Wait times hit 7 hours, line nearly 2 miles long to get into Canada at Minnesota border

Travelers waited in long lines and put up with lengthy wait times on Monday as Canada lifted its prohibition on Americans crossing the border to shop, vacation or visit. Despite the change, the United States is keeping similar restrictions in place for Canadians, part of a bumpy return to normalcy from COVID-19 travel bans.

Wait times hit seven hours at the border crossing between International Falls and Fort Frances, Ontario, with the line stretching to around two miles long, at one point.

U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents must be both fully vaccinated and test negative for COVID-19 within three days to get across one of the world’s longest and busiest land borders. Travelers also must fill out a detailed application on the arriveCAN app before crossing.

"CBSA will not compromise the health and safety of Canadians for the sake of border wait times," agency spokeswoman Rebecca Purdy said in a statement.

Despite the wait times, nearby businesses are excited.

"I’ve got repeat people who want to come back and fish," said Paul Colson, owner of Jake’s Northwest Angle Resort who was waiting for guests to arrive.

"I had some guys go fishing, come back…they were just giggly. The fishing was crazy…no one has really been fishing for like 2 years," Colson said.

Colson’s resort is located on Minnesota’s Northwest Angle, which has had fewer guests since the U.S.-Canada border closed to travelers in March 2020 due to COVID-19. To get there by car, travelers have to drive from Minnesota into Canada before crossing back into the state.

"There’s a light, it’s better, there’s still drama," Colson added.

Tricia Heibel, president of the International Falls Area Chamber of Commerce, posted a video on Facebook showing the line to the border in northern Minnesota on Monday. She noted there was a lot of different license plates attempting to get to Canada.

"I talked with a couple outside my office who had been in line since 3:15 a.m. They confirmed it was 30 to 40 minutes between moving forward," she noted in the post.

Heibel said, for some businesses in International Falls, Canadian shoppers account for 30% of customers.

"We’re keeping fingers crossed and waiting what may occur in late August, and hope to see that reciprocal traffic happening," Heibel said.

While the Canada Border Services Agency won’t say how many people it’s expecting, Garnet Health, an Essex, Vermont-based company that offers same-day COVID-19 testing, has seen the number of tests it performs more than triple in recent weeks. The increase coincides with Canada’s decision last month to drop a two-week quarantine requirement for its citizens when they return home from the U.S.

"I imagine once that border opens, we are going to see lots of people," said Chelsea Sweeney, the company’s director of business development.

The U.S.-Canada border has been closed to nonessential travel since March 2020 to try to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

The U.S. has said it will extend its closure to all Canadians making nonessential trips until at least Aug. 21, which also applies to the Mexican border. But the Biden administration is beginning to make plans for a phased reopening. The main requirement would be that nearly all foreign visitors to the U.S. will have to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.

But Canadians aren’t waiting for reciprocal rules.

Joel Villanueva, owner of Primo’s Mexican Grill in White Rock, British Columbia, about 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) north of the U.S. border, is more than ready for Americans to return.

"Let’s get this thing going," he said. "A lot of our customers are from the United States, and we are literally minutes from across the border. We welcome our Americans, and we depend on their foot traffic."

Villanueva said he supports people coming who are fully vaccinated and doesn’t think there will be a rush of Americans initially. But if his restaurant and dozens of others along the waterfront could fill some tables with U.S. visitors every day for the rest of the summer, it would be a big financial boost, he said.

Near the border in Washington state, Blaine Chamber of Commerce board member Carroll Solomon called the reopening a step in the right direction for businesses. But she also said it was somewhat concerning because of an increase in COVID-19 cases nationwide as the highly contagious delta variant spreads.

"For people who need to get up there (to Canada) for family reasons, it’s wonderful," said Solomon, who also volunteers at the Blaine Visitor Information Center.

With all the hoops people need to jump through — being fully vaccinated, getting tested for COVID-19 and uploading that information to an app — she doesn’t think that people will be going to Canada for many day trips.

"I have a lot of friends on the Canadian side and would love to go have lunch with somebody, but you can’t just do that; you have to plan days in advance to make sure you can get through," Solomon said.

It’s going to be an event for the Blaine area when Canadians can come down on a regular basis, she said.

As far as returning to the United States from Canada, U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman Jason Givens said there’s no requirement to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test.

"CBP officers have been processing essential travel throughout the pandemic and remain ready and able to process American citizens and permanent residents returning from Canada," Givens said by email.

Steve Blake, who lives in Stanstead, Quebec, just across the border from Derby Line, Vermont, is hoping his siblings living in the United States will be able to visit Canada soon so they can hold a memorial service for their mother who died in early 2020, just before the pandemic closed the border. But given the requirements, he doesn’t know how quickly that will happen.

"I’d like it to be sooner rather than later," he said.

KSTP contributed to this report.