Canada-US border closure to be extended another 30 days

OTTAWA - Canada and the United States are expected to extend a ban on non-essential ground travel between the two countries for another 30 days, CTV reported on Tuesday.

This is the sixth extension of the ban since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The ban, first imposed in March and has been renewed every month since then, is set to expire on Sept 21.

The ban has resulted in a dramatic drop in traffic between the two countries, although essential workers - such as truck drivers and health-care professionals - are still able to cross by land. And Canadians are still able to fly to US destinations.

There have been 138,010 cases of COVID-19 and 9,179 related deaths in Canada so far. An average of 838 new cases have been reported daily during the past week, the highest since late May, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Canadian Chief Public Health Officer Theresa Tam on Tuesday urged people to follow physical distancing guidelines to stem the spread of COVID-19.