The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says Kamloopsians and other Canadians who got doses of two or more different COVID-19 vaccines will be eligible to enter the United States starting next month.
While the agency has stopped short of recommending the mixing of vaccines in the United States, it now acknowledges that it is an increasingly common vaccination strategy elsewhere in the world.
That includes Canada, where nearly four million people are believed to have received doses of two different vaccines.
The declaration by the CDC came a few hours after the U.S. announced that fully vaccinated Canadians and Mexicans would be welcomed over the land border as of Nov. 8.
U.S. Border guards will not be asking for proof of a negative COVID-19 test, and New York congressman, Brian Higgins wants Canada to return the favour.
“I think that the U.S. decision to allow Canadians coming into the United States without a test again underscores the potency of the vaccine,” Higgins said Friday. “I would like to see that reciprocated by our Canadian neighbours.”
Canadians who cross into the United States will have to pay around $200 for these molecular or PCR tests before they can return home, with Higgins saying it remains a barrier which will prevent some people from visiting his country.
Still, the reopening of the border on Nov. 8 comes three months after Canada began allowing fully vaccinated U.S. citizens and permanent residents back across the border in August.
“It will be what we make of it, and I’m happy that people can now be reunited with loved ones and all those other issues,” Higgins said. “But the fact of the matter is, the U.S. border to our Canadian neighbours should have been opened months ago.”
“Our livelihoods and way of life depend on the free flow of goods, services and people across the border — often multiple times per day.”
As for the test requirement, public health officials in Canada made it clear Friday that it is not going away any time soon.
“We’re in a situation in Canada where our health systems are still very fragile,” said Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer. “We need to still be very vigilant and careful at this point, but we will have ongoing discussions with the CDC and the United States to see what is reasonable in the trajectory going forward.”
Restrictions on non-essential travel at the U.S. border were first put in place back in March 2020.
– With files from The Canadian Press
