Delta mayor not too worried about non-vaccinated U.S. visitors visiting his community

DELTA (NEWS 1130) — Even though unvaccinated Americans from Point Roberts are now allowed to cross into Canada under a new exemption from Ottawa, the mayor of the bordering community of Delta isn’t ready to ring any alarm bells.

As long as they stay in Tsawwassen, folks from Point Roberts are among people in three U.S. border communities which Ottawa now says don’t need to be double-vaxed to come across.

Delta Mayor George Harvie suggests he’s not overly concerned, saying he’s much more interested in when we’ll see the gates open for Canadians who want to head south.

“At least we’re getting close to being able to get back to life as it was before.”

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Since many people in Point Roberts are dual Canadian-U.S. citizens and businesses in the city heavily relies on Canadians, Harvie says he’s pleased there is a sign things are heading back to normal.

“Having the free flow between the borders is so important for many reasons (for example) family, business, or economy.”

However, he warns people travelling, “we still have to be very, very aware that the Delta variant … is very active, and is very aggressive, especially between the ages of 20 to 40.”

Police in that city say there are no plans to directly monitor people from Point Roberts when they cross over the line.

Instead, they say they will only respond to violations of the new rules if advised by Health Canada.

Brian Calder, Point Roberts resident and chair of the local Chamber of Commerce, told NEWS 1130 over the weekend he is seeking clarity on what people should expect when they try to cross in because he said he’s encountered border guards who outright refused him entry into Canada for medical appointments.

Residents of Hyder, Alaska and Northwest Angle, Minnesota are also not required to be fully vaccinated to enter Canada.

‘Very low risk’: Henry comments on border opening to fully vaxxed Americans

On Monday, Provincial Health Officer, Dr. Bonnie Henry, said, “Yes, there is a slight risk when people are travelling, and they bring that risk with them.”

However, she said given the requirement for people to be fully vaccinated and have a negative COVID-19 test result before they enter Canada, “I think that it is a very low risk.”

Meanwhile, Health Minister Adrian Dix noted when the U.S. re-opens its border to Canadian tourists, the expectation will be that travellers are also fully vaccinated. He says that should serve as an added incentive for those who have not yet gotten their shots to do so.

“If anyone expects to travel outside of Canada, not just in the coming weeks or the coming months, but I suspect the coming years, they will need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and there’s no better day than today to get that done.”

– With files from Marcella Bernardo and Nikitha Martins