Canada, U.S. agree to extend cross-border closure to non-essential travel for another month

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Tuesday that Canada and the United States have agreed to extend the cross-border closure to all non-essential travel for another 30 days.

"This is an important decision that will keep people in both of our countries safe," Trudeau said at a press conference in Ottawa.

The two countries reached the agreement in March to temporarily close the border to non-essential travel while keeping it open to commercial traffic and essential workers who cross the border for work, and extended it twice before Tuesday.

Canadian and the U.S. national flags are seen from the Canadian side of the Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, on May 19, 2020. (Photo by Zou Zheng/Xinhua)

It is the third time the agreement has been extended. The agreement was set to expire on June 21 but will now extend until July 21.

Tuesday's extension is meant to stem the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic as confirmed cases in the United States continue to climb past the 2 million marks.

Up to Tuesday noon, the United States has reported more than 2.1 million cases and more than 116,000 deaths while Canada has confirmed cases of over 99,300 and deaths of more than 8,200, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)