BUFFALO, N.Y. — While vaccinated Americans can drive across the border into Canada under certain safety guidelines, the same cannot be said for Canadians hoping to enter the United States.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security extended the restrictions once again on non-essential travel for another month without much of an explanation according to some regional politicians.
And with Western New York so close to Canada, obviously it's still having a big impact here.
This summer has been a mixed bag for the businesses serving the tourist trade in Niagara Falls, New York, as more Americans have decided to view the natural beauty and taking the attractions to the point where.
They have, to some degree, recovered from last year's dismal COVID-caused downturn, according to Niagara Falls Mayor Robert Restaino.
"Our marketing, which appeals more to the mid-Atlantic states, has actually given us somewhat of a different trend here in Niagara Falls New York," Restaino said.
But he is quick to point out that many of those American tourists will be gone come the late fall, and that's when the potential ongoing shut down of the U.S. border to Canadians will hit harder in the Cataract City.
Restaino points out, "Whether it's the ability for you to enjoy a restaurant that might be in Niagara Falls, Ontario, or stopping here in Niagara Falls, New York, that's what I think we really suffer from as small businesses continue to try to hang on. You know the tourist season is that window, and once that window closes, often what helps us continue is the cross-border traffic between the Niagara region and Niagara Falls, New York."
The U.S. Travel Association in Washington, D.C. did put out a statement in regards to the extended border closure for Canadian. Again, it applies overall to border communities across the country.
They stated "each month the status quo continues at the Canadian border, America's number one source market of the inbound arrivals, the United States loses $1.5 billion in potential travel exports. That leaves countless American businesses vulnerable."
Their statement continues: "Entry restrictions were urgently needed before effective COVID-19 vaccines were widely available. But the shutdowns carried a steep price with the loss of more than 1 million American jobs and $150 billion in export income last year alone."
Mayor Restaino summed it up this way: "For all of those who used to say to themselves, 'Wow, all those Canadians are here,' I think we'd welcome them all back tomorrow if we could do that, because you're right, it was a gas station, at convenience stores, grocery stores.
"They were everywhere, signs on a grocery store saying 'Welcome Canadians.' It's a part of our economy."