Canada Opens Its Border to Vaccinated Americans
American tourists can now visit Canada for the first time since the pandemic.
Canada opened its borders to fully vaccinated US citizens and permanent residents at 12:01 a.m. Monday.
The moment couldn't arrive any sooner for loved ones who've been apart for more than a year.
"We were all so eagerly waiting for that day," Asawari Kaur of Indiana told the Detroit FreePress, part of the USA TODAY Network, while waiting in Detroit's duty-free shop minutes before midnight.
Many Canadian business owners are excited for vaccinated American visitors.
"Let's get this thing going," said Joel Villanueva, owner of Primo's Mexican Grill in White Rock, British Columbia. "A lot of our customers are from the United States, and we are literally minutes from across the border. We welcome our Americans, and we depend on their foot traffic."
Can we visit Canada now?
While Canadian borders have reopened, Americans can't just hop in a car or on a plane. Travelers will need to submit proof of vaccination and other travel details to the Canadian government's ArriveCAN platform at least 72 hours before arriving in the country, whether traveling by land or air.
Donna Deerkoski of Jersey City, New Jersey, learned that the hard way after she and her friends waited an hour at Rainbow Bridge in Niagara Falls, New York. Canadian border patrol turned them away Monday because they hadn't known to upload all their information.
"We tried to do everything right," Deerkoski told The Democrat & Chronicle, part of the USA TODAY Network. She said they were handed a piece of paper and told to go back the way they came in.
"We're sitting there baffled," she said. "We didn't realize we were being rejected."
Wait times to enter Canada by land varied widely by location on Monday. There was no delay at the Cornwall entry near Rooseveltown, New York, and Douglas Peace Arch near Blaine, Washington. However, the wait was two hours long at St Stephen 3rd Bridge near Calais, Maine, and seven hours long at the Fort Frances Bridge near International Falls, Minnesota. Travelers can check the latest wait times by clicking here.
Let's watch a beautiful video depicting the happiness of two great neighbors. Please enlarge the picture to full screen and enjoy! – USA Today
