NBA paused. Tom Hanks' diagnosis. A Trump address. Here's what happened on March 11, 2020.
It's now been half a decade since the COVID-19 pandemic altered reality for the entire globe. Though ripples of the pandemic continue to affect us all, one day continues to stand out as monumental.
On Wednesday, March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a worldwide pandemic, the NBA suspended its 2019-2020 season, Tom Hanks shared that he had tested positive for the virus and President Donald Trump announced a travel ban in the United States.
That morning, during a meeting with the House Oversight and Reform Committees, then-Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci warned lawmakers that, "Things will get worse than they are right now." At the time, 118,000 cases and 4,291 deaths related to COVID-19 had been reported in 114 countries. The global death toll has since increased by more than 1,650 times.
Here's a look at the key moments from the start of the COVID-19 pandemic on March, 11 2020.
WHO declares pandemic
Not long after Fauci made his statements to lawmakers in the U.S., WHO declared COVID-19 a worldwide pandemic.
Cities ban large gatherings
Throughout the day, several government officials put bans on large gatherings, measures aimed at reducing the spread of the virus.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed prohibited gatherings of more than 1,000 people, and former Washington Gov. Jay Inslee and former Oregon Gov. Kate Brown put bans on events of 250 people throughout their states.
First positive case on Capitol Hill
A staff member for Washington Sen. Maria Cantwell was the first individual on Capitol Hill to test positive for the virus on March 11, 2020.
NBA suspends season; NCAA rolls back March Madness crowds
The NCAA announced that due to the virus outbreak, March Madness would only be held with the players, essential staff and limited family in attendance. A day later, the men's and women's basketball tournaments were canceled.
Later in the evening on March 11, shortly before tipoff between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Utah Jazz, referees and coaches learned that Jazz center Ruby Gobert had tested positive for the virus. The game was postponed and then ultimately, the National Basketball Association suspended the remainder of its 2019-2020 season.
Tom Hanks, Rita Wilson test positive
Actor Tom Hanks posted a photo on Instagram, sharing that he and his wife, Rita Wilson, tested positive for COVID-19.
"We felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches. Rita had some chills that came and went. Slight fevers too. To play things right, as is needed in the world right now, we tested for the Coronavirus, and were found to be positive," Hanks wrote in his post. "We'll keep the world posted and updated. Take care of yourselves!"
Trump declares nationwide emergency, issues travel ban
In the evening, Trump declared COVID-19 a nationwide emergency and announced that a 30-day travel ban on non-U.S. citizens traveling from 26 European countries would be implemented at the end of the week − March 13.
March 11, five years later
Now, five years later, more than 7 million people have died from COVID-19 globally, according to WHO, with more than 1.2 million deaths in the United States alone.
In the fall of 2024, the Food and Drug Administration approved updated COVID-19 vaccines, available at healthcare facilities nationwide. The vaccines, from Pfizer and Moderna, were designed to target the KP.2 variant of COVID using mRNA technology. These vaccines are available for everyone six months and older.
Contributing: Adrianna Rodriguez, Paste BN
Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at Paste BN. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretalcross. Story idea? Email her at gcross@usatoday.com.