Ford, Toyota halt some output as U.S., Canada warn on trucker protests

Food, chairs and a grill are seen in the middle of the road as truckers and their supporters protest against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine mandates near the U.S.-Canada border, in Windsor, Ontario, Canada February 9, 2022, in this still image obtained from a social media video. Nouemsi Njike/via REUTERS

Ford and Toyota on Wednesday both said they were halting some production as anti-coronavirus mandate protesters blocked U.S-Canada border crossings that have prompted warnings from Washington and Ottawa of economic damage.

Many pandemic-weary Western countries will soon mark two years of restrictions as copycat protests spread to Australia, New Zealand and France now the highly infectious Omicron variant begins to ease in some places.