IT'S BEEN A YEAR OF WORRY -
TRAGEDY - AND SURVIVAL- AS
COVID-19 TESTED US...
BO:
SOME PARS OF OUR WORLD WERE
STRAINED - SOME BROKE AND SOME
WERE FOUND TO BE STRONG IN WAYS
WE COULDN'T HAVE IMAGINED.
SUMMER
OUR YEAR IN REVIEW - THE
PANDEMIC OF 20-20.
JANUARY 20TH, 20-20... THE FIRST
TIME YOU HEARD ABOUT CORONAVIRUS
ON WATE 6 ON YOUR SIDE - AN
OUTBREAK ON
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE GLOBE -
UNLESS YOU WERE TRAVELING
OVERSEAS. A FEW DAYS LATER - THE
WORRY LEVEL TOOK A STEP UP -
SOME EAST TENNESSEANS FOUND
THEMSELVES STUCK ON
CRUISE SHIPS - WITH OUTBREAKS
SPREADING - COUNTRIES WOULDN'T
LET THEM DOCK.
"WE'LL BE OK. WE REALLY WILL.
YOU KNOW THE SHOCK IS
SAYING OH... WHAT AM I GOING TO
DO ALL BY MYSELF."
BUT VIRAL OUTBREAKS ON CRUISE
SHIPS ARE NOTHING NEW.
AND PRESIDENT TRUMP TOLD
GOVERNORS IN EARLY
FEBRUARY HE'D BEEN REASSURED BY
CHINA'S
PRESIDENT THAT WARM WEATHER
WOULD KILL THE VIRUS.
"OUR COUNTRY IS PREPARED FOR ANY
CIRCUMSTANCE. WE
HOPE IT'S NOT GOING TO BE A
MAJOR CIRCUMSTANCE. IT WILL BE A
SMALLER CIRCUMSTANCE."
THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION
CONVINCED:
"THE RISK IS VERY HIGH IN CHINA.
IT'S HIGH REGIONALLY AND IT IS
HIGH AROUND THE WORLD."
THAT TIME - COVID-19...
C-O FOR
CORONAVIRUS.. V-I FOR
VIRUS... D FOR DISEASE
WE HAVE SOME CASES IN THE UNITED
STATES. WE HAVE NO CASES IN
TENNESSEE. THE KNOX COUNTY
HEALTH DEPARTMENT
IS WORKING CLOSESLY WITH THE
TENNESSEE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
TO MAKE SURE WE'RE FOLLOWING
CURRENT GUIDELINES FROM THE CDC.
THOSE CHANGE ALMOST DAILY
FEBRUARY 24TH - THE FIRST OF
COUNTLESS TIMES WE'D HEAR FROM
KNOX COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT
DIRECTOR -
DOCTOR MARTHA BUCHANAN.
BEFORE THE MONTH WAS OUT - THE
FIRST COVID-19 DEATH IN THE U-S.
"BECAUSE OF ALL WE HAVE DONE,
REMAINS VERY LOW."
"WE'RE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT IT
AND WE WILL ALSO, BY
THE WAY, BE ISSUING PUBLIC
STATEMENTS WHEN AND IF THE
TENNESSEE."
THAT FIRST CASE JUST DAYS LATER
- ANNOUNCED MARCH
5TH - A MAN WHO FLEW INTO
NASHVILLE FROM BOSTON.
THE WORRY CAME HOME TO KNOX
COUNTY MARCH 12TH -
OUR FIRST CASE... THE SAME DAY
AS OUR FIRST CANCELATION .. THE
SAINT PATRICK'S DAY PARADE.
"THIS WILL PASS AND THIS WILL
PASS THROUGH AND WE WILL BE
STRONGER FOR IT.. "
THE NEXT DAY - PRESIDENT DONALD
TRUMP DECLARED
COVID-19 A NATIONAL EMERGENCY.
NEW CDC GUIDELINES WERE OFFERED
UP - AN EFFORT DUBBED 15 DAYS TO
SLOW THE SPREAD.
KNOX COUNTY SCHOOLS PUSHED
SPRING BREAK OUT A FEW WEEKS
LONGER.
WE DIDN'T KNOW IT YET - BUT THE
SCHOOL YEAR WAS OVER. AND ON
MARCH 20TH - KNOXVILLE AND KNOX
COUNTY
ORDERED BARS AND RESTAURANTS TO
CLOSE...
GYMS IN THE CITY HAD TO CLOSE
TOO.
ONE OF THOSE BUSINESSES WE
FEATURED - ELKMONT EXCHANGE -
WILL NOT SURVIVE INTO 20-21.
MARCH 30TH WE TURNED FROM
ECONOMIC WORRY.. TO
PERSONAL TRAGEDY WITH KNOX
COUNTY'S FIRST DEATH REPORTED
GOVERNOR LEE ISSUED HIS SAFER
AT HOME ORDER THAT DAY.
WITH IT - ANOTHER THICKET OF
RULES FOR BUSINESSES TO
NAVIGATE.
SOME HAD TO CLOSE.
OTHERS HAD A PATH TO STAY OPEN -
IF THEY COULD KEEP THE
PUBLIC SAFE.
BUT COULD THEY EARN A LIVING?
I FEEL IT. I FEEL IT. I THINK
SOMETIMES WHAT I FEEL IS
BETTER THAN WHAT I THINK.
BY THE END OF APRIL - CLOSURE
ORDERS WERE
STARTING TO EXPIRE.
WARMER WEATHER WOULD TEMPT
AMERICANS TO BEACHES FOR
MEMORIAL DAY
THE SAME AGAIN FOR INDEPENDENCE
DAY. PEOPLE SPENT THE SUMMER AT
POLITICAL RALLIES AND SOCIAL
JUSTICE PROTESTS.
AND FOR EACH HOLIDAY - WE'D
LEARN OF A SPIKE IN CASES AND
DEATHS.
FALL WEATHER BROUGHT AMERICANS
INDOORS AND THE VIRUS WITH THEM.
THEN CASES AND DEATHS EXPLODED.
TRAGEDY HEAPED UPON TRAGEDY IN
ACCELERATING
FASHION - AS THE U-S CROSSED...
A HUNDRED THOUSAND... THEN TWO
HUNDRED THOUSAND... THEN
THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND DEATHS .
BUT EVEN AS TRAGEDY SWELLED...
AMERICANS FOUND NEW SKILLS AND
STRENGTH TOO - FIGURING
OUT HOW TO CONNECT THROUGH
ZOOM... HOW TO
LEARN AND WORK FROM HOME
THEY SHOWED STRENGTH IN FACING
THE DISEASE WHILE
SEPARATED FROM FAMILY.
MANY HEEDED THE CALL TO STAY
SAFE - EVEN WHILE CELEBRATING
THANKSGIVING REMOTELY -
OR HANDING OUT HALLOWEEN CANDY
THE STRENGTH OF COMMUNITY SHOWED
WITH NEIGHBORS SEWING MASKS
AND THE STRENGTH OF OUR HEROES
WAS ON DISPLAY -
FROM DOLLY PARTON'S DONATION
THAT HELPED FUND THE MODERNA
VACCINE... TO THE COUNTLESS
HEALTH CARE
WORKERS WHO PUT THEMSELVES IN
HARM'S WAY -
BUT AROUND THE TIME OF THAT
MILESTONE - A VACCINE APPROVED
DECEMBER 11TH - THE FIRST SHOTS
DECEMBER
14TH - AND HERE IN KNOXVILLE
DECEMBER 17TH - HOPE
STARTING TO SHOW UP BY THE
BOX-FULL... >
SUMMER
AND BE SURE TO STAY WITH US THIS
WEEK AS WE CONTINUE OUR YEAR IN
REVIEW..
TONIGHT AT FIVE -- WE'LL BE
TAKING A LOOK AT WHAT HAPPENED
IN OUR