Ottawa (AFP) – The US-Canadian border will remain closed another month to fight the spread of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Saturday.

Both countries agreed on the continued closure, said Trudeau.

“This is an important decision, and one that will keep people on both sides of the border safe,” he said.

The border has been closed for more than three weeks, except for transport of goods that amount to CAN$2.4 billion ($1.7 billion) in two-way trade each day.

President Donald Trump, who at times has seemed to chafe at the anti-virus safety measures his own administration has recommended, said this week he wanted the frontier with Canada to be among the first to reopen.

But officials in Canada have said it would still be a matter of weeks.

Before the pandemic, around 400,000 people crossed the border each day. It is the longest in the world, at 8,900 kilometers (5,500 miles).