The White House has announced that restrictions around all non-essential travel at the Canada-U.S. land border will be extended another 30 days to Oct. 21.
The restrictions that have been in place since March 2020 were due to expire on Tuesday.
The extension of the restrictions was part of another announcement in Washington that most adult foreign nationals will have to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to travel to the United States.
The news is the first clear indication from the Biden administration that it is preparing to ease travel restrictions, however, details remain in short supply.
It is not clear, for instance, how the new policy will specifically impact travel at the Canada-U.S. land border, where non-essential visitors from Canada remain prohibited from crossing.
Fully vaccinated U.S. residents are currently allowed to travel to Canada.
The other burning question is whether Canadians who received the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which has never been approved for use in the U.S., will meet the eligibility test.
New York congressman Brian Higgins, long one of the most vocal Capitol Hill critics of travel restrictions with Canada, said it's long past time the U.S. began allowing recreational visits from Canada.
With files from the Canadian Press