Wait Times Hit Nearly 7 Hours To Get Into Canada At Minnesota Border

Wait times at the Canada-Minnesota border were exceptionally long on Monday, August 9, after Canada lifted its travel ban.

According to KSTP 5, wait times were up to seven hours, and the line was up to two miles long to cross the border between International Falls and Fort Frances, Ontario.

With travel bans from both the United States and Canada, there were strict restrictions on crossing the border. U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents had to be fully vaccinated and have a negative COVID-19 test within three days to gain entry into Canada. Those wanting to cross the border also had to complete a detailed application on the arriveCAN app.

"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.

A video posted to Facebook by Tricia Heibel, president of the International Falls Area Chamber of Commerce, shows just how long the line was at the Minnesota border. She captioned the video saying:

"Canada invited us in, an in we go! I talked with a couple outside my office who had been in line since 3:15am and from where they are have hours possibly to go. They confirmed it was 30-40 minutes between moving forward. License plates from so many different states! Utterly amazing! Note: This is the International Falls, MN to Fort Frances, ONT border crossing point. Wait times are 8 hours long at the moment. Cars are lined up over 2 miles."

The United States has extended its closure to Canada and Mexico for all nonessential trips until at least August 21, KSTP 5 reported.