Washington, Oct 4 (AFP/APP):Behind the giant bay windows of the World Bank, security guards remain at their posts, but idle. Outside, the sidewalks of Washington DC are largely empty. The bank is open, ready to host but its twice annual meetings with international financial institutions. But the meetings are all virtual these days. Next door, at the HQ2 building of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) a sign says “temporarily closed.” It has been hanging there for six months. With just a month to go before the presidential election, Washington, the hub of American politics, is still in the social and economic deep freeze it was plunged into by the Covid-19 outbreak that began six months ago. The 12,000 people due to take part in upcoming meets at the World Bank and IMF will not stroll the sidewalks of the spruced-up city center, which before the pandemic had been touted as example of the regeneration of US downtowns. Instead, they will be sitting at home, in front of their laptops. As well as its political activities, the city had billed itself in the past two decades as a hub for international conventions and conferences. Before the pandemic, “we were experiencing record … Continue reading Washington, heart of US power, frozen by pandemic