For more than a year, cross-border traffic between Northern New York and Canada has slowed to a crawl. The novel coronavirus pandemic has forced restrictions on movement between the two nations. Nonessential traffic is not allowed to cross the border, with extensions being nearly every month since March 21, 2020. There is some rationale behind this as both the Canadian and U.S. governments have sought to control the spread of infection and thus prevent further health consequences. But prohibiting most crossings has taken its toll. Family members have been separated, and border-community businesses have been hit financially. On this page, we have urged officials to loosen travel restrictions in ways that uphold safety practices.