Wednesday marks the fifth anniversary of the first major nationwide closings and cancellations due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

March 12, 2020, saw announcements of closings of landmarks such as Walt Disney World and the cancellation of major college basketball conference tournaments. The previous night had seen the NBA postpone its season and the news that legendary actor Tom Hanks had tested positive for the virus in Australia.

President Donald Trump also declared COVID-19 a national emergency on the night of March 11.

34,725 Pennsylvanians died from COVID-19 in 2020 and 2021 combined. Schools were also forced to close, and many businesses were unable to survive the closings and lack of traffic.

Read the full article here: https://www.fox43.com/article/news/local/5th-anniversary-covid/521-19d2a5aa-8484-490c-9e30-85ba65e26f99

WPMT-FOX43’s YouTube channel is a hub for the best of FOX43 News and its investigative reports, top headlines, and digital exclusive content: youtube.com/c/fox43 SUBSCRIBE: youtube.com/c/fox43