Mexico, Canada Border Closures Extended as Coronavirus Cases Surge

A million more cases of the coronavirus were recorded in just five days across the globe. Cases worldwide have now surpassed 13.3 million with almost 580,000 deaths. It has been announced that the borders connecting the U.S. to Canada and Mexico, which have been closed since March, will remain closed to all non-essential travel through at least August 21st. Canada’s Prime Minister and Mexico’s President say they’ll continue to work with the White House as the pandemic persists and may extend the closures if need be. As cases surpass 3.3 million in the U.S. with over 135,200 deaths, the Department of Health and Human Services also confirmed hospital’s coronavirus data will now be sent to the White House before the CDC. In a statement, the department’s Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs said the CDC’s system is old and inadequate. The CDC will still be heavily involved, however they will no longer have control over the data or the government response.