U.S. extends non-essential border travel restrictions with Mexico until at least March 21
WASHINGTON, DC -- The U.S. government has announced that land borders with Mexico will remain closed to non-essential travel until at least March 21, which marks the one-year anniversary of the restrictions put in place to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus during the pandemic.
It's the first extension of the border crossing restrictions instituted by former President Trump to occur under the new Biden Administration.
Similar border crossing restrictions are also being extended with Canada.
"To protect our citizens and prevent the further spread of Covid-19, the United States, Canada, and Mexico are extending the restrictions on non-essential travel at our land borders through March 21," the U.S. Homeland Security Department tweeted.
Homeland Security defines non-essential travel as “travel that is considered tourism or recreational in nature.” Essential travel, which includes travel for trade and business, remains open.
The news agency Reuters reports that the Biden administration has been holding meetings to discuss tightening travel restrictions at border crossings even further.
President Biden's White House has already instituted a policy that requires international airplane passengers to provide a negative Covid-19 test before entering the U.S., but it has not adopted such a requirement for land crossings as yet.
