LANSING, Mich. – Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has released a statement on the reopening of the Michigan-Canada border to vaccinated Canadians.

On Wednesday, the United States announced it will allow fully vaccinated foreign nationals to enter the country, starting in early November, regardless of their reason for travel.

By mid-January, even essential travelers who want to enter the U.S. will have to be fully vaccinated to do so.

As a result, Canadian citizens will be allowed to enter Michigan next month, as long as they are fully vaccinated. Canada reopened its border to Michiganders in August.

READ: Vaccinated Americans given the green light to cross into Canada — What to know

The U.S.-Canada border had previously been closed to nonessential travel since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, in March 2020.

Here’s a statement from Whitmer:

“The relationship between Michigan and Canada is one built on trade, travel and friendship. I am grateful to the government of Canada and our federal partners for coming together to reopen the Michigan-Canada border. I look forward to welcoming our neighbors as they cross the Ambassador Bridge or Detroit-Windsor Tunnel into Detroit, the Blue Water Bridge into Port Huron, or the Sault Ste. Marie International Bridge into Sault Ste. Marie.

“By reopening the border, we can build on Michigan’s economic momentum. We had the third-highest GDP growth in the second quarter of 2021 and have a $3.5 billion surplus to invest in our families, communities, and small businesses. I look forward to collaborating with our Canadian friends to emerge from the pandemic and usher in a new era of economic prosperity.”