EDITORIAL/OPINION

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Time for the Great Reimagining Virtual Event Positives

Well, that was fun! Nothing like a little snow to lend some beauty and stillness to our days. Like a fresh coat of white paint, it really freshened up the place.

While there was no sledding at the Capitol (thanks, insurrectionists), people were out and about, enjoying themselves in COVIDsafe ways, building snow forts, engaging in snowball fights and watching their children and pandemic pups play with abandon.

But as the snow recedes, and the dogs have their way with it, we’re reminded of the ugliness it all-too-briefly hid from view: the fallout from the nightmare of Jan. 6 — the Green Zone vibe downtown, the impeachment trial, the embarrassingly inept rollout of the vaccine (our holy grail!) and the challenges families continue to face as they try to stay afloat while learning and working from home.

If 2020 was the Great Reckoning, baring truths about our society we’d rather overlook, then 2021 has to be the Great Reimagining. Suppose we hold a series of snow days during which we collectively rethink our relationships and priorities: • Reimagining the “work-life balance” so that it becomes an authentic, attainable state rather than a cruel and elitist joke. • Transforming “equity” from an of-themoment catch phrase to a guiding principle governing housing, education, health care and opportunity. • And making “We’re all in this together” not just pretty words but a constant reminder that each of us is connected to the rest, and deserving of respect and compassion.

The new administration is calling for unity and we’re here for it. If nothing else, the inauguration signaled a new beginning, an “American spring” for a sorely challenged nation. But it’s going to take a lot of hard (and loving) communal effort.

As we’ve so recently relearned, democracy, like snow, can be fleeting.

Dear readers, what matters to you? What issues are uppermost in your mind — from the sublime to the ridiculous, the global to the hyperlocal? What would you do to solve them? Share your ideas and initiatives and tell us what you think we should be covering in greater depth (and what we may have overlooked). The Georgetowner is your voice. Use it!

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BY KATE OCZYPOK

We know it seems like it’s easy to fall into Zoom fatigue these days, but if you stop and think, virtual meetings and events might actually have some positives. Before COVID, we were subject to terribly long commutes and daily Metro delays. Now, we can just hop on to a meeting in the comfort of our own homes. It’s easy to step out for a minute or mute yourself if you get another phone call, or just happen to need to use the bathroom. You don’t even have to be fully dressed up, just your top half is needed to look presentable! No matter what your situation is, we hope you can make the most of this time of online meetings and events.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

FEB. 10, 5:30-6:30 P.M.

GEORGETOWN VILLAGE

Cocktails, Conversation and COVID with Martha Joynt Kumar.

FEB. 13, 11:30 A.M.

GRACE EPISCOPAL CHURCH

Grace’s Table

FEB. 13, 1-3 P.M.

DUMBARTON HOUSE

Virtual Galentine’s Day Tea

FEB. 13, 7 P.M.

GEORGETOWN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH

Film Discussion, “13th”

FEB. 18, 10-11 A.M.

COMMISSION OF FINE ARTS

FEB. 26, 8-9 P.M.

DUMBARTON HOUSE

Art of the Love Letter

FEB. 28, 10-11 A.M.

ST. JOHN’S, GEORGETOWN

Annual Meeting

MARCH 1, 6:30-7:30 P.M.

ANC 2E MEETING

Note: The Georgetown-Burleith advisory neighborhood commission meets on the Monday prior to the monthly Old Georgetown Board meeting, except during holidays.

MARCH 7, 4-5:15 P.M.

HOLY TRINITY CATHOLIC CHURCH

Becoming an Anti-Racist Parish

FEB. 25, 5:30-6:30 P.M.

GEORGETOWN VILLAGE

Cocktails, Conversation and COVID with Jane Hyatt Thorpe.

Letter to the Editor

Covid-19 Vaccinations

The CDC has declared that seniors 75+ have priority for covid-19 vaccinations. I am 83 years old with a heart condition but cannot obtain an appointment in the District of Columbia. Unlike Maryland and Virginia, where seniors register and are then assigned appointments, the District of Columbia has instituted a “computer lottery” where thousands of seniors compete with each other and thousands of much younger people twice a week to snag one of a few hundred scarce appointments.

The first lottery lasted only minutes before the computer system crashed. The last lottery for 740 vaccine doses opened Friday morning at 9:00 AM. The competition lasted for only 13 minutes before all appointments were taken. During that 13-minute time, I filled out the lengthy questionnaire three times only to have it rejected each time, requiring me to start over.

The District has 11,000 seniors 85+; 26,000 seniors 75+; and 53,000 seniors 65+; or 91,000 total. Because the District receives an allocation of only about 6,000 vaccine doses per week, it would take 15 weeks to vaccinate that entire group and twice that time with second shots. Even assuming that 50% of those might have vaccine phobia, it would still take 8 weeks to vaccinate 50% of all seniors with two shots before moving on to other younger and less vulnerable groups.

This “computer lottery” nonsense must stop. It’s unconscionable for the District to place computer finesse and pure luck ahead of often-dire health considerations. Seniors should be able to fill out and submit the questionnaire on their own time and the District should then prioritize appointments according to age and health criteria, as is the practice in Maryland and Virginia.