United States and Canada to limit access across border

This time last Friday, I was getting ready to cross the land border from Quebec to Vermont, after a week of skiing at Mont Tremblant (which, like many other resorts, is now closed). There was no line at the U.S. checkpoint, and certainly no mention of coronavirus when we approached the window — just the usual import and agriculture questions, reminding us not to bring fruit and certain other products back into the United States.

Soon, according to President Donald Trump, that border — and other checkpoints between the United States and Canada — will be closed, to leisure travelers like you and me.

There's been a dizzying amount of travel news over the past 24 hours, but we've certainly seen a common theme — authorities at every level are working to limit any opportunity for people to interact, by canceling flights, closing borders and even keeping citizens in their homes.

While details are very light at the moment, the announcement will likely affect the entire northern border, along with the eastern border between Alaska and Canada. We'll continue to update this story as it develops — in the meantime, visit our coronavirus landing page for more on how the outbreak is changing travel around the world.