by Donald Wood
Last updated: 9:00 AM ET, Thu November 19, 2020
The United States' land borders with Canada and Mexico are likely to remain closed to non-essential travel until December 21 at the earliest.
According to Reuters.com, current travel restrictions between the three countries were set to expire on Saturday, but a rising number of coronavirus cases across North America has forced officials to extend the closure.
The U.S. leads the world in COVID-19 deaths, but cases are rising in all three countries. As a result, government officials decided the extension of the closure would be wise to help mitigate the spread.
The COVID-19-related restrictions were first put in place in March and have been extended each month ever since. A Homeland Security official told Reuters the agency was "continuing to look at appropriate public health criteria for a future re-evaluation of existing restrictions."
In Canada, a government spokesperson in Ottawa said the travel restrictions would remain in effect for at least another month, while Mexico's Foreign Ministry said the "spread of COVID-19 in both countries" reinforced the need for an extension.
Data from earlier this year suggest that U.S. visits to Canada by automobile had plummeted by more than 95 percent in August when compared to the previous year.
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