How To Get Across The U.S. Border In The Face Of Covid

It is interesting to compare the way the United States and Canada are dealing with travelers coming across their common border in this Covid dominated time. The sealing of the border is making for some very creative solutions.

America treats travelers differently than Canada.

The relevant American order governing border entry can be found here and starts off by declaring that “U.S. and Canadian officials have mutually determined that non-essential travel between the United States and Canada poses additional risk of transmission and spread of COVID-19 and places the populace of both nations at increased risk of contracting COVID-19.” The order then goes on to say that for those reasons, “land ports of entry along the U.S.-Canada border will continue to suspend normal operations and will only allow processing for entry into the United States of those travelers engaged in “essential travel.” Apart from health care workers, truckers and farm laborers, other workers who have immigration work permits are regarded as “essential workers” at ports of entry generally and allowed entry.

The order then provides that “individuals traveling for tourism purposes (e.g., sightseeing, recreation, gambling, or attending cultural events)” are not regarded as essential travelers. Strangely, the following passage follows that provision:

“At this time, this Notification does not apply to air, freight rail, or sea travel between the United States and Canada, but does apply to passenger rail, passenger ferry travel, and pleasure boat travel between the United States and Canada.” What’s more, unlike in Canada, there is no formal requirement at the border for travelers to self-isolate once they enter. That is a matter regulated by the checkerboard requirements of state legislatures. The experience of Canadians traveling into the U.S. by air is that, by and large, there really is no follow-up isolation enforcement.

The Canadian Regime is different

Contrast that U.S. regime with the Canadian one. Canada requires anyone entering the country during this Covid-19 period to self quarantine for a period of 14 days on arrival. Specifically, the Order in Council provides:

Requirements — asymptomatic persons

3 (1) Any person who enters Canada and who does not have signs and symptoms of COVID-19 must

(a) quarantine themselves without delay in accordance with instructions provided by a screening officer or a quarantine officer and remain in quarantine until the expiry of the 14-day period that begins on the day on which the person enters Canada; and

(b) monitor for signs and symptoms of COVID-19 until the expiry of the 14-day period and, if they develop any signs and symptoms of COVID-19, follow instructions provided by the public health authority specified by a screening officer or quarantine officer.

Details related to the requirement are provided here but the essence is that the person concerned must satisfy Canadian border officials that they have a concrete plan of where they will self isolate and how they will get to the facility without endangering others, usually involving pre-booking public transportation carriers, such as an Uber
UBER
driver who is specially set up to comply with federal requirements, and how they will arrange for food and their needs during isolation. Note that in Canada, whether you enter by land or you fly in the rules are enforced in the same way.

A Creative Solution to Crossing the U.S. Canada Border

Which brings us to an interesting development in traffic going southbound. According to a recent article in the Globe and Mail, travelers can pay to have their vehicles shipped over the border by a commercial cargo truck while hopping on a 40-minute helicopter flight from Hamilton to the Buffalo Niagara International Airport. The article adds, “The helicopter flight is $1,200 (for up to three people) and an additional $700 to transport a standard vehicle. Recreation vehicles or those with trailers can cost up to $1,600 to get across the border.” Even animals can board the helicopter along with their owners. Once in the United States, the Canadians pass through customs at the airport and then get their vehicles and proceed wherever they were destined.

So long as the rules are not changed, this is a way for Canadian snowbirds wanting to head south for the winter. Presumably they will have health insurance to cover them during their stay. The only other consideration for them is that on their way back, they will have to self isolate for 14 days at home once they return to Canada. As for whether this is acceptable from an American point of view, until it can be established that Covid is being carried across the border into the United States by these travelers, it will remain an option for those who can afford it.