Washington: The US and Canada on Wednesday agreed to close their border in a bid to curb the spread of coronavirus.

US President Donald Trump said he and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had agreed to close the border for all non-essential travel

“We will be, by mutual consent, temporarily closing our Northern Border with Canada,” Trump said in a tweet.

He, however, stressed that trade would not be affected.

Both countries had already issued sweeping travel bans but had maintained exemptions for each other.