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THE NEWS:

School’s out for … ever? No, of course not. But that’s how it feels sometimes.

Remote learning will continue for the rest of the academic year due to COVID-19. What learning looks like over the summer and next year remains unclear. Mayor Muriel Bowser plans to release more information May 15. 

For now, our students are making do.   

“For many young people used to daily routines, stability is gone. It’s been replaced by jumbled schedules, missed milestones, poor sleep and eating patterns, glitchy technology, and a lack of typical social interaction with teachers and friends,” writes City Paper’s Kayla Randall for this week’s cover story.  

Randall spoke with children and teens and their parents in the region to get a sense of whether the kids are all right. A few were high school seniors who were looking forward to graduating with friends. They are left hoping that college next fall is still a thing, at least in the way they pictured it before this pandemic.  

Give it a read online. —Amanda Michelle Gomez  (tips? agomez@washingtoncitypaper.com) 

CITY DESK LINKS, by Amanda Michelle Gomez:

  • At Thursday’s press conference, Bowser reiterates that D.C. needs to see a consistent downward trend of COVID-19 cases for two weeks before the city can gradually reopen. As more individuals get tested with the expansion of capacity and criteria, DC Health Director Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt says we should look at proportionality, or the number of positive cases compared to the total number tested. The current positivity rate is about 20 percent and officials want to get to 10 percent. Additionally, D.C. needs to be able to treat patients who need care without the use of crisis standards. The mayor announced the creation of a “reopen advisory group” advised by Johns Hopkins and is expected to provide some recommendations in May. [Twitter]

  • D.C. reported 12 additional COVID-19 related deaths, bringing the total number of lives lost to 139. Health disparities continue to reveal themselves in data: Black residents account for 81 percent of total deaths. Ward 2 has seen the lowest number of fatalities, at 3, while Ward 8 has seen the highest, at 30. (DC Health attributes some of Ward 8 deaths to a nursing home.) As of April 22, 3,361 have tested positive for COVID-19 while 15,930 have been tested overall. [EOM]

  • The coronavirus disease and gun violence are two co-occurring public health crises killing D.C. residents. Advocates fear one might exacerbate the other. “These are individuals who weren’t on our radar at first and now they are because of all of the new stresses they are dealing with. They are trying to eat and they are in survival mode,” a violence interrupter tells City Paper. [WCP]

  • A mental health care provider is worried about the care at hotels for unsheltered residents who need to quarantine. One of her patients who tested positive for COVID-19 was left alone in his hotel room for three days before anyone checked on him. Another who tested positive opted to leave the hotel because she says she wasn’t receiving adequate care. [WCP]

  • A brief but spectacular look at Miriam’s Kitchen, a homeless service provider in D.C. [PBS]

LOOSE LIPS LINKS, by Mitch Ryals (tips? mryals@washingtoncitypaper.com) 

  • Here are the questions Brandon Todd couldn’t answer at last night’s candidate forum. [WCP]

  • Bowser is now urging more testing for older, chronically ill people. [Post]

  • Transit union announces D.C. endorsements. [Twitter]

YOUNG & HUNGRY LINKS, by Laura Hayes (tips? lhayes@washingtoncitypaper.com) 

  • Six predictions from restaurateurs on how COVID-19 will forever change restaurants. [WCP]

  • Arlington restaurant Guajillo sues its insurance company for failing to cover its losses from COVID-19, even though the policy mentions viruses. [WCP]

  • Bub & Pop’s Chef Jon Taub has some tuna melt tips for Senator Mark Warner. [WCP]

  • Nine ways to get wine delivered to your door. [Washingtonian]

  • How reservation platforms like OpenTable and RESY have adapted in the crisis. [Eater]

ARTS LINKS, byKayla Randall (tips? krandall@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • In the wake of the novel coronavirus outbreak, The Phillips Collection faces hardships in the run-up to its centennial celebration. [WCP]

  • Liz At Large: “Rest” [WCP]

  • You can support small local retail businesses with their Small Business Saturday this weekend. [Washingtonian]

SPORTS LINKS, by Kelyn Soong (tips? ksoong@washingtoncitypaper.com)

  • Should runners be required to wear face masks? What about bikers? The recommendations from infectious disease medical experts may surprise you. But one thing’s clear: Shaming each other doesn’t really help. [WCP]

  • Get ready for the NFL Draft, which begins tonight at 8 p.m. Virtually, of course. [NBC Sports]

  • Rewatch all the highlights from the NHL20 matchup between Alex Ovechkin and Wayne Gretzky, which was watched by thousands of fans on Twitch and helped raise over $40,000 for coronavirus relief efforts. [Russian Machine Never Breaks, Sportsnet]

CITY LIGHTS, by Emma Sarappo (Love this section? Get the full newsletter here. Tips? esarappo@washingtoncitypaper.com)

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