Justin Trudeau says he's not ready to announce an official extension of the closure of the Canada-U.S. border.
Speaking on Wednesday morning outside Rideau Cottage in Ottawa, the Prime Minister says it's still too early for Canada to confront the challenges that will come with reopening the shared border.
A source familiar with the ongoing discussions between the two countries tells The Canadian Press that Canada has requested another 30-day extension to the current ban on non-essential travel, taking the ban to June 21.
The source, who isn't authorized to share details of the talks publicly, says it will likely be several days before the U.S. formally agrees to the request.
Trudeau says Canada will need to deploy additional resources to deal with a likely increase in arrivals from the U.S., regardless of the status of the travel ban.
Speaking on the same issue, Canada's Chief Public Health Officer Dr. Theresa Tam, says Canada will need to proceed with "extreme caution" when the time comes to ease the restrictions, given the severity of the outbreak south of the border.
— With files from The Canadian Press