Lo que debes saber ante la reapertura de los cruces fronterizos entre México y EE.UU.

What you should know about the reopening of the border crossings between Mexico and the United States.

November 1, 2021

The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that the reopening of international crossings at the borders with Mexico and Canada will begin on November 8 only for citizens of those countries.

Since March 2020, following the start of the COVID-19 outbreak, international bridges and crossings at the United States borders have remained closed. Following the advancement of vaccination against COVID-19 in border cities and the decline in COVID-19 cases, the United States Government, through DHS, announced plans to begin the reopening of international crossings at the borders with Canada and Mexico.

The first phase to reduce travel restrictions will begin on November 8 of this year. This will consist of allowing people with complete vaccination schedules to cross the border to make non-essential trips, such as visiting friends or family, tourism, among other activities. This phase will only allow the entry of Canadian and Mexican citizens who verify their complete vaccination schedule against COVID-19.

In the second phase, which will begin in early January 2022, the US government announced that, to enter the country through an international crossing, vaccination against COVID-19 will be a requirement for everyone. That is, for foreign visitors and also for US citizens, this regardless of whether it is an essential or non-essential trip. In this phase, nationality will no longer be a requirement, and citizens of other countries will be able to cross the border from Mexico or Canada, they will only have to show proof of their vaccination.

The lifting of border travel restrictions will be a necessary boost to the economy of border cities. Jon Barela, executive director of the Borderplex Alliance, an economic development organization in El Paso, TX, explained to the Texas Tribune: “This decision will help boost our regional and national economies and help bring our inextricably linked community back to a certain degree of normality ”.

In the same way, merchants from border cities in the United States hope that, given the rise in the flow of Mexican visitors, sales will increase in their businesses and they will be able to hire staff again. "I hope to get back to normal and start hiring employees," said Chander Buxani, who owns a jewelry store in Brownsville, TX, who before the pandemic and the drop in sales had twelve employees and now only has three.