“Of course, the United States being one country that still has cases and is still trying to manage outbreaks … they present a risk to Canada from that perspective,” she told reporters in Ottawa. “So, we have to take that into account.”
Tam’s comments come with Canada and the U.S. in talks to determine whether to extend their agreement once again on the shutdown of all nonessential cross-border travel for another 30 days. The deal, if not renewed, will expire next week.
Politically, any decision to allow more people to trickle into Canada will be complicated. Many north of the border are worried about the prospect of opening the boundary to more American travelers due to the pandemic’s much larger impact in the U.S.
As of Tuesday, the U.S. reported 16 times more deaths from Covid-19 than Canada and 19 times more cases, according to the latest figures from the countries’ health authorities. The U.S. population is about nine times bigger than Canada’s.
U.S. decision-makers also heard warnings Tuesday from top public health officials to proceed carefully when it comes to easing the lock downs.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Trump administration’s top infectious disease expert, testified earlier in the day that the “consequences could be really serious” if the U.S. lifts restrictions before states are prepared to respond to new coronavirus cases.
Fauci’s warning contrasted with arguments made in recent weeks by President Donald Trump, who has been calling for a rapid reopening of the U.S. economy even as the death toll moves higher.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Tuesday his government will be “very, very careful about reopening any international travel, including the United States before we feel that it is time.”
Trudeau said the focus is cutting down the number of domestic Covid-19 cases in order to restart certain sectors of the economy.
“That must be done gradually, it must be done with tremendous vigilance and we need to make sure that we have the mechanisms and the materials in place to deal with any further spreads or spikes,” Trudeau told reporters.
“Preventing transmission from outside of Canada into Canada once we have controlled the spread within Canada will be an essential part of ensuring that we don’t fall back into a second wave that could be as serious as this wave we’re going through, or even more so.”
Source: politico.com
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