What to Expect When the Canada’s Border Reopens
The Canadian task force is currently looking for ways to safely reopen Canada’s border to the United States. They have not put a specific plan in place. However, the reopening plan will likely include health screenings. Christoper McDonald is the director of Wilson Center’s Canada Institute, which is the company that appointed the task force. He stated that the country is facing a major challenge. They want to be able to safely reopen the border.
The task force is made up of four people. North Country Officials have been trying to devise a plan for reopening the border. The border has been closed since March due to the Covid 19 pandemic. Garry Douglas is the president of the North Country Chamber of Commerce. He stated that the committee has been meeting and discussing plans. The task force does not have the power to reopen the border. However, they can discuss the plans with Ottawa and Washington.
Who Are The Members of The Task Force
Jean Charest, who is the Quebec Premier, is a member of the task force. He is also a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada. Christine Gregoire, who is a democrat and former governor of Washington, is another member of the task force. The task force also includes Minister Anne Mclennan, who is the former Canadian Deputy Prime. Additionally, the task force has Rick Synder, who is the former governor of Michigan.
Douglas stated that recommendations will be made to the government in March. Even though that seems to be a long way off, experts do not think that much will change between now and April. They believe that people will be able to start traveling across the border in the spring.
Now Is Not the Time to Be Complacent
Canada has seen a record number of cases and hospitalizations. Justin Trudeau, who is the Prime Minister, stated that now is not the time to be complacent. Amir Attaran, who is a Canadian professor, stated that complacency is one of the reasons that the cases have started to rise.
Canada currently has 425,000 confirmed cases of Covid 19 and 12,800 deaths. The daily cases are 10 times higher than the summer average. There is an average of 88 new cases per day.
There are currently 2,400 people in the hospital who are being treated for Covid 19. In addition to complacency and Covid fatigue, lack of adequate testing is also fueling the second wave. Canada has also shut down for several weeks at a time, but that does not seem to be working. There has been little evidence to suggest that lockdowns have had an effect on the infection rate.
