U.S. lawmakers push for border relaxation Canadian visitors have always been welcomed in the U.S. Snowbirds are testament to that fact. And, with vaccinations against COVID ramping up, and the prospect of vaccination passports taking hold, 26 U.S. members of Congress (mostly from northern border states, and representing both parties) have petitioned President Joe Biden to start a gradual border re-opening. Consequently, on January 22, 2021 he issued an Executive Order directing all relevant U.S. departments to address the issue of northern border restrictions and to work with Canadian agencies to develop a plan for stabilizing cross-border relations. In a statement released on January 21, 2021, Co-Chair of the Congressional Northern Border Caucus, Congresswoman Elise Stefanik (R-NY) wrote“…as we approach one year of restricted travel, we also must recognize the significant impact these restrictions have had on individuals, families, businesses and communities on both sides of the border. The continued ritual of monthly extensions without substantive signs of collaboration or progress only increases uncertainty and amplifies hardship for the border communities we represent. Since the onset of the restrictions, we have been adamant that preserving the deep social and economic bond shared between the U.S. and Canada necessitates a clear pathway forward.” Specifically: • Establish a Bilateral Plan for Restoring Travel • Prioritize Vaccines and Testing for All CBP Staff • Allow for Families to Safely Reunite • Develop a Policy for Property Owners • Ensure Reciprocal Access to Transit through Boundary Waters Though there appears to be somewhat more incentive toward accommodating a re-opening from U.S. lawmakers, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s approach remains more tenuous. President Biden has predicted that the U.S. will have enough vaccine to inoculate all Americans who want it by May 1, 2021, but PM Trudeau has projected September as a more likely date for Canadians to reach that goal, albeit that still depends on Canada’s access to vaccine supplies, which is no sure thing. And, as the PM told CTV on March 12, when it comes to opening the border, that will depend on vaccinations in Canada, not the U.S. That of itself is not encouraging, as Canada is seriously lagging the U.S. in vaccinating its citizens. As of April 15, 2021, The Bloomberg Vaccine world tracking service reports that Canada has so far fully vaccinated (with two doses) 2.2 per cent of Canadians and has administered at least one dose to 19.6 per cent of the population. The U.S. has fully vaccinated 23.6 per cent (two doses) of its citizens and administered at least one dose 37.9 percent its population. Considering that Canada has been far less impacted by COVID-19 than the U.S. (61 deaths per 100,000 population compared to 163 per 100,000), that vaccines are now a part of the solution and that there are viable, proven options to sheltering behind walls, is it any wonder that those approaching the Canadian-U.S. border ask if this is the best that we can do? Milan Korcok is an award-winning medical writer and author who has been reporting on international health care and Canadian snowbird issues for three decades. He currently serves as contributing editor to the International Travel and Health Insurance Journal in the U.K. He is a dual Canadian/U.S. citizen. He lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. CBOC travel stats 2020-2019 How steep was the drop in Canada’s outbound travel during the pandemic? According to the Conference Board of Canada, it was precipitous. Here’s the picture. Compared to 2019, when Canadians made 33 million out-of-country trips of at least one night’s duration, they made just 8.97 million in 2020 and 88 per cent of that activity was in the first three months of the year, before the pandemic was declared. Breaking that down, the CBoC reports that auto trips to the U.S. dropped from 10.19 million in 2019 to 2.1 million in 2020; non-auto from 9.2 million to 2.5 million; and overseas trips from 12.8 million in 2019 to 4.2 million in 2020. Again, the great bulk of those trips were in the first quarter of 2020, before the pandemic was declared. Among the U.S. locations most affected by these reductions? Las Vegas -82.2%; San Francisco -86%; Phoenix -69.9%; Miami -74.7%; Orlando -71.5%. Least affected were Fort Lauderdale 61.6%; Fort Myers 58.6%; Palm Beach 47.7%. Travel to Europe reflected the same picture, with total trips dropping by 86% from 2019 to 2020, and 66% of those trips occurring in the first quarter. Arrivals in Asia, Oceania and South Pacific declined by 82 per cent from 2019 to 2020 (3.6 million to 658,229). The area most affected was China, with arrivals dropping by 91.2%. As for the non-U.S. sun locations − arrivals in the Caribbean/Mexico dropped by 60.5% in 2020 from 2019 (5.6 million to 2.2 million). Credit Conference Board of Canada COVID-19 42 | www.snowbirds.org
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