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A research institute at Western Washington University is partnering with two Canadian universities to study several cross-border topics in the Cascadia region, including the impacts of pandemic travel restrictions.

��������’s Border Policy Research Institute (BPRI) and Simon Fraser University will partner on “Pandemics and Borders,” a two-year project that will look at the impacts of travel restrictions during the pandemic with the goal of preventing future inequities. Researchers will examine travel restrictions, quarantine, testing and vaccine requirements, according to a BPRI news release.

The research will address a critical gap in knowledge on pandemic travel restrictions, according to BPRI. BPRI director Laurie Trautman said it may be the first study to bring together public health and border policy expertise at the U.S./Canada border. 

“It’s an opportunity to hopefully make a strong case that these border restrictions were impactful and were measures that should not be implemented quickly or easily next time,” she said. “We should be cautious and careful on how we restrict cross-border mobility because it impacts people’s lives and livelihoods.”