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THE NEWS:

It’s been 34 days since Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the first case of COVID-19 in D.C. And what a time it’s been. Unprecedented.

Everyone is being told to stay home as much as possible, to only leave for essential reasons. The streets are more desolate than usual. Instead of being filled with people, the streets are covered in words of comfort written in chalk. On the brick steps of one home it says “Breathe in. Breathe out.” 

See what some of the city looks like during this time through the eyes of City Paper’s staff photographer, Darrow Montgomery. He’s been taking photos for the paper since 1986, so he has documented the city in trying times before. He captured the uprising in Mount Pleasant in 1991 and the September 11 attacks. The streets feel similar to 9/11, he says, in that they are empty. But these times definitely feel weirder than anything else he’s seen. Everything looks normal on its face, but no one can be with family, colleagues, and friends.  

“I’m trying to make a record of the time,” says Montgomery in this week’s cover story available online and in print. Take a look at his record so far.—Amanda Michelle Gomez (tips? agomez@washingtoncitypaper.com) 

CITY DESK LINKS, by Amanda Michelle Gomez:

  • At Thursday’s press conference, Bowser explained new social distancing protocols for grocery stores and farmers markers. Grocery store customers must wear masks when they shop. [Twitter]

  • As of April 8, 32 D.C. residents have lost their lives due to COVID-19. Over 60 percent of those deaths are black residents. There are 1,523 cases of COVID-19, with 8,724 tested overall.  [EOM]   

  • What the first month of COVID-19 tells us about the pandemic in D.C. [Post]

  • If D.C. fails to weather the financial turmoil, the control board could return. But unlike 1995, Trump allies would be in charge of the city. [WAMU]  

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

  • How do you campaign during a pandemic? [WCP]

  • It could be May before D.C. workers see the boost from Congress in their unemployment checks. [WCP]

  • More than half a million people in the DMV area have filed for unemployment since mid-March. [WAMU]

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

  • Farmers find ways to sell directly to consumers as restaurants lie dormant. [WCP]

  • TheTrader Joe’s on 14th Street NW is closed until Friday because of an employee who tested positive for COVID-19. [WCP]

  • Coconut Club pulls its plan to partner with Joint Delivery to package meals with cannabis hours after announcing its launch. [WCP]

  • How José Andrés and World Central Kitchen came to partner with the Nationals to feed the hungry. [Post]

  • Where to find hand sanitizer produced by area distilleries and a coffee company. [Washingtonian]

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

  • Remembering David Driskell, 1931–2020. [WCP]

  • Liz At Large: “Handle” [WCP]

  • How to become a bird watcher from home. [DCist]

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

  • The Washington Spirit can’t wait to debut its young and talented team this season—assuming they’ll be playing this year. With no set start date, players like Paige Nielsen and rookie Ashley Sanchez have been getting creative in their workouts at their apartments. [WCP]

  • Instead of preparing for what would have been the start of the Stanley Cup playoffs, Capitals defenseman John Carlson is at home with his wife and kids, unsure what the future holds for his sport and trying his best to maintain hockey fitness. [NHL.com]

  • Chase Young or Tua Tagovailoa? The NFL Draft is just over two weeks away and most mock drafts have the Washington NFL team taking either Young, a defensive end out of Ohio State or Tagovailoa, the Alabama quarterback who’s returning from injury, with the No. 2 overall pick. [CBS Sports]

  • Bowser’s new order removes tennis and golf as “allowable recreational activities.” [DC.gov]

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

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