One Year Anniversary Approaches Of Day The Pandemic Changed Our Lives

By Debby Stricker

COVID-19 was reported in national news in January 2020. At that point, however, the respiratory virus was something far away from Washington County, affecting people we didn’t know.

March 17th marks the one year anniversary of the day that COVID became part of our lives. That was the day the government  declared a National Pandemic. The Pandemic took a firm grip  on all aspects of our lives – both in fear and actual risk to health.

From then on, wearing facemasks, social distancing, and quarantining when exposed or contracting COVID became the norm.     

March 17 was the day Gov. Pritzker ordered schools  closed for two weeks. “Non essential” businesses closed and socializing stopped. People were asked to not associate with anyone outside their household – and that even included staying away from grandchildren/adult children/grandparents.

“If people do not spread the virus, it will die out in two weeks,” we were told.

But the virus didn’t die. It kept finding new victims.

Read the full article in this week’s issue.