Hi Nicholas, I'm sorry to hear that your sourdough starter isn't showing much activity, but as long as it's bubbling and beginning to thin out a bit as it nears its next feeding then progress is slowly occurring. One thing you could try is to increase the percentage of starter as compared to water and flour fed, which should increase the acidity of the starter environment and may help the wild yeast kick in. You could, for example, try a 2:1:1 ratio of starter:water:flour (by weight) until the starter begins to rise predictably. This might look something like: 100g starter + 25g organic rye flour + 25g AP flour + 50g water. 

I'm not a big fan of covering the starter with a cloth because this may cause the surface of the starter to dry out. The starter doesn't actually need airflow in order to ferment properly, so you're not causing it any harm by placing the metal lid on top of your jar. 

Once your starter begins to rise predictably (twice) it's important to begin twice a day feedings, which will further promote yeast activity. You may also want to shift back to your original feeding ratios at that point, since once the starter is rising the goal is to feed it when it's at its peak, or just beginning to fall, in order to keep yeast activity vigorous. Your original feeding routine will tend to slow down the rise a bit, which can be helpful in order to make those twice a day feedings line up closer to the peak. 

Once your starter is rising predictably with twice a day feedings then you can consider your starter mature and ready to bake bread!

I hope this helps! Let us know how it goes. 

Barb

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