Convoy protesting COVID-19 mandates begins beltway circuit
A supporter rides a motorcycle near the New Design Road bridge over I-270 in Frederick County as the “People’s Convoy” passed through the county as they made their way from Hagerstown to Washington, Sunday, March 6, 2022. (Bill Green/The Frederick News-Post via AP) 
Supporters drive by the New Design Road bridge over I-270 in Frederick County as the “People’s Convoy” passed through the county as they made their way from Hagerstown to Washington, Sunday, March 6, 2022. (Bill Green/The Frederick News-Post via AP) 
Supporters drive near the New Design Road bridge over I-270 in Frederick County as the “People’s Convoy” passed through the county as they made their way from Hagerstown to Washington, Sunday, March 6, 2022. (Bill Green/The Frederick News-Post via AP) 
A crowd of supporters fill the New Design Road bridge over I-270 in Frederick County as the “People’s Convoy” passed through the county as they made their way from Hagerstown to Washington, Sunday, March 6, 2022. (Bill Green/The Frederick News-Post via AP) 
Large numbers of people lined the bridges and roadways in Frederick County as the “People’s Convoy” passed through the county as they made their way from Hagerstown to Washington, Sunday, March 6, 2022. (Bill Green/The Frederick News-Post via AP) 
A crowd of supporters fill the New Design Road bridge over I-270 in Frederick County as the “People’s Convoy” passed through the county as they made their way from Hagerstown to Washington, Sunday, March 6, 2022. (Bill Green/The Frederick News-Post via AP) 
A crowd of supporters fill the New Design Road bridge over I-270 in Frederick County as the “People’s Convoy” passed through the county as they made their way from Hagerstown to Washington, Sunday, March 6, 2022. (Bill Green/The Frederick News-Post via AP) 
Supporters stand on the road near the New Design Road bridge over I-270 in Frederick County as the “People’s Convoy” passed through the county as they made their way from Hagerstown to Washington, Sunday, March 6, 2022. (Bill Green/The Frederick News-Post via AP) 
A crowd of supporters fill the New Design Road bridge over I-270 in Frederick County as the “People’s Convoy” passed through the county as they made their way from Hagerstown to Washington, Sunday, March 6, 2022. (Bill Green/The Frederick News-Post via AP) 
A crowd of supporters fill the New Design Road bridge over I-270 in Frederick County as the “People’s Convoy” passed through the county as they made their way from Hagerstown to Washington, Sunday, March 6, 2022. (Bill Green/The Frederick News-Post via AP)
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HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP) — A large group of truck drivers and their supporters who object to COVID-19 mandates began their mobile protest in the Washington, D.C., area Sunday, embarking on a drive designed to snarl traffic and make their objections known to lawmakers.
Protesters staged at the Hagerstown Speedway in Maryland during the weekend before heading down a single lane of Interstate 81. Their plan was to drive onto the Capital Beltway, circle it twice and then return to Hagerstown, news outlets reported.
The “People’s Convoy” follows similar demonstrations by truckers in Canada upset at vaccine requirements to cross the Canadian border. The Washington Post reported that convoy organizer Brian Brase intends for protesters to travel on the beltway every day during the upcoming week until its demands are met.
A video posted on Twitter showed trucks passing under a large American flag hoisted in the air by two cranes. Supporters stood along a road waving as the drivers left.
Officials with state police in Maryland and Virginia have said they will monitor the activities.
Authorities in the District of Columbia said Sunday they are monitoring demonstration activity that is expected to begin disrupting travel on roadways in and around the region. The majority of the activity is expected to occur on the beltway. Travelers were advised to consider alternate modes of transportation.
