Nurse Noel Yaegel checks sophomore business management major Jack Vivvings in for his coronavirus test in the mobile home located in The Alamo II parking lot. Students can get tested for free at the mobile home testing site or the drive through site at the old firehouse station behind Cardinal Court.
As the COVID-19 pandemic reaches its one-year anniversary of being introduced to the world, society continues to live alongside the virus and countries are working to vaccine everyone in an effective way.
Below is a timeline of some key events since the beginning of the pandemic.
Jan. 24, 2020: Illinois Department of Health confirms first COVID-19 case in Chicago
March 9, 2020: Governor JB Pritzker issues disaster proclamation after state cases rises to 11
March 11, 2020: The World Health Organization declares COVID-19 global pandemic. Illinois State University President Larry Dietz announces in a campus wide message that the university will be extending spring break until March 23.
March 13, 2020: Pritzker announces statewide school closures beginning March 17 until March 30. Dietz announces classes will be moved online starting March 23 and lasting until April 12.
March 15, 2020: Pritzker orders all bars and restaurants to be closed for dine-in
March 16, 2020: First Illinois resident dies from COVID-19
March 17, 2020: ISU announces the remainder of spring semester will be online
March 20, 2020: McLean County Health Department announces first confirmed COVID-19 case, Pritzker orders statewide stay-at-home order taking effect March 21.
March 22, 2020: McLean county reports first COVID-19 death.
April 9, 2020: University announces all summer classes online. Campus events or those sponsored by ISU through the end of July are postponed or canceled.
May 5, 2020: Pritzker lays out a regional five-phase plan to reopen based on public health data and car availability throughout the state. McLean County falls into Region 2.
May 9, 2020: ISU confirms first COVID-19 case
May 20, 2020: Illinois tops 100,000 COVID-19 cases, over 4,500 deaths
May 28, 2020: ISU releases Redbird Return Plan for fall semester
May 29, 2020: Stay-at-home order expires. Illinois is able to reopen non-essential businesses and manufacturers and allows outdoor dining and gatherings up to 10 people.
June 26, 2020: Illinois moves into phase four allowing gatherings of up to 50 people. Indoor recreation venues and services can reopen with capacity limits.
July 9, 2020: ISU provides an update of fall semester with classes will be a mix of face-to-face, hybrid and online. ISU moves all instruction online after fall break. Face coverings and social distancing required when inside campus buildings. Student Health Services to provide testing for symptomatic students only.
Aug. 4, 2020: About 80% of classes get moved online
Aug. 14, 2020: ISU postpones fall sports until spring 2021
Aug. 17, 2020: Fall semester begins. Free on-campus testing for asymptomatic students becomes available. ISU launches COVID-19 case tracker
Aug. 17 to Sept. 3: ISU saw a spike in COVID-19 cases amongst students. On Sept. 2, ISU had 869 active COVID-19 cases.
Aug. 28, 2020: Normal Mayor Chris Koos issues two executive orders around ISU limiting gatherings of 10 or more people and limiting indoor capacity for bars and restaurants. The orders include a fine up to $750 for non-compliance due to a spike in cases amongst college-aged students.
Sept 4, 2020: McLean County enters warning level due to a spike in COVID-19 cases
Oct. 1, 2020: ISU announces spring classes to be a mix of online, face-to-face, and hybrid
Oct. 12, 2020: Winter commencement moves to virtual format
Nov. 4, 2020: McLean County can no longer allow indoor service and gatherings limited due to three straight days of the testing positivity rate exceeding 8%
Nov. 10, 2020: Illinois passes 500,000 cases, over 10,000 deaths
Nov. 20, 2020: McLean County moves back into the IDPH’s Tier 3 Resurgence mitigations
Nov. 24, 2020: McLean County confirms 50th COVID-19 death
Dec. 10, 2020: Dietz announces the cancelation of spring break. Personal well-being days and readings days to take place in spring 2021.
Dec. 14, 2020: McLean County passes 10,000 cases
Dec. 16, 2020: Illinois begins vaccinating those eligible under states Phase 1A vaccine distribution plan
Dec. 18, 2020: McLean County receives first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines
Dec. 30, 2020: McLean County reaches 100 COVID-19 deaths
Jan. 7: Illinois surpasses 1 million COVID-19 cases
Jan. 18: McLean begins vaccinating Phase 1B
Jan. 19: McLean County is able to move into Tier 1 allowing indoor dining at 25% capacity and gatherings of 25 people or 25% room capacity or less.
Jan. 24: McLean County moves into Phase 4 mitigations, allowing an increase of capacity limits for indoor dining, services and gatherings.
Feb. 1: Traditional spring commencement ceremonies canceled. Redbird Stage Crossing and virtual format of commencement to take place
Feb. 15: ISU begins vaccinating employees eligible under state’s phase 1b vaccine distribution plan
March 4: ISU announces a traditional, in-person fall semester for the 2021-22 academic year
March 15: McLean County has 14,831 confirmed cases, 175 COVID-related deaths
Regulators authorized AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine for use in adults throughout the European Union on Friday, amid criticism the bloc is not moving fast enough to vaccinate its population.
WASHINGTON (AP) — A former FBI lawyer was sentenced to probation for altering an email that the Justice Department relied on during its surveillance of an aide to President Donald Trump during the Russia investigation.
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Tony Evers lashed out Friday at rival Republicans who tried to repeal his statewide mask mandate, saying killing the order would be a ridiculous move comparable to abolishing speed limits.
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — As some conservatives in South Carolina celebrated getting a bill that would ban almost all abortions in the state past a legislative barrier and likely becoming law, they said they are not finished trying to end all abortions.
A Moscow court on Friday put the brother and several allies of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny under house arrest for two months as authorities sought to stymie more protests over the jailing of the top Kremlin foe.