Biden Admin Looking At Mid-May To Open Cross-Border Travel

The President Joe Biden administration might relax restrictions on travel across Mexican and Canadian borders as well as inbound travel from Brazil and Europe, including the U.K., by mid-May, CNBC reported.

There hasn’t been any official policy as such, but the discussion has been focused on limiting the spread of COVID-19 variants on U.S. shores, according to CNBC. Localities have been making their own choices on when to reopen, and officials have been suggesting that Biden and his COVID task force should set a further-back parameter for when to reopen.

CNBC reported that the Department of Homeland Security has announced a one-month extension on a ban on land crossings at the borders of Mexico and Canada until April 21.

The Biden administration has had trouble dealing with the en masse border crossings of immigrants at the southern border, with the U.S. estimated to see the highest number of unaccompanied minors in over 20 years, overwhelming shelters, according to CNBC.

In the meantime, the U.S. has been trying to get Mexico to gain more control over the migration flow. CNBC reported that the government also has asked Mexico to do a better job enforcing testing and masking protocol to help limit the spread of COVID-19.

At the other side of the border, Canada has asked the U.S. to keep the border closed until the residents of that country can gain access to vaccines, according to CNBC.

And in terms of international travel, Biden and his people have agreed to revisit the issue week-by-week to determine the best way to roll out changes, CNBC reported.

In separate news, Israel is rolling back most lockdown measures after vaccinating a majority of its populace, PYMNTS reported.

In the U.S., several states, such as Arizona, Connecticut, Maryland, Mississippi, Texas, West Virginia and Wyoming have removed capacity restrictions at some restaurants and businesses to help jog the economy. Other states have done away with mask mandates.