“Today, the federal administration announced that the border between the United States and Canada will be limited to essential travel only in order to help combat the spread of COVID-19. As the Honorary Co-Chair of the Quebec-New York Corridor Coalition, I know this is cause for concern, as many health care and trade commerce workers in the North Country live in Canada and need to cross this border to come to work each day.

I’m working diligently with local and state officials, as well as our federal representatives, to ensure this action doesn’t prevent those working in the medical field, and those critical to our trade industry, from doing their jobs. It’s more important than ever that our hospitals and health care providers have the staff they need to manage the influx of patients and work together to provide the best quality of care possible in the face of this unprecedented public health threat. It is equally important that our region, continue to be able to manufacture and transport necessary goods that are critical for our daily lives.

As we continue to do everything we can to protect the public health, I’ll always put North Country families at the forefront and make sure our residents have what they need to be safe and secure.”