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U.S./Canada border to stay closed for leisure travel
Eric Anderson is reporting for the Times Union it is looking unlikely that the U.S.-Canada border can reopen this summer to leisure travelers. "Most of us who are actively engaging in this issue now anticipate little change through the summer, hopefully seeing a return to relative normalcy in September," said Garry Douglas, who heads the North Country Chamber of Commerce in Plattsburgh. Last week, Dominic LeBlanc, Canada's intergovernmental affairs minister, told CBC News it was not the right time to talk about reopening the border. "We do recognize, as vaccination rates go up and, hopefully, as we see the public health measures that are in place now bring down those case counts, there will be a conversation that we can have...but for the moment, there's no active discussion [about] adjusting those measures," he said. Just 2.24 percent of Canada's population has been fully vaccinated, according to the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. By comparison, the U.S. figure is 21.15 percent. Montreal, arguably the most popular destination for New Yorkers, is in the red zone, and the city has an overnight curfew in place from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m. Essential trade and traffic continue to cross the border in both directions. But leisure travel, even if the traveler is fully vaccinated, is not permitted. Read the full story in the Times Union.