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Talks Focus on Whats Needed to Lift CanadaU.S. Border Restrictions

AM800-News-Windsor-Detroit-Ambassador Bridge-Customs-1-1.3384180 DETROIT, UNITED STATES: Trucks head to US customs after crossing the Ambassador Bridge that connects Detroit, Michigan, and Windsor, Ontario, Canada, 28 September 2001. The Ambassador Bridge is one of the busiest crossings between the US and Canada. The 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks in New York and outside Washington that have left more than 6,900 people dead disrupted trade across the Canadian-US border, which sees more than one billion dollars in goods traded each day. AFP Photo/Jeff KOWALSKY (Photo credit should read JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP/Getty Images) (JEFF KOWALSKY/Trucks head to US customs after crossing the Ambassador Bridge between Windsor and Detroit.(Photo by Jeff Kowalsky/AFP/Getty Images))

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Canada's chief public health officer says health officials are re-evaluating what must happen before Canada can allow fully vaccinated people to enter the country or entirely reopen the border to international travellers.

Dr. Theresa Tam appeared at an emergency meeting of the House of Commons health committee Friday.

It focused on when the 14-month-long border closure with the U.S. will finally end.

Tam says it's not just about deciding what fully immunized people can do.

She says it's also about Canada's own pandemic situation, including vaccine coverage at home, case rates and hospital capacity.

Tam says there is no standard yet for proving that you are, in fact, fully vaccinated.

She said Canada may, however, continue to require travellers to get tested given the potential for variants that may have escaped vaccines. 

Canada imposed border restrictions in March 2020, banning all non-essential travel, in an effort to stop the spread of COVID-19. Those restrictions have since been extended to June 21.

It added testing and some hotel quarantine requirements this winter.

But Canada hasn't yet lifted restrictions for anyone, regardless of their vaccination status.