Residents in Point Roberts, Washington fight to open northern border

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

In March, Brian Calder, 80, pulled his Lincoln pickup to a stop at the Boundary Bay checkpoint along the U.S.-Canada border. He was making the 3-mile drive from his home in Point Roberts, Washington to Ladner, British Columbia, where he was scheduled to get surgery on his left eye, which had been damaged by glaucoma.

He knew he was taking a risk trying to get into Canada — the border between the two countries has been closed for nonessential travel since March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But Calder has dual-citizenship, and he thought having surgery on a deteriorating optic nerve would qualify as essential travel.

He was wrong.

Calder says he was given three options by officials at the border: go home, quarantine in Canada and miss his appointment, or go straight to his surgery and face a hefty fine. He chose the first option, and is currently looking for a new surgeon in Bellingham — nearly 50 miles from his home — as the vision in his left eye continues to worsen.

-more-

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/we-ve-been-treated-the-worst-residents-in-point-roberts-washington-fight-to-open-northern-border/ar-AALVhHq

[dixiegrrrrl]

1. Apparently there a few options for US entry....

Residents of Point Roberts can cross the border only to work, pick up prescriptions or go to a doctor’s appointment in the mainland U.S., and they’re not allowed to stop in Canada at all during the trip. The only other way to reach the mainland is by private boat, or the twice-weekly $135 flight to Bellingham, Washington.

For those who do not know the geography problem, good explanation here:

https://www.hcn.org/articles/north-covid19-a-washington-town-isolated-from-the-us-is-now-cut-off-from-canada-too