“The United States-Canada border has been closed for over a year now despite my efforts with local officials and business leaders to reopen the border safely. The most recent news that the Canadian Government is actively considering interim reopening steps that include eliminating the quarantine requirement for those who are quarantined is indicative that our pleas for a phased approach to reopening are finally being heard.

“I am thrilled that the end of this border closure is in sight. Living in a border community like the North Country, everyone is impacted by the border closure in some way. Folks on both sides of the border have been separated from their families for far too long, and businesses continue to struggle without their loyal Canadian customers. That is why I have repeatedly called on both governments to make steps toward reopening the border, and most recently called on New York specifically to vaccinate essential travelers from Canada. Considering that the North Country continues to have low infection rates and our northern neighbors continue to see a decline as well, it is an opportune time to take these first steps to reopening the border.

“The North Country has been patient while waiting for the border to reopen, but with the summer months approaching it is becoming more difficult to understand why the border is still closed when proper steps can be taken to reopen safely. It is about time that our calls to reopen the border are answered, and I will continue to work with our federal representatives and the North Country Chamber of Commerce to make progress toward ending the border closure.”