MONTREAL - Canada won't be rushed into reopening its border with the United States to non-essential travel, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday as new COVID-19 case counts continued to drop in much of the country.

Calls for a reopening plan have started to intensify as vaccine coverage has increased on both sides of the border. The White House said last week it had not decided when or how to reopen the border with Canada, but business groups and lawmakers including Vermont Gov. Phil Scott and New York Rep. Brian Higgins have urged both countries to come up with a plan.

Trudeau said Monday that while many people are eager to see the border reopen, any easing of restrictions needs to be done carefully and with Canadians' safety in mind.

“We're on the right path, but we'll make our decisions based on the interests of Canadians and not based on what other countries want,” he told a news conference in Ottawa.
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