Five years ago this week, the world was upended. On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, in the wake of 118,000 cases in 114 countries and more than 4,200 deaths.
That night, cable news reported that actor Tom Hanks and his wife, Rita Wilson, had been diagnosed with the virus. The National Basketball Association announced it would suspend its 2019–20 season after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the virus.
Two days later, the Trump administration punctuated the string of startling news by declaring a national emergency. It also issued a travel ban on non-U.S. citizens traveling from 26 European countries. At the time, just 1,645 Americans were known to be infected with the virus.
