Canada's borders will remain closed until January 21

Sylvie Claire / December 1, 2020

Canada announced on Sunday a new extension, until January 21, 2021, of the closure of its borders to foreigners whose presence is not considered essential.

Since last March, travelers arriving in Canada, whether Canadian or not, have been subject to a mandatory 14-day quarantine in order to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

For its part, Canada's border with the United States remains closed until December 21, as part of a separate bilateral agreement with Washington. Only trade in goods and merchandise and travel considered essential are allowed.

The closure of the longest land border in the world was decided in March and it could be extended after December 21, the Canadian government said in a statement.

The government says it "will be in a position" from Jan. 21 to harmonize possible extensions to its border closures between the United States and other countries around the world, as well as the mandatory quarantine decree.

Ottawa is also announcing the creation of a framework to "consider applications from high performance amateur athletic organizations to host" events such as "World Championships, Olympic or Paralympic Qualifiers, and World Cups » .

The press release does not specify the events in question.

Since the beginning of June, foreign nationals can join their families living in Canada, if they are spouses, children, parents or legal guardians of Canadian citizens. Otherwise, only people whose presence on Canadian soil is deemed essential, such as certain employees, are admitted.