Just over 1 year ago the pandemic was quickly changing from something that was happening elsewhere to other people, to something that was happening to all of us everywhere. It went from an abstract thing on the other side of the world to something very real in our community.

It started strongly, with stock markets at all-time highs and unemployment near record lows. But by mid-March, a new coronavirus had reached North America after emerging overseas in late 2019.

You have been hearing several new terms in recent months, frankly, like it or not, we must accept them. Some of the terms include, “essential services”, “asymptomatic”, “social distancing”, “flattening the curve”, and the “new normal”.