'Robbed of that time': US-Canada border closure impacts families unable to visit aging loved ones
It's a heart-wrenching wait for some New Hampshire families with ties to Canada.
The U.S. northern border remains closed to all but trade and essential travel due to pandemic restrictions and some families haven't been able to see their loved ones for a year and a half.
The last time Carly Poulin and her husband saw his grandparents in Canada was in December 2019. Their twins were just 6 months old. Then the pandemic hit and the U.S.-Canada border has been closed ever since.
Now, the twins are two. They interact with their great grandparents, only through a screen.
"They know who Mimi and Papa are but right now they're just voices and a picture. hopefully one day they can hug them," Carly Poulin said.
Poulin said under Canada's current regulations, even if they quarantine and even though the adults are vaccinated, they're not allowed to visit her husband's grandparents because they're over 65.
"My children are being robbed of that time. They do have great grandparents alive and they just can't see them," Poulin said.
Time, the Manchester family can never get back and like so many other families, they're waiting for answers on when they can cross the northern border to finally care for those they love in person.
"It's been really hard so papa has been in the hospital, he's had a stroke, he's starting to suffer from like dementia and Alzheimer's," Poulin said.
Two airline groups are pushing the Canadian government to open their border to more U.S. travelers. Right now, those traveling from the U.S. to Canada must prove their travel is essential and must test for COVID-19 and quarantine upon arrival.