Closure of border with Mexico extended until Oct. 21

The closure of the United States’ border with Mexico for nonessential travel has been extended to Oct. 21.

In a Federal Register notice published Wednesday, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said it would continue to limit travel from Mexico to “essential travel,” including for educational, medical purposes, and for work.

DHS said it “continues to monitor and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic,” noting that there have been more than 40.3 million coronavirus cases in the U.S., 1.5 million cases in Canada, and more than 3.4 million cases in Mexico as of the week of Sept. 5.

“DHS also notes that the Delta variant continues to drive an increase in cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in the United States,” the notice read. “Canada and Mexico are also seeing increased case counts and deaths.”

The restrictions were first put in place in March 2020, and had been extended monthly since then.

Wednesday’s announcement comes after the most recent extension in August, which also applied to Canada, was due to expire on Tuesday.

But Wednesday’s announcement also comes days after the Biden administration unveiled plans to ease restrictions on fully vaccinated international travelers.

Starting in early November, foreign visitors must be vaccinated against COVID-19 and show proof before boarding a U.S.-bound flight. Visitors would also have to take a COVID-19 test up to 72 hours prior to flying. 

The U.S.’s land border with Canada is still closed. Canada reopened its border to some American tourists in early August.