Greetings from our work-from-home stations to yours. And if your work or life prohibits you from working from home, we hope you’re staying safe. We first reported on the coronavirus’ implications for D.C. on March 4, which now feels like a lifetime away from our current situation. Since then, City Paper staff have done our best to bring you to-the-minute updates on closures, the restaurant industry’s creativity, the mayor’s decisions, the council’s moves, and what you can do to keep from going stir crazy while quarantined. We hope that the information we’ve provided has helped you make informed decisions, support your community, and find some levity through it all. We’ll be sending out more special edition COVID-19 roundups in the coming weeks. If you’re not already signed up to receive our emails, you can do that here. 

We’re fully prepared to help make your time inside—and ours—pass more quickly. Our City Lights section has already transformed into a recommendation series full of locally linked activities you can enjoy from home. We’ve launched City Paper’s Arts Club, which will bring all of us together to discuss a book and a movie that speak, in some way, to this moment in time. To get you moving, we’ll be reviewing local online fitness classes, and we’re working with local musicians to craft a soundtrack for these next few weeks. 

Across our website and social platforms, we’re seeing massive spikes in traffic and engagement. You need us, and we need you—we really need you. The paper is losing a lot of money from canceled events and lost ad sales. We know we’re in the same financial boat as many other industries right now, but we can’t just shut our doors or stop the presses. We feel a responsibility to the 25 percent of Washingtonians who lack broadband access, and the 17 percent who lack access to a computer. They deserve the same access to information, connection, and distraction as everyone else. 

Please help us remain a resource for EVERYONE in our community by becoming a member. Not only does it feel great to support your local paper, but you’ll get some fun City Paper swag, too. 

If you’re already a member, thank you so much. All we ask is that you share this with a friend who appreciates our community as much as you do. 

With gratitude and hope,

Your Friends at City Paper