BALTIMORE (CBS)- Maryland State Police say they are aware of a planned cross-country trucker convoy calling for the reopening of the country that’s set to arrive in the Washington, D.C. area next month.
A spokesperson with Gov. Larry Hogan’s office released the statement from the agency, saying police are aware of the protests and will be monitoring the convoy as it moves across the country.
“State police are coordinating with public safety partners in neighboring states and will be ready to respond appropriately with adequate resources to ensure the free flow of traffic throughout the routes of travel,” police said.
The group behind the protest, dubbed the People’s Convoy, is calling for an end to pandemic-related health protocols.
“With the advent of the vaccine and workable therapeutic agents, along with the hard work of so many sectors that contributed to declining COVID-19 cases and severity of illness, it is now time to re-open the country,” the group said in a press release. “The average American worker needs to be able to end-run the economic hardships of the last two years, and get back to the business of making bread – so they can pay their rents and mortgages and help jumpstart this economy.”
The convoy is scheduled to depart from Adelanto Stadium is a stadium in Adelanto, California on Feb. 23, reaching Hagerstown, Maryland by the evening of March 4.
On March 5, the convoy plans to leave from Hagerstown and arrive in the area of I-495, though the route is subject to change.
Organizers said the convoy will not go into Washington, D.C.
The news comes after Canadian authorities arrested two leaders behind a trucker protest in that country.
Demonstrators there have held weeks of protests and blockades against COVID-19 protocols.