After 18 months of restrictions, the reopening brings economic relief to both nations.
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador praised the U.S. decision to reopen their shared border in November, after more than 18 months of pandemic-induced closures that caused significant economic losses. While the exact date of reopening is still being finalized between the two countries, the announcement was met with optimism.
Before the pandemic, the world’s busiest land border saw nearly a million people crossing daily. Since March 2020, it had been closed to non-essential travel, severely impacting cross-border commerce and tourism.
“We have achieved the opening of the northern border, and we will soon see normality return to our northern border,” Lopez Obrador remarked during his daily morning briefing.
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas confirmed the reopening would apply to fully vaccinated travelers, extending to both the Mexican and Canadian borders starting in November.
