Niagara Falls Boats Show the Stark Difference Between Social Distancing in U.S. and Canada

Apparently, the definition of social distancing (or lack thereof) varies widely among countries.

While Canada has been able to maintain the spread of COVID-19 in their country, the United States hasn’t been as vigilant, as seen with a recent uptick in cases. And now we may have found the reason why.

It turns out that we’re not social distancing quite like we’re supposed to be, and Canada is calling us out. While the Canadians been able to avoid crowded areas in their country such as Niagara Falls, we Americans still can’t quite keep our distance—and the crowded tourist boats prove it.

There are two sides of Niagara Falls, and the way boats are operating on each side is a huge indication of where we’re going wrong. The ferries on the Canada side of the falls are limiting their rides to just six people per boat—a boat that previously could hold upwards of 700 people—but the U.S. side is allowing 50% capacity on the ferries.

In fact, it’s so opposite of what we should be doing that people in Canada have been taking pictures of the Americans on the tourist boats instead of the picturesque waterfalls!

“We actually took a picture of the (American) boat,” said a woman named Julie Pronovost, visiting from Quebec with her family. “I don’t find that it’s very safe to be on a boat like that. It’s much better here.”

The numbers prove that. The U.S. has seen more than 57,000 new cases of coronavirus recently, compared to not even 800 in Canada. Since the pandemic began, America had around 118 cases per 10,000 residents, which is much higher than Canada’s 30.

To see the crowded Niagara Falls boats in action, check out the video below.

What do you think about how we social distance in America compared to other countries? Would you feel comfortable on this tourist boat right now?