Niagara Falls, NY (WBEN) Even as the pandemic winds down and life largely feels much more normal of late, there is concern another summer of border crossing restrictions could be in effect.
The mayor of Niagara Falls says business and the tourism industry have been taking a toll and says the current restrictions from Canada require either a negative rapid antigen test or PCR test before entering Canada. He notes you could be randomly selected for a COVID test, and that means you may have to make quarantine plans in case you test positive.
Restaino says he's put a lot of emphasis on vaccinations and the science associated with them. "If we are going to incentivize that, and that should really be where our focus is instead of additional restrictions that make not only commerce, difficult, even family relations and the ability to just move back and forth across to see friends and family," says Restaino.
Restaino recalls a brief time when restrictions were loosened for Canadians to return to Canada. "If they were here for less than 72 hours they didn't have to go through the testing. For that period, our community sort of saw pre COVID traffic patterns," says Restaino, which benefitted restaurants, shops and other businesses. He says while tourism agencies are focusing on nearby US states, "We always see an added improvement, when we can get that border open."
Restaino says he's not the only mayor worried about another season of border crossing restrictions, as he's spoken with mayors of border cities on the Canadian side as well. "The frustration was visible, palpable, vocal and (they) as much as we in the United States are impacted by this in terms of Canadians ability to travel in here without restriction," says Restaino. He notes there have been businesses over the course of the 2 year period that just weren't able to sustain themselves. "I just don't think that our economy can really keep sustaining this kind of restriction," adds Restaino.
The World Health Organization declared COVID 19 a pandemic 2 years ago Friday.