Never forget: NJ shut down 2 years ago today (Opinion)

It was two years ago today that the governor ordered things to be shut down. Many people believed it would only be for 15 days.

A State of emergency had been declared and people were ordered to stay home after 8 p.m. except for essential services or emergencies. No one knew at the time what was going to happen.

All we knew was that a deadly virus started in China and was now in the U.S. and spreading. People were unsure exactly how it spread or how to avoid catching it. Health officials were warning that this could be catastrophic.

Hand sanitizer and cleaning products were flying off the shelves. Masks had not yet been officially recommended by public health officials. Health officials and government types were concerned that there wouldn’t be enough masks for medical professionals.

We were just starting to hear about people being hospitalized, put on ventilators and some died. No one really knew the exact course to take or what lay ahead. It was an anxious and historic time. We had seen outbreaks of certain flu viruses in various parts of the world and even some in our country but nothing like this.

There was a real sense of uncertainty that none of us had experienced before in our lifetime. There was to be no car traffic on the roads after 8 p.m.

This is what it looked like on a county road in Medford on the evening of March 16, 2020, two years ago today.

Opinions expressed in the post above are those of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Dennis Malloy only.

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