OTTAWA, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- Canada announced on Monday that the Canada-U.S. border closure agreement will be extended for another month to Nov. 21.

"We are extending non-essential travel restrictions with the United States until November 21st," said Canadian Public Safety Minister Bill Blair in his tweet on Monday.

"Our decisions will continue to be based on the best public health advice available to keep Canadians safe," Blair added.

The agreement banning non-essential travel was first imposed in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic and has been renewed every month since.

Under the agreement, tourists and cross-border visits are prohibited, but trade and commerce are exempted as are immediate family members and loved ones who can make a case on compassionate grounds to be allowed into Canada.

More than seven months after the border closed, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Donald Trump have offered up contradictory messages on reopening the cross border.

On Sept. 18, Trump said Canada would like the border open. "So we're gonna be opening the borders pretty soon. We want to get back to normal business."

However, Trudeau said last Wednesday that Canada plans to keep the border closed as long as COVID-19 case counts in the United States remain high.

"We have committed to keeping Canadians safe and we keep extending the border closures because the States is not in a place where we would feel comfortable reopening those borders," Trudeau told the media.