Border congestion feared as vaccination requirements change in January
From Transport Topics. The flow of freight between the United States and its neighbors Canada and Mexico could slow beginning in January, as all three countries adopt more stringent COVID-19 vaccine requirements for cross-border truck traffic. “All inbound foreign national travelers seeking to enter the United States via land points of entry or ferry terminals…
From Transport Topics.
The flow of freight between the United States and its neighbors Canada and Mexico could slow beginning in January, as all three countries adopt more stringent COVID-19 vaccine requirements for cross-border truck traffic.
“All inbound foreign national travelers seeking to enter the United States via land points of entry or ferry terminals — whether for essential or nonessential reasons — must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and provide related proof of vaccination,” said a bulletin from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. While the Nov. 23 announcement said only that the restrictions would be adopted in January, it’s expected they’ll take effect Jan. 22.
The DHS rule applies to non-U.S. citizens crossing into the country.
The Canadian Ministry of Health’s new regulations, set to take effect Jan. 15, state that certain groups of travelers — among them essential providers such as truck drivers — cannot enter Canada unless they have been fully vaccinated. This applies to U.S. drivers entering the country, a group that previously had been exempt from vaccination requirements.
Mexico’s rule, also set to take effect Jan. 15, states, “all inbound non-immigrant foreign national travelers crossing U.S. land ports of entry or ferry terminals – whether for essential or non-essential reasons – must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and provide related proof of vaccination.” Here again, U.S. drivers are included.
American Trucking Associations Chief Economist Bob Costello expressed trepidation about how the flow of freight into and out of the three countries could be affected
“I am concerned about all of this, and what we need is more time,” Costello told Transport Topics. “It’s not like we are anti-vaccine, but the reality is a lot of these drivers are not vaccinated, and we already have supply chain problems. Our number one export market for U.S. goods is Canada. I don’t want to be alarmist, but this is significant.”
Costello said Canadian officials enacted their tighter vaccine requirements after the U.S. decision.
See the complete article online at Transport Topics.