BLAINE, Wash. — The United States and Canada have agreed to temporarily close their shared border to nonessential travel to confront the coronavirus pandemic.
That'll bring a halt to tourism and family visits but will leave the flow of trade intact.
The U.S.-Canada border crossing at Blaine is considered the busiest in Washington state. Often waits can seem endless on a busy weekend. On Wednesday, you could wait minutes before seeing a car moving either direction.
Customs agents stopped and briefed drivers heading north into Canada.
“I’m Canadian, but a resident of the U.S.,” one woman said. “They (the border agents) told me it’s like day by day, and I should be considered an essential visitor. But what they can’t deny me is my own country. And they can’t deny me coming back for the most part right now. Unless I’m symptomatic.”
On the Department of Homeland Security website there is no specific information about when the border closes and what constitutes essential travel. This contrasts with lots of information provided for Americans and others coming from Europe and other countries by air.
At his Wednesday afternoon news conference, Gov. Jay Inslee said the border was a federal matter. He did not offer any specifics about the closure, only saying that it is open to maintain the supply chain of goods.
Canada has long been the biggest trading partner for the U.S., and during the day more than a half dozen long freight trains crossed between the two countries as cars, motor homes and pickups with British Columbia and Washington plates crossed the border. Commercial trucks use a specific crossing to the east.