BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) - Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has added his voice in the calls to safely reopen the United States and Canada border.
"New York is starting to reopen," Schumer said Wednesday at the Rainbow Bridge. "But the same unfortunately cannot be said of our northern border. We can't wait any longer. We've got to get this border opened up."
The border has been closed since March 2020 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Since its closure, there has been a devastating economic impact for the tourism industry. The effects have rippled into other industries like hospitality, sports, and restaurants. It was estimated that $900 million was lost for the Western New York economy alone because of the loss of Canadian travelers.
"That's something that can't be trifled with," Schumer said.
Schumer called for binational agreement between the United States and Canada on a reopening criteria. He also pushed for the governments to re-evaluate and expand who is considered an "essential traveler". The senator also wants the two governments to allow recreational and commercial boating along the border and pushed for personal protective equipment for CBP officers in anticipation of the borders eventually reopening.
The border will remain closed until May 21, though an extension is likely. The two nations have extended the closures on a month-to-month basis. However, with vaccinations increasing in the US, calls have been growing from political leaders including Congressman Brian Higgins who has pushed for the border to reopen for weeks. White the United States reports 32% of Americans are vaccinated, Canada only has 3% of its population fully vaccinated.
"We have extra vaccines in the United States," Schumer said. "Is the failure of Canada to be as high as we are due to distribution? Lack of vaccines? It's something to look at...We, right now in the United States, have enough vaccines to vaccinate everybody, even the younger kids. Now they're doing the experiments on the 12 to 15 years old...We have ample vaccine capacity. Maybe Canada is one place to look at. Obviously we need to help other places like India and other places like that."
"Once the time is right, we will open up the borders again properly, perhaps with necessary vaccination certificates," Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said this week. "But we're not yet at this point. We need to ensure that when the time comes we do things right to continue to ensure that Canadians are safe."
