Inscribed on one side are the words “May these gates never be closed”, a reminder of the nearly 8,891 km (5,525 miles) of un-militarised border that separates the two nations.
“It just seems to be dragging on and on and on with no end in sight.”
One of his clients, an architect authorized to practice closure in Canada, says he was told to “go home” because of his car.
Tensions are so high that B.C. Prime Minister John Horgan has warned Canadians with outdoor license plates in the province, instead, to take the bus or ride a bike.
“More recently, this weekend, a guy heading for Huntsville was making fuel in his vehicle, and two gentlemen approached him and said, “You’re An American, come home.” And he said, “I’m Canadian. I live here. “And they literally said, no, we don’t think he’s showing us his passport,” Phil Harding, mayor of Muskoka Lakes, told CP24.
“They get a little aggressive and suck a little for their lives.”
Those caught breaking the rules can face serious consequences.
Before coronavirus, around 300,000 people crossed the border every day, including Canadians who routinely made daytrips to score a deal at US outlet malls or petrol stations, and American tourists exploring the wonder of Niagara Falls.
“This travel does have a lot of economic impact on the communities where travellers go to,” he says.
Restaurants have already been open for at least a few weeks in major cities, and so far cases continue to decline.
Meanwhile, the United States is watching for its epidemic, which peaked at 75,821 on July 17 and is registering about 40,000 new cases according to the day.
“I’m afraid if we open the border too soon, we’ll have more of a challenge like the one that’s happening in the south.”
“Do not pass go. Go directly to Alaska,” Premier Horgan said during a news conference in July.
Complaints about loopholes and lack of implementation led to repression.
At the end of July, the border authority announced that Alaska-bound travellers had only limited points of entry, must take the most direct route to their destination, and should display tags in their vehicle identifying them as US drivers going to the northern state.
Since the strictest regulations were enacted, Willett says he is not “too concerned” about traffic crossing the border.
“[We] welcome many other people at all hours of the day and night. Most of them are quite cooperative,” he says.