BUFFALO (WBEN) - Multiple reports indicate that the NHL and Canadian government are working toward a travel exemption that would allow for teams to cross the border during the final two rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
This exemption would let teams enter Canada without having to isolate for 14 days, which is the current requirement for nonessential travelers.
Earlier this week, Congressman Brian Higgins, who has called on the border to be reopened for several months, released a statement responding to the NHL news, saying similar exemptions should be made for average citizens.
"If exemptions can be made to bring hockey teams together, the same can be done to bring families together," said Higgins.
On Wednesday, Higgins and Canadian Members of Parliament Nathaniel Erskine-Smith and Wayne Easter released the following joint statement related to US-Canada border management:
"Reopening our countries' shared border must be a top priority for our respective governments at this point in the pandemic. For more than a year, Americans and Canadians have endured separation from their families, friends, and property in response to the public health crisis.
"Guidance from both the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Canada's COVID-19 Testing and Screening Expert Advisory Panel is clear: individuals with proof of immunity can travel safely and should not be subject to quarantine requirements.
"It is time for our governments to listen to the experts and together release an evidence-based plan to reunite families, safely resume normal border operations, and quickly restore our two countries' deeply interconnected economies."
Senator Chuck Schumer also commented on the situation at the northern border Wednesday, noting that he has previously called on both countries to put together a plan and open the border.
"Now that we have so many people vaccinated in the United States, and the number is going up significantly in Canada, we could certainly come up with a plan that if you're vaccinated, you should be allowed to cross the border," said Schumer.
Schumer said he spoke with Alejandro Mayorkas, the head of the Department of Homeland Security, which serves as the lead agency in this area, and he found out that there is now internal pressure in Canada to get the border open.
"I'm optimistic that we can make some progress soon," said Schumer. "I'm hopeful that the next month they have to announce something, June 21, it will be a lot more than what's been done in the past, which just says they're kicking the can down the road another month - we can't keep affording to do that."
