Coronavirus had already begun to rage in Italy and China on Monday, March 9, 2020. Here at Washingtonian, we were aware of the metaphorical dark clouds on the horizon, though we still published a Food Money Sex column the Friday before. We’d also suggested breakfast and brunch spots for what turned out to be the last normal weekend for a really long time.
That Monday, we reported that hand-washing had become a partisan issue. Also that a “smoldering metaphor” was spotted a block away from the White House: an actual dumpster fire. And amid concerns that the weekend’s CPAC gathering in Maryland might have exposed people to coronavirus, news outlets asked reporters who had covered it to stay home. But still, we published stories about an area friar who won The Great American Baking Show and pointed readers to our Cutest Cat Photo Competition. (In retrospect, “Avoid a ‘Cat’astrophe” was perhaps not an optimal headline.)
The next day, we published a story about how local restaurants were bracing for the virus. “I think this is going to be very bad the next 45 to 60 days,” José Andrés told us. We began a post about events canceled due to the virus that we updated all week. The next day, we shared tips for how to keep your hands from drying out after all that washing. Around noon, we shared the Park Service’s predictions for peak bloom. The Washington Post asked employees to work from home.
Things started to heat up that Wednesday. DC Mayor Muriel Bowser declared a public health emergency. Tour guides worried about canceled trips during their busiest season. The Cherry Blossom Festival announced it planned to rethink the event. The Washington Post advised reporters to stay at least three feet from people they interviewed. Dating apps got weird. Haim played at Call Your Mother. “Cheese Night” at the Trump Hotel went on as planned.
On Thursday, the NHL suspended its season, and the Caps eventually canceled their planned tilt against Detroit. The Smithsonian doinked its public programming, and local restaurants scrambled to stand up delivery options. Politics & Prose announced free shipping and urged anyone who was sick or may have been exposed to the virus to stay home. Gyms announced sanitizing measures. That afternoon, Politico told employees to work from home “for the remainder of the month.” The Kennedy Center closed. So did Maryland schools and Smithsonian museums.
On Friday, the District’s court system allowed that it may be possible to get out of jury duty. (I picked up my kids early from school in Alexandria because a coworker’s roommate thought he’d tested positive, and our boss told us to work from home for a while. By Monday, we were among many trying to figure out distance learning.) A St. Patrick’s Day pub crawl planned for the weekend began to face long odds. Quarantine merch appeared. That afternoon, the Trump administration declared a national emergency. It began to feel like we might be home for a while. Nevertheless, people in the area flooded bars and restaurants that weekend.
The following Monday, Washingtonian photographer Evy Mages ran into a family on the National Mall and photographed a then 9-year-old boy named Finley leaping over some water in the drained Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. The photograph burned up social media, and we eventually put it on the cover. The headline read: “We Will Get Through This.”
Andrew Beaujon joined Washingtonian in late 2014. He was previously with the Poynter Institute, TBD.com, and Washington City Paper. He lives in Del Ray.
