FLINT, Mich. (WJRT) - This week marks four years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic upended lives around the country.
In Michigan, over 40,000 people were killed after contracting the virus. Those who spoke with ABC12 in Flint say it is hard to believe it has been four years.
"Those four years just seem like a fever dream, right?" said Casey Lester. "Like it just seems like it was something that went so fast but took so long if that makes any sense. It definitely does not seem like it was four years ago."
But four years it was. On March 10, 2020 the first two cases were confirmed in Southeast Michigan. That number would grow to over 1,300 before the Governor issued a stay-at-home order on March 24.
"My wife was pregnant," remembered Lester. "We had our second son July 10 of 2020 and a lot of the conversations were surrounding pregnancy and what that's going to look like. Not only were we trying to manage working from home now with another son and all of those other things that were going on, it was what was birth going to look like."
By April 2, K-12 schools were closed for the summer. Mckynzie Lafuente was still in high school at the time.
"We did a lot of Zoom calls and like online assignments and things like that, so it was hard," remembered Lafuente. "Eventually we got the hang of it and our teachers did a really good job."
Now, as things approach a return to normal, those that lived through it say they are forever impacted by the pandemic.
"Life has gone back for the most part as it was," said Lester. "There's some things that have changed permanently again like the remote work and things like that, which I think have made a big impact on businesses and real estate but all in all I think everybody is doing very well with it."
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention says now if you contract the virus there's no need to isolate for five days. You can return to work and other activities, but it is still recommended that you wear a mask to prevent further spread.
