75% Canadian Vaccination Rate Needed For Border To Reopen

So we're all asking what will it eventually take for the Canadian government to agree to reopen the International border. It has come to the point that the monthly postponement seems a virtual certainty.

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The rules have kept families apart, blocked tourists and students, and hampered the world's largest bilateral trading relationship.

According to NEWS 4 (WIVB-TV) Public Safety Minister Bill Blair told the CBC, 75-percent of Canadians would need to be fully vaccinated for the border to reopen and right now, it’s at just 20-percent.

Blair noted the arriving  Moderna vaccines from the U.S. are expected to help them rapidly reach their goal.

Canada only started getting U.S. manufactured vaccines in May as the U.S. govenment didn't allow for exports until then. Up to that point, Canada had largely been getting vaccines from Europe until doses began arriving from Pfizer's Michigan plant in May.

The Trudeau administration said today fully vaccinated Canadian citizens who test negative for COVID-19 will be exempt from two weeks of quarantine when returning to the country beginning July 5th.

Congressman and Canada-United States Interparliamentary Group Co-Chair  Brian Higgins whose been championing the reopening of the border released the following statement:

“First the public was told vaccinations were the key to reponing the border. Yet the vaccinated continue to be shut out. Then it was said, 75% partially vaccinated and 20% fully vaccinated was the threshold Canada needed to meet to loosen restrictions. That goal has been reached and still the border restrictions were extended for another month.

“It is difficult to have a successful game plan when the goalposts continue to be moved. The lack of transparency, clear communication and a failure to layout expectations on the U.S. – Canada border reopening plan has been maddening for the public who simply want to know what’s it going to take to get this border open.”