BC’s Health Minister is pleased that the border between Canada and the United States has closed to non-essential travel as of Friday night.
Adrian Dix says essential workers like truck drivers and health care workers can still cross the border, nothing they will still be taking precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“We’re obviously pleased that the Federal Government has shut the border to visitors,” Dix said Saturday. “I think that’s a necessary thing and a particularly necessary thing in British Columbia, given the situation in Washington state which has had an impact on us already of course.”
Washington state has over 1,500 COVID-19 cases, and at least 83 deaths in Washington, with over half the number of confirmed cases in King County, which includes Seattle.
“It’s not that we don’t have enormous support for people in Washington state. We do, very much,” said Dix. “We understand what everybody in public health is going through there and the extraordinary work that they are doing.”
“But this was a necessary step, and we are very pleased that its been taken.”
Dix’s statements come less that one week after he questioned why Americans would still be allowed in Canada amid a series of travel restrictions that were announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
“It’s our strong view, and our strong message, that visitors from the United States not come to British Columbia,” Dix said on Monday. “Don’t come, because at this moment, this is the wrong thing to do. We understand that people are being asked to self-isolate, but better than self-isolate for visitors is not to come.”
The agreement to restrict non-essential travel between the two countries is in place for a month, at which time both the U.S. and Canada will review it.