Buffalo, NY (WBEN) The group Families Are Essential says it's time for the US and Canada to end border crossing restrictions after the CDC ended its COVID quarantine recommendations.
Marcella Picone says she's glad to see the COVID quarantine rules go, but it's not helping end border crossing rules. "Until our vaccinated loved ones, husbands, wives, brothers, sisters can cross that border without vaccination status, we will continue to keep advocating to get back to a pre pandemic way of life," says Picone.
Picone thinks Canada will continue requiring use of the ArriveCan app to enter Canada, as well the US continuing vaccination requirements for foreign nationals to enter the US. "The fact that we're going three years that the US has these mandates, and there's over 80 countries that have dropped their COVID mandates. It doesn't make sense," notes Picone.
Picone says 17 Republican governors sent a letter calling out President Biden for "his hypocrisy in imposing stringent rules affecting Canada with one of the world’s highest vaccination rates while allowing anyone to just walk across the southern border with no vaccines and no tests." Picone says she has tried to talk to Governor Hochul and Senators Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand to no avail.
Picone doesn't understand why the US would wait for Canada to lift the ArriveCAN app requirement to lift vaccination requirements for foreigners to enter the US. "For the longest time from the start of the pandemic, Canadians were able to fly into the US, regardless of vaccination status. Canada didn't do that. Canada had exemptions for family reunification to be able to enter the US never had family reunification with any exemptions. So for me, it was all political," contends Picone.
Picone says a group of Canadians walked across the Rainbow Bridge into the US Saturday, then refused to use ArriveCAn when they returned to Canada.