This archive report was first published on 16 July 2020.
On July 16, 2020, the US government announced the extension of its border shutdown with Mexico and Canada, citing the success of collaboration on the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a tweet by Wolf, the decision to extend the shutdown until August 20 was made based on the success of existing restrictions and close collaboration with Mexico and Canada.
"Based on the success of the existing restrictions and close collaboration with Mexico and Canada, @DHSgov will continue to limit non-essential travel at our land ports of entry with Canada and Mexico until Aug 20," Wolf said.
Despite the extension of the shutdown, the US continues to struggle with the COVID-19 pandemic, with new confirmed infections hitting a record 67,632 on Wednesday and deaths surpassing 137,000.
Canada has also been affected by the pandemic, with over 8,800 deaths and more than 108,000 cases recorded. Mexican cases have topped 317,000, with the number of deaths nearing 37,000.
The US Centers for Disease Control has been tasked to review the situation in the three countries every 30 days to see if conditions have improved enough to open the borders.
