Ottawa street jacuzzi becomes latest site for vaccine mandate protest

FILE PHOTO: Jean-Philippe and Gabriel, who declined to give their last names, sit in a hot tub, as truckers and their supporters continue to protest coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine mandates, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, February 17, 2022. REUTERS/Lars Hagberg/File Photo

In freezing temperatures and surrounded by trucks and demonstration banners, two Canadians staged a jacuzzi protest on an Ottawa street on Thursday to call for an end to COVID-19 vaccine and mask mandates.

Protesters Jean-Philippe and Gabriel, who declined to give their last names, sat in a portable hot tub in central Ottawa, as police warned protesters of "imminent" action to clear them from the capital and began making arrests to end a crisis that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau warned was threatening public safety.