President Joe Biden signed legislation Monday to immediately end the U.S. national emergency response for COVID-19, weeks before it was set to expire alongside a separate public health emergency.
However, the public health emergency — which does not allow unvaccinated non-U.S. citizens to enter the country — remains in place until May 11.
It’s unclear if the border vaccine requirements for non-U.S. citizens will end in May. The bill Biden signed Monday did not mention ending the vaccine mandate for non-U.S. citizens at the border, and White House officials have not commented on when the requirements will be lifted.
The U.S. border vaccine mandate for foreign drivers began in January 2022.
Over the past several months, trucking associations in the U.S. and Canada have been calling on the Biden administration to end the requirements.
The Canadian Trucking Alliance (CTA) said the mandate has barred thousands of unvaccinated truck drivers in Canada from entering the U.S.
Canada ended its border vaccine requirement Oct. 3, and the CTA was hopeful the U.S. would immediately follow suit.
“We are optimistic that the removal of these emergency measures means the border vaccine mandate will also be removed very soon, but we have not received any confirmation regarding timelines,” Lak Shoan, director of CTA’s policy and industry awareness programs, told FreightWaves.
CTA said it has been working with officials on both sides of the border and “remains optimistic that the border vaccine mandate will also be removed in the coming weeks.”
“CTA continues to actively engage with U.S. officials and diplomats on the removal of the vaccine mandate,” CTA said in a news release Tuesday. “Other industry representatives, including the American Trucking Associations, tourism advocates, governors and northern mayors have also been vocal about the removal of the mandate and the need to unify border requirements to the benefit of our sector and cross-border economy.”
The vaccine mandate has had mixed effects on U.S.-Mexico cross-border trucking, with some operators saying it has affected the available number of drivers.
Some truck drivers at both the Canadian and Mexican borders have also said they have never been asked by U.S. officials to show proof of vaccination status.
The national emergency Biden ended on Monday had allowed the U.S. government to take steps to respond to COVID-19 and support the country’s economic, health and welfare systems. Some emergency measures have already ended, while others are still being phased out.
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Frederick
The US health politics goes against Science and freedom.
What a shame for this country.
David Galbraith
I drive trucks back and forth across the border. I have never been asked to show proof of vaccination on the US side. They did ask on the public side but on my most recent trip last month they didn’t ask anymore.
Seth
Well said Kurt (above) If they want to talk about vaccines – the conversation should center their complete ineffectiveness and Covid itself posing no significant threat to life beyond the regular death baseline. All restrictions should be lifted ASAP- and a few prominent people thrown in Jail.
wood
The whole vax thing is a joke. 8 of us went up to Canada last year on a fishing trip and was required to have a vax card. 6 of the 8 were not vaxed but the Arrive Canada app didn’t know that the vax cards were not real. Drove in and out of Canada without an issue.
Drivers are doing the same thing.
Kevin
This is pay back for the Trucker Protests.
dave
lol, same old problem in trucking, asinine Government regulations. That is why i got out, sold the trucks.
Kurt H
Many citizens of the US will not take the vax either so not allowing truck drivers in because they are unvaxxed is dumb policy especially since the shot is proven to not prevent someone from getting Covid or spreading it (and data is showing countries with a high percentage of their population vaxxed have much higher than normal all cause mortality deaths not including Covid).
So it shows none of these mitigations make any sense (and truck drivers spend most of their time alone)….so if it doesn’t make sense then the government has another agenda than the one they are making you believe they have). I’m guessing this all stems from a World Economic Forum agenda as Western leaders and media said the same script at the same time. In my opinion this has been the greatest global heist ever. Do not comply if it doesn’t make sense. It is very dangerous to trust our government and their agencies right now (CDC, NIH, FDA for example). A lot of those 3 letter agencies seem to be focused on political agendas rather than being neutral and doing what’s right for the American people.
Recognizing Truth
Apparently the supply chain hasn’t been disrupted enough, so they need to keep poisoning the truckers.