Mexican Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said on Tuesday he hoped that restrictions on the U.S.-Mexico border imposed due to the coronavirus pandemic would be lifted before the summer ends.
U.S. land borders with Canada and Mexico remain closed to non-essential travel until at least June 21. The restrictions at the border have been renewed each month for nearly a year.
Today, the Ministry of Foreign Relations ( SRE ) reported that in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, travel restrictions on the land border between Mexico and the United States was extended again for another month.
The SRE pointed out that the US government informed Mexico that it was decided to extend the travel restrictions for another month and only those who carry out essential activities can cross the land border.
“Mexico and the United States are in talks to ease restrictions on border crossings as of June 22 based on the spread rates of COVID-19 and the number of vaccines applied on both sides of the border,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs referred to through social networks.
On Jan. 26, the U.S. government began requiring nearly all international air travelers to get negative COVID-19 test results within three days of travel but has no similar requirements for land border crossings.
In an executive order in January, Biden directed U.S. officials to “immediately commence diplomatic outreach to the governments of Canada and Mexico regarding public health protocols for land ports of entry.”
U.S. lawmakers say Americans who own property in Canada cannot maintain their homes. Border towns and businesses have been hard hit by the lack of cross-border traffic.
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Hundreds of thousands of people cross the U.S.-Mexico border daily, and Mexico has extremely limited COVID-19 testing capacity, U.S. officials say.
Representative Tom Massie of Kentucky said at a March 2 hearing a vacationing Kentucky family recently tested positive in Mexico for COVID-19 and could not return to the United States on a flight.
“They flew to Tijuana, walked across the border to the United States, got on an airplane in San Diego, and then returned to Kentucky,” Massie said.
