It's been a long time coming.

As of today, Canadians who are vaccinated can begin crossing the border into Maine and the rest of the country. This has been coming for going on two years at this point. Many places around the globe have been restricting travelers from other parts of the world since the pandemic began.

It's funny though, with Maine's proximity to Canada, there have been family members who live just a few miles apart at the border, but haven't been able to lay eyes on each other in person for well over a year. No birthday parties. No Christmases. No hugging your mom on Mother's Day. It's been rugged for many people.

But today that all changes.

With the border opening up, it's not just families who are excited. Businesses along the border have been chomping at the bit for this news for months. Border businesses are expected to see quite a late-season surge in business, according to WABI. And Canadians are excited to get over here and spend some money.

While it has been an extremely busy season for tourism this year, being able to have the Canadians cross the border again will provide another chance to rake in a bunch of money before things start to slow down for the winter. It could shape up to be a great Christmas season for these spots.

No matter how you look at it, it's nice to see another glimpse of normalcy. People everywhere have been looking for anything that feels normal by any means possible. Getting to see family, and driving a few miles across the border feels pretty normal. And that... is pretty awesome.

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