TORONTO — Border restrictions on nonessential travel between Canada and the U.S. will be extended until July 21, Canadian officials said Friday, as the country works to get a higher percentage of Canadians fully vaccinated.

Canada’s Public Safety Minister Bill Blair said the move has been made in coordination with the U.S., where there are growing calls to open the border for nonessential travel like tourism.

“We’re still seeing cases across the country and we want to get them down,” Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said. “At the same time we also know we have to hit our targets of 75% vaccinated with the first dose and at least 20% vaccinated with the second dose before we can start loosening things up because even a fully vaccinated individual can pass on COVID-19 to someone who is not vaccinated.”

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Currently, less than 20% of Canadians are fully vaccinated.

“Even though they are protected from hospitalization, the people around them might not be,” Trudeau said, noting the need to protect communities.

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