Reunion with many friends – Washington DC awaits the inauguration – Decrease in new COVID cases – Evening statistics
I met with AD and RH in the American Chestnut Land Trust today. The setup was the closest I have experienced to a Wanderbirds club hike in months. At least 15 people participated and we separated into smaller groups that went on a longer and a shorter hike, just as in the old days. Since I am familiar with the trails in the area by now, I was one of the leaders, and I led the group that went on the longer hike. There were five of us in all, and we covered 12½ miles with about 2000 feet of elevation gain. It was a beautiful day, initially overcast, but rapidly clearing and becoming sunny for most of the time that we were out on the trails. We all used the raft to cross the creek that separates the park into two distinct areas. FH, who lives downtown (and was the sender of the Email I recorded in yesterday’s entry), was able to get out of the city without difficulty. Afterwards we had snacks and drinks at the parking area. I saw many people whom I have not met up with in months. It felt almost like a return from exile.
The capital remains quiet. Far-right organizations initially were threatening to set up several protest marches this weekend, but after the backlash from the events of January 6th they have gone into retreat and have told their followers to stay away from the capital. Parts of the city resemble a military zone. Residents in these areas have to struggle to do daily activities, such as buying groceries, on streets where armored vehicles are continually roaming. A section of the city from Dupont Circle to the Sousa Bridge and the 11th St. Bridge across the Anacostia River is vehicle-restricted, available to residents or businesses only. Many of the bridges across the Potomac are closed. The events generally held for observance on Martin Luther King Day (tomorrow) have been canceled. On a more personal level, in the past RS has organized a 15-mile walk that begins at the MLK Memorial and circuits various parts of the city for interested participants and I was originally supposed to help him lead it this year; but that plan had to be abandoned. It is not clear how we would be able to enter the city at this point and it certainly is inadvisable to walk at great length on streets where guards and checkpoints are ubiquitous.
There is a significant drop in the number of new COVID cases and in the death toll today, under half of the average of the last few days. It is unclear whether this is a temporary lull or whether we are already beginning to see some effect from the vaccines, which have been administered to several in the top-priority categories.
Today’s statistics as of 8:00 PM – # of cases worldwide: 95,464,804; # of deaths worldwide: 2,039,083; # of cases U.S.: 24,480,982; # of deaths; U.S.: 407,202.