On March 22, 2020, the US-Canada and US-Mexico borders Ports of Entry have implemented a temporary ban on non-essential travel until 11:59 pm EST on April 20.
- Read the temporary travel restrictions on US-Canadian travel
- Read the temporary travel restrictions on US-Mexico travel
What is not banned
This partial ban does not apply to essential travel such as trade, any kind of truck freight, or truck drivers from all three countries (assuming the driver is not sick), but does apply to passenger rail and ferry travel.
The notice defines “essential travel” as including, but not limited to:
- US citizens and lawful permanent residents returning to the United States
- individuals traveling for medical purposes (e.g., to receive medical treatment in the United States)
- individuals traveling to attend educational institutions
- individuals traveling to work in the United States
- individuals traveling for emergency response and public health purposes (e.g., government officials or emergency responders entering the United States to support Federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial government efforts to respond to COVID-19 or other emergencies)
- individuals engaged in lawful cross-border trade (e.g., truck drivers supporting the movement of cargo between the United States and Canada or Mexico)
- individuals engaged in official government travel or diplomatic travel
- members of the United States Armed Forces, and the spouses and children of members of the US Armed Forces, returning to the United States
- individuals engaged in military-related travel or operations
What is banned
People traveling for tourism purposes (e.g., sightseeing, recreation, gambling, or attending cultural events) are not considered “essential travel.”