It’s a day many Canadians have been waiting for: When the clock struck midnight on Monday, the U.S. land border reopened to fully vaccinated Canadian travellers following a 19-month shutdown.

The United States has kept its shared land border with Canada closed to non-essential travel since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.

But todat, the U.S. started welcoming back recreational travellers by land and passenger ferry — as long as those aged 18 and older are fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Younger travellers are exempt from the requirement.