US President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have agreed to close the US-Canada border to all non-essential travel in an attempt to curb the spread of coronavirus.
“We will be, by mutual consent, temporarily closing our northern border with Canada,” Mr Trump tweeted.
He said trade would not be affected.
Both countries had already issued sweeping travel bans but had maintained exemptions for each other.
Canada relies on the US for approximately 75% of its exports.
The two leaders discussed the changes on Wednesday, Mr Trudeau said.
“I want to be clear though that essential travel will still continue,” he said at a press conference.
“No matter who you are or what you do, this is a time when you should be focused on your health and that of your neighbour”. he said.
Canadians who needed to travel for other “urgent reasons” would also not be impacted, Mr Trudeau said.
There is no set timeframe for how long the border closure will last.
