The land border between the United States and Mexico will remain closed to nonessential travel at least until March 21, which will be the one-year anniversary of the travel ban’s original declaration.

The crossing ban, which has been in place by mutual agreement between the two countries since March 21, 2020, was set to expire Sunday.

The 30-day renewal comes as the White House has been holding meetings about potentially tightening requirements for crossing into the U.S. from both its northern and southern borders, reported the Reuters news agency.

With the United States still recording a seven-day average of over 72,000 Covid-19 cases and Mexico officially recording over 9,000, it is no surprise that the ban was extended.

According to U.S. officials, individuals with reasons deemed essential will still be allowed to cross. This includes people with medical, educational, employment and business reasons, people returning home as U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents, members of the armed forces and government workers on official business.

Travelers who fly between Mexico and the U.S. are not subject to the ban, although rules declared by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control in January now require airline passengers planning to enter the U.S. to present negative Covid-19 test results before they are allowed to board their flight.

Sources: Univision (sp), Reuters (en)