Where Were You When the World Changed, Covid-19 Six Years Later

Six years ago today, March 11, 2020, Covid-19 was officially declared a pandemic. Where were you when the world changed? Here are some memories shared and how New York was affected.

My son was a high school senior in 2020 when his school made the decision to suspend classes for a few days due to the pandemic. Students were directed to finish the week but not to return until notified. He never sat in a classroom again. Graduations, prom, and sports all wiped off the calendar.

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For my son's high school graduation family members drove to a field and lined up, in vehicles, to watch the outdoor ceremony. It was like watching a movie at the drive-in theater. Not all that different than the way Niskayuna, NY High School held their ceremony at Malta Drive-in.

Grocery stores became the scariest places to visit but we needed toilet paper, if we could find it. Hannaford, for example, required employees to wear masks, installed Plexiglas shields at checkout, placed directional arrows on the floor, and encouraged people to keep a 6-foot social distance from each other.

Read more; One Last Look Inside This Upstate New York Ghost Mall

Here are some of the words and phrases that were spoken daily starting in March of 2020:

• Corona Virus Disease 2019 - COVID-19
• Social distancing
• Quarantine
• Contact tracing
• Flattening the curve
• N95
• PPE - Personal Protective Equipment

I remember the last concert that I attended, before the world changed, was Cheap Trick at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY on Valentine's Day 2020. Who could have predicted the summer of 2020 would be void of live music and when it returned we watched outdoors from separated pods.

Last but not least, we will never forget those we lost since March 11, 2020. May they rest in peace.