BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) Congressman Brian Higgins (NY-26) joining the chorus of calls to lift all Covid restrictions at the U.S. Canadian border, now that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is easing restrictions, saying Covid is something we're going to live with.
"We should have seen a joint strategy from the U.S. and Canadian government," said Higgins on WBEN Monday. "By lifting restrictions in one country and not the other just leads to more confusion and you'll never get back to a semblance of normalcy."
Higgins said traffic is down about 40% at all 120 border crossings between
the U.S. and Canada. "That's hurtful to the economies of both countries and
the quality of life in border communities."
68% of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated. 83% of the Canadian population is fully vaccinated. "You're never going to reach 100%, so lift all of the restrictions now," he added.
When it comes to the border, no decisions between the two countries have been made jointly since the start of the pandemic in March of 2020. With that in mind, should the US just lift its restrictions now?
"Without question," said Higgins. "We're pushing for that everyday. The criticism is that there are too many decision makers in this administration and there is a task force that isn't doing anything."
As a result, it's creating a lot of confusion about cross border trips.
Unless the policy is the same, Higgins said people are not focused on the specifics of each country. "It's something I've talked to the Prime Minister of Canada about it and Biden cabinet officials. We need to speak with one voice about one policy."
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Higgins maintains, if you ask most people today, they likely don't know what the restrictions are, or what they have to do to cross the northern border. "They throw up their hands and say, forget it. But we need people to go
back and forth because both of our economies are highly integrated and our life qualities are highly integrated."