U.S. Consul General thanks Canadian health-care workers with gift cards at the border

People who are stillable to cross the border found a nice surprise on Tuesday in Windsor.

The U.S. Consulate GeneralGreg Stanfordwas joined by Windsor Mayor Drew Dilkensto hand out hundreds of gift cards for local restaurants.

The U.S. Consulate in Toronto offered the cards to health-care workers to "express appreciationfor their service to American citizens at Detroit area hospitals," according to a press release.

"Really, it's just a very, very modest sort of expression of our deep gratitude for all that they're doing," said Stanford."And to me, the selfless acts of these individuals really embody all that is right about the U.S.-Canada relationship."

Gift cards were handed out atthe Ambassador Bridge and the Windsor-Detroit tunnelbetween 5 a.m. and 8 a.m. and again from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

The gift cards were accompanied by a letter from Stanford, who is a Michigan resident. It read "As our two countries face the unprecedented challenge of the COVID-19 pandemic, we rely on each other more than ever.Your support to vulnerable Americans during this crisis is deeply appreciated. Now more than ever, the ties that keep us together are vitally important."

The gesture comes as government officials at all levels and on both sides of the border grapple with the reopening of the border.

Dilkens doesn't see a return to normal soon, but expects some changes.

"What you would likely start to see is some sort of harmonization at the border with respect to the start of manufacturing," he said.

WATCH|Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hinted that Canada is in no rush to ease restrictions at the U.S. border:

Canada will be 'very, very careful' on easing border restrictions: Trudeau

4 years ago

Duration 2:11

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau hinted that Canada is in no rush to ease restrictions at the U.S. border to allow for non-essential travel.

On Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau saidthe government will be careful about easing restrictions.

"Preventing transmission from outside of Canada into Canada once we have controlled the spread within Canada will be an essential part of ensuring that we don't fall back into a second wave that could be as serious as this wave we're going through or even moreso," he said.

Detroit and the state of Michigan have been hard-hit by COVID-19. More than 47,000 confirmed cases of the disease were reported in the state and 4,584 people have died as of Tuesday through it all, people from Windsor-Essex crossing international borders to the front line.