Dilkens said: “Your feet will be firmly rooted in Canada, and the pharmacists’ feet will be firmly rooted in the United States, and they will reach out to vaccinate you.”

Last week, the mayor set up a waiting list for Windsor residents interested in getting a second dose of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine. Since then, nearly 6,000 people have signed up to participate.

Dilkens came up with the idea of ??a tunnel after contacting the federal government with other Windsor officials to request an unused American vaccine that was about to expire. Ottawa would not agree with his other suggestions, including sending residents to Detroit for vaccinations (non-essential travel has been banned on land borders since March 2020) or drive-through clinics.

“We know that the dose in the trash is being lost,” Dilkens said. “We know that the dose is about to expire, and what we are trying to do is to combine the people on the waiting list with the dose that is about to expire.”

The line to be drawn

Dilkens said that a line will be drawn to clearly mark the border between the two countries later this week.

We tell people that the way to get rid of this situation is to get a full vaccination. Some people are trying to do this but are denied access to a complete vaccine when it is provided to them.-Drew Dilkens, Mayor of Windsor, Ontario.

“This is not the best place to do this, but we have no choice. We are ready to do it,” Dilkens said.

“Everyone will know that when they get there, they have to stay the course.”

The Michigan vaccine will only be provided to Canadians with the first dose of Pfizer-BioNTech or AstraZeneca-Oxford.

The date has not yet been determined, but Dilkens said that logistics will be organized, and he hopes to get more specific information before next week.

PHAC will not exempt Canadians from vaccinating the U.S.

According to the mayor’s office, a Windsor pharmacist working in Detroit told them that thousands of vaccines were not used.

Dilkens and Windsor Regional Hospital CEO David Musyj have also been promoting cross-border use of vaccines without requiring people who enter Canada from another country to quarantine for 14 days.

Last month, the Public Health Agency of Canada clarified previous reports that the sole purpose of Canadians driving across the border to the United States is to obtain the COVID-19 vaccine. Not exempt from compulsory quarantine After they came back.

Dilkens said that he does not need PHAC authorization or blessing to provide American vaccines to Ontario residents.

“Every city in every province has declared a state of emergency. We tell people that the way to get rid of this situation is to get vaccinated. Some people are trying to do this, but they are denied the opportunity to be vaccinated when they are given the vaccine. Get a complete vaccine.”