Wild Horse crossing not yet included in provincial COVID screening plans
By Medicine Hat News on May 22, 2020.
A plan to have provincial officials screen and monitor international travellers who arrive in Alberta doesn’t yet and may not include the Port of Wild Horse, south of Medicine Hat, or other low-volume border crossings. All non-essential travel is suspended at U.S. entry points, where commercial transport workers follow separate guidelines from other travellers who must quarantine themselves by federal regulation to lower the potential of transmitting the deadly disease. Premier Jason Kenney announced Wednesday that “checkpoints” at Alberta’s two major international airports this week would see provincial workers test travellers, advise them on the federal requirements, then register them for followups. A similar screening would take place at Coutts, which is the busiest land port in the province, but provincials officials contacted by the News on Thursday indicated similar measures are not expected at other ports of entry. “At this time, the Alberta-U.S. border crossing at Coutts was selected for enhanced provincial screening because it sees the overwhelming majority of Alberta-US traffic,” read a response from the premier’s office, which is handling inquiries on the issue. It further states that other crossings are closed to non-essential travellers. “Of course, the federal government, via the Canadian Border Services Agency can have its own conditions at land border crossings.” The Canada-U.S. border has been closed to non-essential travellers since March, and that has now been extended by federal governments in both countries until June 21. On April 16, the CBSA reduced hours at a number of minor ports along the Prairies, including ports of Del Bonita and Caraway, in Alberta, and seven in Saskatchewan. The Port of Wild Horse, located on the route between Medicine Hat and Havre, Mont., will remain in winter operating schedule for the foreseeable future, the U.S. Border Protection Service announced last week, rather than moving to the longer summer hours. The CBSA states that non-essential travel includes reasons of sightseeing, visiting friends or family (including spouses), attending party or celebration, or cutting through the U.S. to shorten the length of a trip. 12-11
