Trucker Convoy Protesting COVID-19 Measures Gets to DC Area, Slows Down Beltway - Reports

In protest of the US government's COVID-19-related restrictions, the protest group is replicating the "Freedom Convoy," which saw truckers in Canada block the streets of Ottawa for weeks and jam many US-Canada border crossings.

The "People's Convoy," a group of American truckers and other vehicles, slowed traffic on Sunday as they drove around the Capital Beltway, a roadway that encircles Washington, DС.

According to reports, the convoy is made up of hundreds of trucks, cars, and recreational vehicles and spans more than two miles, or over three kilometers. The convoy has reportedly slowed traffic but not brought it to a complete stop.

The Washington Post noted that the demonstrators' vehicles were significantly fewer in number and far more spaced out by the time they finished their second lap around the District. The traffic surrounding them moved normally for the majority of their journey.

However, their presence on a weekday, when Beltway traffic is already heavy with commuters, might cause considerably more havoc, the outlet underscored.

According to a statement on their Facebook page, the convoy expects to circle the Beltway twice before returning to Hagerstown, Maryland, where it began its Sunday route after spending a night, roughly 73 miles (117 km) from the capital.

The US convoy left Southern California and began its journey across the country last week.

Similar trucker protests erupted across Europe in response to the Canadian convoy, particularly in the Netherlands and France. And the Canadian truckers have caused a lot of stress to the country's government, including forcing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to take the unprecedented step of declaring a national public order emergency to put an end to what has turned into an anti-government rally. However, the emergency did not last long, as Trudeau decided to back down on his decision.