NORTHWEST ANGLE, Minn. — In just about three weeks, Canada will allow fully vaccinated Americans to cross the border.
While this is welcome news for many, it also comes with a lot of questions - and even frustration from some who live in spots dependent on tourism.
"First and foremost it doesn’t feel real, you know, I feel like we’ve been waiting month to month to month for so long," said Andrea Haggenmiller. She is the co-owner of Flag Island Resort.
The resort operates from the Northwest Angle on Lake of the Woods - a notch of land that juts into Canada, which closed its borders about 15 months ago to slow COVID-19.
Haggenmiller hopes the news of re-opening brings more tourists. Right now, only about 30 of her 160 beds are full.
"I have a lot of uncertainty of the unknowns," said Haggenmiller. "Hopefully we can find out those details sooner than later because we have a lot of people who are itching to get here."
There are a lot of unanswered questions, like whether anglers can cross water borders too. Canada's Senior Trade Commissioner, Carl Pilon, is chalking some of the uncertainty up to the quirky land mass, known as just the Angle.
Pilon says decisions are made more broadly because the border between the two countries is the longest anywhere.
"When they're looking at the border, they're looking at the entirety of the border and there are issues for instance with the panhandle in Alaska, Point Roberts, Washington and here at the Northwest Angle," said Pilon. "So there's those little points that need to be looked at closer."
Canada's decision to re-open comes after more than 75% of its population has one dose of the vaccine, while 50% of its population is fully vaccinated. Other Angle resort owners hope it's not too late.
"Last year, summer time, at this time, I had zero people in my camp," said Paul Colson. "This year I’ve had 15."
Without any customers at Jake’s Northwest Angle, Colson and his wife are taking a road trip out west during what should be their busiest season.
This past winter, it was an ice road that trucked-in at least some tourists.
"We've gone two years now without a summer and I'm hoping the rest of the season is stronger than it usually is historically," said Colson.
Besides showing proof of vaccination, people crossing into Canada also need a negative COVID test within 72 hours.
If you're traveling with kids too young to be vaccinated, officials say you don't have to quarantine, but they recommend avoiding group activities.