A face mask remains in the parking lot of the VASA Fitness located just off University Parkway in Orem on Tuesday, March 17, 2020. VASA Fitness announced that it would be temporarily closing all 45 of its clubs, six of which are in Utah County, across six states on Tuesday until an undetermined date to encourage social distancing and prevent the spread of novel coronavirus.

I don't know that I'll live to see the world turn upside down quite as much as it did this March again in my lifetime.

If at the start of the month you had told me that by the end of March all schools, gyms, dine-in restaurants, movie theaters, and many other businesses would be closed, that sports seasons, concerts, conferences and any unessential gatherings of more than 10 people would be postponed indefinitely, that traveling by airplane would be heavily restricted and highly dangerous, and that "social distancing" and staying at home would become essential commonplace practices, and so, so much more, I would've called you a crazy person.

But, that's the reality we are all living in now that coronavirus has seemingly seeped into nearly every facet of our lives.

I feel that regardless of how much money you make, where you live, what you do for work, your age, your race, your stage in life, or any other characteristic, COVID-19 has likely touched your life in some way. Coronavirus is a terrible sickness that's caused so much pain, sadness, distress and death worldwide at a blistering speed, but through that negativity, some people have brought out the goodness in humanity.

Working in a smaller market, there are no coronavirus testing sites for me to photograph, bustling hospitals full of patients, or some of the other common things generally appearing in news photographs, so much of the Daily Herald's coverage has been more on the smaller-scale, community level. Which, I personally love. The latter half of my month was filled with vignettes of community members and local organizations aiding in their own ways to help out their communities in light of the coronavirus. 

Experiencing this crazy time with the community I live in while simultaneously covering the community for the newspaper has been a therapeutic and fulfilling experience. It makes me feel like we are truly all in this together, and helps me, and hopefully through my coverage, the community at large get through troubling times. However, being out in the field just as often as I usually am despite a "work from home" order by our newspaper has left me a bit anxious about contracting or potentially spreading the virus (though I have not shown symptoms, yet) and the ethical implications of putting myself in a position where I could not only get myself and those in my life sick, but also get those I cover sick. I have taken precautions, both in how I approach assignments and my personal hygiene, to prevent catching or spreading the virus, but it seems that there is no sure-fire-bet to beat coronavirus.

Unlike any of my pervious blog posts, this one is primarily chronological (from this point down). It begins with the normalcy of how March began, and mid-way turns into what the majority of my focus has been the past several days: coronavirus-related coverage. It truly blows my mind how much everything has changed, not even day by day, but even hour by hour at times, this month, and it has made me so thankful for the supportive network of people I have in my life.

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders takes the stage with his wife, Jane Sanders, during a rally held at the Utah State Fairpark on Monday, March 2, 2020, in Salt Lake City. The rally was held the day before Super Tuesday, where Sanders would eventually win Utah in the Democratic presidential primary with 79728 votes, totaling 36.14% of the popular vote. President Donald Trump won Utah in the Republican presidential primary with 302,751 votes, totaling 87.79% of the popular vote.

Springville point guard Paul Terry poses for a portrait Thursday, March 12, 2020, at Springville High School. A senior, Terry has been selected by the Daily Herald as the All-Valley Boys Basketball Player of the Year.

Provo senior James Tomasi poses for a portrait Monday, March 9, 2020, at Provo High School. Tomasi wrestles in the 285-pound weight class, and plans on attending the United States Air Force Academy after graduating high school.

Utah Valley University pitcher Travis Parker (11) prepares to pitch during the BYU Cougars’ home opener against the UVU Wolverines held at Miller Park on Tuesday, March 3, 2020, in Provo.

Bruce McEwen, 65, poses for a portrait among his collection of ski gear and memorabilia at his home in Orem on Thursday, March 5, 2020. In February McEwen entered the Guinness Book of World Records after becoming the first recorded person to ski in all 50 U.S. states on natural snow.

Brigham Young University defensive back Javelle Brown (10) makes a catch while guarded by fellow defensive back Keenan Ellis (30) and also while offensive lineman Mo Unutoa (68) runs against weighted bands during the first day of BYU football’s spring camp held at the Indoor Practice Facility on Monday, March 2, 2020, in Provo.

Springville point guard Ahna Hullinger poses for a portrait Thursday, March 12, 2020, at Springville High School. A senior, Hullinger has been selected by the Daily Herald as the All-Valley Girls Basketball Player of the Year.

Rachel Moises, of Orem, holds her 5-month-old daughter, Laura, as she and her son, Gabriel, 9, push carts of groceries at Costco in Orem on Thursday, March 12, 2020. Moises said she has eight children in her family.

Chad Pritchard prepares tomato sauce with the help of his daughter, Maddie, 16, at Fat Daddy's Pizzeria on Monday, March 16, 2020, in Provo, Utah. The pizzeria is making free meals available for school-age children that are in the free and reduced-price school lunch program in light of the statewide closures on schools until May 1 due to COVID-19.

Kelsey Weight, assistant manager of guest services, cleans doors to the Butterfly Biosphere at Thanksgiving Point on Friday, March 13, 2020, in Lehi. Three days later, Thanksgiving Point closed in light of the spread of COVID-19.

A motorist drives past a crack, which was reportedly caused by an earthquake according to a Lehi resident, along Morning Vista Road on Wednesday, March 18, 2020, in Lehi. According to the University of Utah Seismograph stations, the earthquake was 5.7 in magnitude and hit Magna at 7:10 a.m. on Wednesday, roughly 33 miles north of Lehi, through residents throughout much of the state reported feeling the quake.

Geovanni Guzman, principal of Suncrest Elementary School, hands out a bag of donated Chick-fil-A sandwiches to a construction worker at Mountain View High School on Thursday, March 26, 2020, in Orem. The fast food giant donated a total of 5,000 sandwiches to local schools this week, approximately 1,900 of which were passed out to Alpine School District employees on Thursday. The sandwiches were primarily given to school employees, but a few construction workers renovating the Orem Fitness Center beside the high school also drove through for a meal.

Julie Brooks, a first-year law student at Brigham Young University’s J. Reuben Clark Law School, poses for a portrait near the campus of BYU on Thursday, March 19, 2020, in Provo. Brooks started a petition calling for BYU-contracted landlords to allow students to immediately terminate their contracts under a clause in the housing contract. The petition has over 10,000 signatures.

Aubrey England searches for a colored pencil while her children, clockwise, Brielle, 6, Macie, 5, Ivy, 5, and Jay, 1, illustrate scenes as they create art books chronicling the lives of local seniors Wednesday, March 25, 2020, at the England family’s home in Highland. “My girls love to do art,” said Aubrey. “So, they called a few older ladies in our neighborhood and asked them to share stories from their lives.” They had the speakerphone on during the interviews and all of them took down notes and then they decided which life story they would each like to draw.

Provo Police Chief Richard Ferguson embraces his wife, Sally Ferguson, after he received the Utah State Fraternal Order of Police’s Chief of the Year award during a ceremony held at the Provo City Council Chambers on Wednesday, March 25, 2020. Less than 10 people attended the private ceremony, which was held in lieu of an annual gala, in order to limit the spread of coronavirus.

Gabrielle Howlett, left and London Vickers, both of Pleasant Grove, direct moviegoers before a drive-in movie held at Water Gardens Cinema 6 on Friday, March 27, 2020, in Pleasant Grove. The traditional movie theater transformed into an impromptu drive-in theater in order to comply with health regulations concerning coronavirus and also help to stay in business.

Preston Merrill, 9, eats a snack as he and his brother, Asher, 10, both of Pleasant Grove, watch “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” during a drive-in movie held at Water Gardens Cinema 6 on Friday, March 27, 2020, in Pleasant Grove. The theater is currently showing double-features each night.