allowed to enter Canada as has been the case throughout the pandemic.

The U.S. is currently the worst affected nation in the world with 6.1 million confirmed cases contributing to nearly 187,000 deaths.

Canada meanwhile has seen almost 130,000 cases leading in one form or another to over 9,100 deaths; around 241 deaths per million in the sparsely populated nation.

Mark Buckton

Mark is a journalism vet of 20 years with most of those years spent in Tokyo, Japan, as a columnist for The Japan Times and numerous other publications. His work has appeared on CNN, in the BBC, NPR, and in several dozen other media forms and publications across five continents.