(ABC 6 News) – In November 2019, COVID-19 started to evolve. Months later, it would change the world forever.

In March of 2020 former-President Donald Trump estimated the nation could reopen by Easter. But as the cases of COVID-19 continued to rise evolved quickly, no one was ready for this public health crisis.

The Minnesota Department of Health warned people about the new virus in February 2020.

On February 27, 2020, Kris Ehresmann, the former Infectious Disease Director at the Minnesota Department of Health said, “We are seeing increased activity and increased spread, and that means that it’s very likely that COVID-19 could actually affect our daily lives as Minnesotans.”

On March 6, 2020, the first case Minnesota case of COVID was reported. Just days later on March 9, the first case in Rochester was reported.

“The reaction was probably a heavy heart. Knowing the impact this was having,” Cheryl Petersen-Kroeber, director of Emergency Preparedness and Response at MDH told ABC 6.

The weeks to follow saw the temporary closure of businesses and public schools. Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said on March 23, 2020, “Has it worked to slow this down by shutting restaurants? Has it worked to slow this down by closing schools and keeping children home?”

The pandemic proved a challenge for Channel One Regional Food Bank.

“The biggest challenger during the pandemic was keeping everybody safe; keeping our staff safe, keeping our shoppers safe, while still making sure we got the food to the people that we [needed to],” said Virginia Witherspoon Merritt, the executive director at Channel One.

But the shockwaves of the pandemic continued even after cases began to decline.

“Pandemic benefits ended, about exactly a year ago. We saw an initial surge in need. We thought that was the surge and that would be the new steady state. To have it continue, and continue, is like nothing we’ve ever seen before.”

To help with the ongoing demand, Channel One is partnering with DoorDash to create Project Dash, helping to deliver food at no cost.

As businesses move forward, MDH is, too. Learning from this public health crisis.

“Adding more staff more quickly. So that we weren’t either missing a step along the way. Or exhausting people so they weren’t functioning at 120% like they normally do,” said Petersen-Kroeber.

In 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention created a standard quarantine period of 14 days. Eventually, that was dropped down to just five days.

This March, the CDC lifted the quarantine suggestion. Now, the CDC recommends you stay at home and away from others until at least 24 hours after symptoms get better, or you don’t have a fever.

The Minnesota Department of Health has provided ABC 6 a timeline of the pandemic in the state. For more:

· November 2019: Tracking COVID-19

· December 2019: Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) structure

· February 2020: Full Incident Command Structure at MDH

· March 2020: State agency meeting and first emergency procurement of hand sanitizer

· March 6, 2020: First COVID-19 case in Minnesota announced

· March 8, 2020: Second COVID-19 case in Minnesota announced

· Bill signed by Governor Walz allocating $20.8 million to the response

· March 13, 2020: Governor Walz declares a state of emergency

· March 15, 2020: State Emergency Operations Center activated and Governor Walz announces a temporary one-week closure of K – 12 public schools

· All 50 states declare public health emergencies by March 15, 2020

· March 16, 2020: First briefing (State Emergency Operations Center) and Governor Walz announces executive order 20-04 that closes all non-essential businesses close until March 27.

· March 17, 2020: MDH announces national shortage of COVID-19 lab tests and makes adjustments to testing criteria

· March 21, 2020: First death in Minnesota announced

· March 25, 2020: Initial stay-at-home order issued

· April 2020: Testing goal announced

· April 8, 2020: Governor Walz extends stay-at-home order

· May 2020: Minnesota State Fair was canceled

· July 2020: Mask mandate issued

· November 2020: Four-week dial back

· December 18, 2020: First COVID-19 vaccines arrive in Minnesota

· January 2021: Alpha variant emerges and Minnesota reaches one million COVID-19 tests through community sites

· February 2021: Minnesota administers one million COVID-19 vaccine doses

· March 2021: Beta variant emerges

· April 19, 2021: More than half of all Minnesotan residents have taken at least one dose of the vaccine

· April 28, 2021: Governor Walz plans to loosen restrictions, increase capacity of bars, restaurants

· May 2021: Vaccines for ages 12 and older

· May 2021: Statewide mask mandate ends

· July 2, 2021: Official end of State Emergency Operations Center

· November 2021: Vaccines for ages 5 – 11

· December 2021: Omicron variant emerges and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations updated to shorten isolation and quarantine

· January 2022: Masking guidance updated to highlight importance of well-fitting, high-quality masks (i.e., N95 and KN95)

· March 2022: Launch of Minnesota program for people to order at-home COVID-19 tests

· April 2022: COVID-19 treatments widely available

· June 2022: Vaccines for children 6 months to age 5

· August 2022: COVID-19, Monkeypox, Polio and Measles

· September 2022: Bivalent boosters recommended/available for adults

· October 2022: Bivalent boosters recommended for ages 5 and up

· December 2022: COVID-19 Minnesota telehealth test-to-treat program launched and Mall of America state vaccination site closes (last state-run site to close)

· January 2023: Last state-run COVID-19 testing sites close

· May 5, 2023: World Health Organization declares end of global pandemic

· May 11, 2023: Federal COVID-19 public health emergency declaration ends

· September 2023: Updated 2023-24 vaccine authorized

· March 2024: CDC updates and simplifies respiratory virus recommendations