President Donald Trump has confirmed reports that the U.S. and Canada are working on an agreement to suspend non-essential travel between both countries.
“We will be, by mutual consent, temporarily closing our Northern Border with Canada to non-essential traffic.
“Trade will not be affected. Details to follow!,” Trump tweeted on Wednesday morning.
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that all 50 states in the U.S. are now affected by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) with 5,881 confirmed cases as of Wednesday morning.
According to a New York Times database on the pandemic, no fewer than 107 patients have so far died from the disease.
Across the northern border, Canada had 598 confirmed or presumptive cases of COVID-19 and eight deaths as of Tuesday night.
On Monday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that the country would close its borders to most foreign travelers, beginning Wednesday.
He, however, said that the U.S. would be exempted, citing the “close economic ties” between the two neighbors, which he said placed the U.S. “in a separate category” from other countries.