In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the governments of Canada and the United States agreed to close the border to "non-essential" travel on March 21, 2020, for an initial period of 30 days.[14] The closure has been extended several times since March 21, and is currently slated to expire on December 21, 2020.[15][16][17][18] The United States closed its border with Mexico contemporaneously with the Canada–US closure.[19] The 2020 closure was reportedly the first blanket, long-term closure of the Canada–US border since the War of 1812.[20]