The Canadian border is pictured at the Peace Arch Canada/USA border crossing in Surrey, B.C. Friday, March 20, 2020. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press)
SFGate: Canada Is Sick of Americans Crossing Over During the Pandemic
In order to enter Canada as an American right now, you have to either A) be an immediate family member of a Canadian citizen, or B) be traveling for an essential purpose (which is approved as non-discretionary/non-optional by the Canadian government). Even if you qualify, there’s little guarantee that everyday Canadians will care about the reason for your visit.
Against the backdrop of two wildly different responses to the COVID-19 pandemic — the United States has seen 43,000 more deaths from the virus than Canada has seen total cases — Canadians have taken to actually damaging visiting cars with American license plates, sending a resounding, atypically Canadian message: stay the hell out. In late July, the premier of British Columbia, John Horgan, suggested that Americans consider entering Canada via public transport or by bike, and fell short of condemning local behavior, saying: “I can’t tell people how to respond when they see an offshore plate.”
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WNU Editor: Last weekend I was in Old Montreal and I saw first hand at a restaurant a bunch of young American tourists not respecting social distancing with people around them (trust me on this one. American tourists are very easy to spot out in Old Montreal). The first thing that I said to myself was "how did they get in"? The second thing that I felt was my gut telling me that they did not respect the 14 day quarantine rule that everyone who enters Canada must follow. My order was a pick-up so I left saying to myself that was just an exception to everything. I was wrong. While walking to my car I noticed American tourists everywhere. How is that possible?
