A look back on 2020

Good good evening and thank you for joining us.

I'm heather good.

The new year is right around the corner!

But this year brought us all many challenges..

News 10's sarah lehman takes a look back at the year 20-20.

2020 will be a year we don't forget anytime soon.

Everyday life was upended - with horrific death tolls and economies in shambles.

But by the end of the year - some hope that better days are ahead.

Nat} 3... as 20-19 came to a close... 2... the world looked toward 2020... 1.... for a new start... ahhh} but what actually happened no one saw coming.

This time last year covid-19 was a distance thought....across the sea.

Something people said would never impact the united states.

But -- in march "the first patient in vigo county has tested positive for covid 19 in union hospital."

That was happening across the country.

And we all came to a screeching halt.

With every single state putting a "stay at home order in place" eventually.

Zoom and facetime became household names as work places... schools... and universities went remote.

"we can't prevent the virus from coming here but we can take the steps health care professionals say we should."

Stu} from there... cases spread across both states.

Breaking records in covid-19 cases... hospitilizations and deaths.

Plus -- we went through a mask shortage... hand sanitizer shortage... coin shortage... and of course the shortage of toliet paper.

"we have been selling more cleaners and lysol wipes, hand sanitizer which we are out of."

In summer the curve had started to flatten and states began opening up.

That was to try and help the economy.

Which was the worst we had seen since the recession in 2008 in the fall -- cases began to rise again.

By november -- indiana governor eric holcomb took steps back in his "back on track indiana plan" illinois governor j.b pritzker closed most of the state again.

Now -- health officials are still urging you to continue the steps started back in march.

Wearing a mask... social distancing... not gathering with people outside of your household... washing your hands..

And staying home if you're sick.

Something we all thought would take up 2 weeks of our life back in march.

Has become the new normal.

Of course -- 2020 has been one for the history books.

I was only able to scrape the surface.

The good news is -- a covid 19 vaccine is here!

And it should start to become available to the general public in just a few months.

Reporting in the newsroom.

I'm sarah lehman news 10.