After protests against Covid-19 restrictions shut it down for nearly a week, the U.S. border crossing was reopened on Sunday. Canadian officials remained hesitant to crackdown upon a bigger protest at Ottawa.

Detroit International Bridge Co. announced in a press release that the Ambassador Bridge was now open, allowing commerce to flow freely between Canada’s and US economies. The spokeswoman Esther Jentzen said that traffic was allowed to cross the bridge at 11 p.m. EST.

The crossing usually carries 25% trade between these two countries. Automakers were forced to shut down many assembly plants due to the disruption caused by the Canadian blockade.

Police in Windsor, Ontario, said earlier in the day that more than two dozen people had been peacefully arrested, seven vehicles towed and five seized as officers cleared the last demonstrators from near the bridge, which links the city — and numerous Canadian automotive plants — with Detroit.

The Ottawa Protest has had a paralyzing effect on the downtown and angered residents fed up by police inaction.

Demonstrations have been heard across Canada, and elsewhere, as well as similar ones in France, New Zealand, and the Netherlands. U.S. Department of Homeland Security warns that there may be truck convoys in the United States.

Even though the protest was over, the Ambassador Bridge remained shut for the majority of the day. It had been closed because of heavy snowstorms that blanketed the region. Drew Dilkens (Windsor Mayor) had indicated that the span will be opened once it is safe.

Canada’s industry minister, François-Philippe Champagne, welcomed the development, saying on Twitter: “Good news. We are glad to report that the Ambassador Bridge has been reopened.

The administration of U.S. President Joe Biden acknowledged Sunday the peaceful resolution of the protest, which it claimed had had “widespread detrimental impacts” on “lives and livelihoods” of both sides.

In a statement, Dr. Liz Sherwood Randall, Homeland Security Advisor said that she was ready to help Canadian partners whenever necessary to restore normal commerce.

Ottawa is located approximately 500 miles northeast Windsor. Mayor Jim Watson announced that Sunday’s deal was reached with demonstrators who blocked the downtown streets for two weeks. The city will allow them to move out of the residential areas over the next 24hrs.

Watson stated that he would meet demonstrators provided they kept their demonstrations to the area surrounding Parliament Hill, and removed their trucks from residential areas by Monday noon.

Tamara Lich was one of protest organizers. She wrote a note to the mayor in which she stated that demonstrators agreed with her request for Parliament Hill activities. Lich, however, denied the existence of an agreement. She tweeted: “No deal has ever been reached. Stop mandating, stop passports. This is what we do.

Watson added in his letter to protesters that residents are “exhausted″ and “on edge” due to the demonstrations and warns that some businesses are teetering on the brink of permanent closure because of the disruptions.

Police said that there were approximately 4,000 protestors by Saturday. A counterprotest was organized Sunday by frustrated Ottawa residents who tried to stop the trucks entering downtown.

Clayton Goodwin (45-year-old veteran of the military) was one of the counter-protesters. He said that it was now time for the residents to protest the demonstrations.

Goodwin is the chief executive officer of the Veterans Accountability Commission (a non-profit advocacy organization). He said, “I am horrified that other vets would be down there cooopting my flag and co-opting our service.” It’s an act of deceit. It was completely free. We’re 92% vaccinated. We are ready to help our customers.”

Colleen sinclair, another counter-protester said the demonstrators had been allowed enough time to voice their discontent and needed to move on.

“They’re occupiers. “People are afraid to go to work or to leave their houses,” she stated. It isn’t how you make your voice heard. You are committing domestic terror and you must leave our city. Get back home.

To the dismay of residents, the city saw similar protests on weekends. People walked around downtown, where they found anti-vaccine demonstrators since January.

Shannon Thomas, 32, said, “It just seems like I am living in a foreign country. It’s almost like I’m here in America.” It’s just really disappointing to see so many people waving Canadian flags, acting as patriots. This is the saddest and most embarrassing thing that I have ever seen.

Trudeau rejected all calls to the military. However, he said that “all options” are available to put an end to the protests. Trudeau described the protestors as a “fringe of Canadian society.” Both provincial and federal politicians said that police cannot be ordered to follow their orders.

Canadian Special Operations Forces Command commander Major-General Steve Boivin said that the two soldiers he was commanding were part of the Ottawa protests and are currently being “liberated” from military service. Boivin stated that the activities are against military values and ethics.

This Friday a judge ordered an end to the blockade at the crossing in Windsor and Ontario Premier Doug Ford declared a state of emergency allowing for fines of 100,000 Canadian dollars and up to one year in jail for anyone illegally blocking roads, bridges, walkways and other critical infrastructure.

On February 7, partial closures of the bridge were initiated. By midweek, the disruption had become so serious that many automakers started to reduce or stop production. The industry faces a shortage of computer chips due to pandemics and other supply chain disruptions, so the standoff was a significant setback.

Eunice LucasLogan of Windsor said, “We protest the government taking away their rights.” We want to see the restrictions lifted. It is up to us to discover the truth.

For the last four days, the 67-year old has supported the protest. She expressed gratitude for the patience of police officers.

The other side of Canada, an important truck crossing was closed on Sunday between Surrey, British Columbia and Blaine Washington. It came after Canadian authorities claimed that some vehicles had broken through police barricades. A crowd also entered the area via foot.

Four people were arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for “mischief” in protest on Sunday afternoon. While some people staying over had left the protest site, others packed up their belongings and fled. However, the border crossing was closed and the roads were still open to those in the vicinity.

On Jan. 29, a border blockade began in Coutts in Alberta. It was north of Sweet Grass in Montana. According to RCMP Cpl. Troy Savinkoff added.

Savinkoff also stated that three excavators were taken into police custody and dismantled by officers.

He said, “Had they made it to the blockade? It would have only compounded our unfortunate situation at the border.”

While protestors are shaming the vaccine mandates that truckers must comply with and any other Covid-19 restrictions they are imposing, Canada’s many public health measures such as mask rules or vaccine passports to allow people into theaters and restaurants are rapidly disappearing as the omicron surge increases.

Truckers across Canada make up 90%, so trucker associations and big-rig owners have condemned the demonstrations. Trudeau would not be able to lift this restriction because all truckers entering the United States have the same vaccination rules.

Pandemic restrictions in Canada have been much stricter than those in the U.S. but Canadians support them. The majority of Canadians have been immunized, with the Covid-19 rate of death being one-third as high as that in the United States.

Similarly, Biden in an interview with Lester Holt, NBC on Sunday, ahead of Super Bowl, was harsh when asked about people who might object the NFL mask mandate.

He said, “I love the way people talk about personal liberty.” He said, “If your personal freedom is being exercised but it puts someone else’s health at risk, then I don’t think that’s a good thing with freedom.”