Photo: Alayna Treene/Axios
I covered the frenzied impeachment of President Trump. Now, the eerie emptiness makes the Hill almost unrecognizable.
The state of play: Big yellow stickers — "Thanks for practicing social distancing" — tell us where to stand in the Senate subway.
- Lawmakers, usually surrounded by aides, walk alone.
- During "gaggles," we stay a few feet away from members. We strain to make out their words, muffled by face coverings.
- Cafeterias are closed. So reporters still going to the Capitol have turned to an old frenemy, the vending machine.
The bottom line: Covering Congress always came with tons of face time with lawmakers and aides. Now, we rely more on texts, phones and video chats.