'Happy to see shoppers come back': Fargo Mayor on what border reopening means for local economy
Lineups of cars at the Canada-U.S. land border in North Dakota might be an unwelcome sight for Canadian shoppers revving up to cross in search of deals.
For Fargo Mayor Tim Mahoney, it is a sight for sore eyes.
“We’re excited to see there are lines cause that means people are coming.” Mahoney told CTV News Winnipeg.
“We think it is fantastic to have Canadian shoppers come back because this really helps in a lot of ways.”
After nearly two years, the United States reopened its land border with Canada on Monday to non-essential, fully vaccinated travellers.
During the closure, border communities like Fargo felt the financial absence of their Canadian customers left idling on the other side of the border.
Mahoney said despite the challenges, businesses were resilient.
“We have survived COVID fairly well, so a lot of our businesses have stayed alive,” Mahoney said.
The United States requires that travellers entering at land borders be fully vaccinated. Canada also requires anyone entering or re-entering the country to show proof of a negative PCR test taken no more than 72 hours before their arrival at the border – a practice some say should be re-examined.
Mahoney said testing is ongoing Monday through Friday for Canadian shoppers heading home. He believes cross-border shopping trips can still be safe in the age of COVID-19.
“Our vaccine rate is not as high as the Canadian vaccine rate, but in the community of Cass County, we’re getting closer to 65, 70 per cent,” he said.
“The merchants and everybody feels that everybody is safe and it should go well.”
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