The US will continue to require that air travellers produce evidence of a recent negative COVID-19 test, but the office of New York congressman Brian Higgins says that requirement won’t apply to those entering the country by land.

“US Customs and Border Protection confirmed for us again today (Friday) that there will not be a testing requirement for vaccinated travellers to cross the land border,” Higgins’ office said in a statement, adding that further details are expected to be announced soon.

Higgins has already called on Canada’s federal government to abandon its requirement that travellers submit the results of a costly PCR test before arriving at a land-border crossing.

He says the $200 test remains a significant deterrent to travel and a drag on the economic recovery in border communities.

Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, acknowledged Friday that testing is “very much a live issue” both inside the federal government, as well as in discussions with provinces and territories.

But as of now, she said the testing requirement remains an important safety measure, even with strong vaccination rates in Canada, particularly given the uncertainty surrounding the Delta variant and lingering questions about how long vaccines remain effective.

“No layer of protection is ever 100% perfect, we know that,” Tam said. “With all these considerations, I think having that additional layer of protection (from testing) is important at this time, but we will review it.”