Proof of vaccination for non-U.S. citizens is still in effect when crossing into the United States. Some Western New York families hope a new push can clear this final hurdle. Marcella Picone and her fiancé, Rocco, have been together for seven years. They have two girls together, but Rocco is still in Canada.
"We just wanted to be able to reunite and nobody has allowed us to do that," Picone said.
Picone is fed up with the CDC's order requiring proof of vaccination, which is keeping her family separated.
"It's tiring. It's exhausting," she said.
For months, Congressman Brian Higgins has been fighting to pass legislation allowing unvaccinated Canadians to enter the U.S.
"So, it's just time to move on and to get back to a sense of normalcy," Higgins said.
Higgins submitted an amendment to a larger bill this week to end the vaccine requirement, but that amendment, he said, was germane.
"A lot of commerce exists between the United States and Canada. Our life qualities are intertwined. They said loved ones for 36 months have been separated from family members," he added.
The Biden administration is planning to end COVID-19 emergencies on May 11th, which will include the vaccine requirement. Still, Higgin said that it is too long of a wait, and is co-sponsoring legislation, with a Republican colleague, that would lift the requirement even sooner.
"What we're trying to do in addition to get the legislation passed, it's also putting pressure on the White House, putting pressure on the president to lift those restrictions on or before May 11th," Higgins explained.
Still, this waiting game is frustrating for Picone.
"You have this pool of people that are forgotten by such a sad policy," she said, "I'm just one story."
