MEXICO CITY, July 22, 2021 (BSS/AFP) - The US-Mexican border will remain closed to non-essential traffic until August 21 due to the coronavirus pandemic, the two countries said Wednesday, despite Mexico's efforts to reopen the frontier.

   The Mexican government in June proposed a plan to the United States to gradually reopen the land crossings to all traffic in tandem with a mass Covid-19 vaccination campaign along the border.

   But the United States has informed Mexico that it has decided to prolong the border curbs for another month, the Mexican foreign ministry said on Twitter.

   The US Department of Homeland Security confirmed the extension, saying it was in constant contact with Mexican authorities "to identify the conditions under which restrictions may be eased safely and sustainably."

   The land border was closed to non-essential traffic in March 2020.

   With 609,000 Covid-19 deaths, the United States has the world's highest pandemic fatality toll, but it also organized one of the most effective vaccine rollouts.

   Mexico's official coronavirus death toll of more than 236,000 is the fourth highest.