The day is finally here…

Happening in the World: Germany has extended their national lockdown, which was originally supposed to end on January 31st, to February 14th. Chancellor Angela Merkel announced this extension after meeting with the premiers of the sixteen German states, and she urges other European countries to similarly enforce lockdowns. (Reuters)

Happening in the US: About 191,500 flags representing the 50 states and the territories have been placed on the National Mall lawn in front of the Capitol building to represent all of the people who cannot attend President-Elect Biden’s inauguration ceremony due to the coronavirus and public safety concerns following the insurrection at the Capitol Building last week. 56 pillars of light (representing the fifty states, Washington D.C., American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico) illuminate the flags. The lighting ceremony lasted forty-six seconds in honor of President-Elect Biden, the 46th President of the United States. Today is, of course, Inauguration Day. (CNN)

Happening in NYC: Mayor de Blasio stated that New York City will run out of the vaccines supplied by the federal government by Thursday if they do not receive more. The city received a shipment of 53,000 doses yesterday, bringing the total remaining vaccine count to 116,000 for the rest of the week. But last week, 220,000 people were vaccinated in the city. The rate at which people are getting vaccinated in the city, remarked Mayor deBlasio, is faster than what is possible with the limited numbers of vaccines the federal government is giving to NYC health officials to administer. (CBS News)

Happening in our Community: CU Democrats will be hosting an Inauguration Celebration via Zoom tomorrow starting at 11:30.

Useful Item of the Day: My heated blanket.

Capitol Building via Bwog Archives