The border closure between the Unites States and Canada has been extended another month to June 21.

“We’re all eager to get back to normal,” said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a press conference on May 18. “But we know that before we get back to normal cases need to be under control and over 75 percent of people need to be vaccinated for us to start loosening things in Canada.”

Data released by the Canadian government show that 41 percent of the country has received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, but only 4 percent is fully vaccinated. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 39 percent of Americans are fully vaccinated.

The border has been closed for non-essential travel between the two countries since March 2020. Those restrictions had a direct effect on many of the Canadian “snowbirds” who spend half the year in Okeechobee and couldn’t make the trip during last winter.

 As part of the travel ban, Canadians aren’t allowed to cross the border in their personal vehicles on non-essential travel. That meant the 200 Canadians who come to Heritage Village in Okeechobee in their recreational vehicles weren’t able to travel to the area, instead spending their winter in Quebec.

A select few were able to find a costly work-around to the border ban.

While they’re not allowed to drive their personal vehicle across the border, Canadians can still freely fly into the United States. According to Diane Rochon, president of the HOA at Heritage Village, around 20 of part-time residents there opted to fly into Okeechobee last year while having their RV shipped to them, taking advantage of an expensive loophole in the border ban.

According to statistics from Enterprise Florida’s Florida-Canada 2015-17 trade profile, Canadians contribute an estimated $6.5 billion to Florida’s economy and $7 billion trade.