As the timeline progresses the Coronavirus gets closer to home.
The first reports of what would become COVID-19 came on Dec. 31, 2019, in Wuhan, China. As of Jan 3rd, 2020 there were 44 cases in China and only 11 were severely ill. On January 7th Chinese officials confirm illness is a new form of coronavirus and the CDC establishes a COVID-19 Incident Management System. On January 11th, China confirms the first death from coronavirus.
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By mid-February, most people were aware that the Coronavirus was making its way around the world, yet there seemed to be little concern about the virus when passengers boarded the Grand Princess cruise ship on Feb. 21 for Hawaii.
The following timeline demonstrates how that concern is rapidly changing both nationally and now locally.
2/25
- CDC said that it’s inevitable the disease will spread to the U.S and residents should prepare for “severe disruptions.”
2/28
- The first case of coronavirus in the US is found in California.
3/1
- The first US death is reported in Washington state
3/4
- Southwest Airlines announces enhanced overnight cleaning procedures
3/5
- 3500 Passengers aboard the Grand Princess cruise ship confined to their rooms
3/9
- President Trump urges people to take a breath and keep traveling and patronizing U.S. businesses
3/10
- AP Reports vast areas of U.S. life are being impacted by the spreading coronavirus outbreak, from bans on large public gatherings to empty stadiums at sports games
- Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine recommends canceling college classes and banning fans from sports games
- Soldiers and police enforce travel restrictions in Italy
- Washington Post encourages its staff to work at home
3/12
- Death toll in the US rises to 36 people and 4,615 worldwide
- Princess announces voluntary 60-day pause of global ship operations
- President Trump bans most Europeans from the United States for 30 days
- Lindenwood University cancels in-person classes
- Belleville St. Pats Day Parade is canceled
- St. Louis St. Patrick’s Day canceled
- Alton St. Patricks Day event canceled
- SIUE Cancels Classes
- Rudy Gobert, center for Utah Jazz, tests positive and NBA responds with shut down of the entire league
- National Hockey League suspends the season and Major League Baseball also halts all operations
- After an early plunge of 7%, Wall Street triggered a trading halt
This article will be updated: Check back as we add to this timeline. Please report any local coronavirus news or closings to news@riverbender.comDan Brannan also contributed to this story.
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