Photos: Remembering the start of COVID

On Thursday, March 12, 2020, Dr. Nick Yphantides, County Chief Medical Officer, confirmed that community transmission of Covid-19 virus has occurred in San Diego and gatherings of more than 250 people will not be permitted at least until the end of the month. (John Gibbins / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Nurse Practitioner Christine Alberto holds medical equipment that will test temperature, heart rate, oxygen levels in the blood, and a swab test, as she prepares to go outside of the COVID Cabana, the name for the COVID-19 testing tent, to test a patient while they sit in their car parked next to the tent at Scripps Clinic Torrey Pines on Friday, March 13, 2020 in San Diego, California. (Hayne Palmour IV / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Students are picked up as school lets out at Sherman Elementary school in Sherman Heights, just east of downtown San Diego, on March 13, 2020. Earlier in the day, it was announced that school will be cancelled starting Monday because of the COVID-19 virus. (John Gibbins / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Encinitas resident Jonny Blue, 33, who is a physical therapist, makes a request for toilet paper so that he can in turn give it to drivers that need it while standing at the intersection of Encinitas Boulevard and El Camino Real on Saturday, March 14, 2020 in Encinitas, California. Blue said that after learning that friend of his, who has children, was unable to buy toilet paper due to people buying up large amounts of toilet paper because of the coronavirus, he decided to start a sort of free exchange of toilet paper in hopes that people of the community would share theirs with others who can’t find any. (Hayne Palmour IV / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Pastor Miles McPherson interviewed San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer, Dr. Wilma Wooten from San Diego County Health and Human Services and El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells during a live streamed service at the Rock Church on March 15, 2020. The Rock Church is holding online services due to the coronavirus. A few essential staff sat in the seats. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
The San Diego Half Marathon was cancelled due to the coronavirus on March 15, 2020. Many local running groups held their own runs in place of the cancelled half marathon. Here, James Clinton and his wife Carolyn celebrate winning their divisions in the Turtle Racing Team race on Harbor Island. Their prizes were a bag of toilet paper, tissues, and hand sanitizer. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Cars line up and make their way through a pop up food distribution at the Monroe Clark Middle School in for participants in the school breakfast and lunch program on Monday, March 16, 2020, the first day of school closures under the COVID-19 virus school shutdown. (John Gibbins / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Maggie Meza, lead child nutrition specialist hands a grab and go breakfast bag to a waiting car at the La Mirada Elementary School, part of the San Ysidro School District, on Monday, March 16, 2020, the first day of school closures under the COVID-19 virus school shutdown. (John Gibbins / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
During Monday’s press conference with Wilma J. Wooten, Public Health Officer County of San Diego, elected officials and medical professionals showed good practices by standing six-feet from each other during the press conference. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Luis Valenzuela wipes down door buttons on a MTS trolley on March 16, 2020. MTS was cleaning trolleys in different locations throughout the county with Simple Green and bleach. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Evelyn Barnett wipes down tables with bleach in-between customers at Matteo restaurant in South Park on March 16, 2020. Later in the day, all sit in dining was closed throughout the state. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Many restaurants in the Gaslamp Quarter were empty due to customers staying away due to the coronavirus on March 16, 2020. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
On southbound State Route 163, near Clairemont Mesa Boulevard, March 17, 2020 in San Diego, California, the Caltrans electronic sign urges motorists to “Disinfect 2 Protect, Wash Your Hands,” one of the way help stop the spread of the coronavirus. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Beach goers enjoy a sunny day in Pacific Beach on March 17, 2020. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
More than 10 people, the maximum recommend size of a gathering in the age of the coronavirus, attended a funeral at Miramar National Cemetery on March 18, 2020 in San Diego, California. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Passengers start to disembark from the cruise ship Disney Wonder, docked at the B Street Pier on Embarcadero, Thursday afternoon, March 19, 2020 in San Diego, California. After the passengers are off the ship, it will depart with only crew onboard. There were no known cases of the coronavirus on the ship according to officials. The ship departed New Orleans on a 15-day cruise, March 6, before many of the measures taken across the country to aggressively target the spread of coronavirus were in place. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
With the downtown San Diego skyline as a backdrop, the cruise ship Disney Wonder, docked at the B Street Pier on Embarcadero, Thursday morning, March 19, 2020 in San Diego, California. The passengers were to disembark from the ship at about noon, before the ship was to leave with only the crew onboard.  (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
A sign letting customers know the social distancing rules to help stop the spread of the coronavirus is in the window of the front entrance at the Ralphs supermarket in the La Jolla Square shopping center, March 19, 2020 in San Diego, California. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Babs France of North Park shops in the Barons Market, North Park location, during the seniors-only time, one hour before the store opened to the general public, March 20, 2020 in San Diego, California. The seniors-only shopping is one of the many byproducts of the coronavirus outbreak, because older adults are one of the most vulnerable groups along with people with underlying heath issues are more susceptible to the virus. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
A trickle of cars made their way into Mexico from the U.S. at the San Ysidro crossing, on Friday, March 20th, 2020 as people got ready for the planned restrictions on crossings starting Saturday. (John Gibbins / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
With the news of the Mexico and USA border closing, many head to the San Ysidro border crossing on March 20th, 2020. (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union Tribune 2020)
The hospital ship USNS Mercy along with it’s staff of 800 Navy medical personnel and support staff, along with more than 70 civil service mariners departed Naval Base San Diego on Monday, March 23, 2020. The Mercy will serve as a referral hospital for non COVID-19 patients. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
The hospital ship USNS Mercy with it’s staff of 800 Navy medical personnel and support staff, along with more than 70 civil service mariners departed Naval Base San Diego as she makes her way out of San Diego Bay on Monday, March 23, 2020. The Mercy will serve as a referral hospital for non COVID-19 patients. (Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
The parking lot at La Jolla Shores beach was closed and only a couple of people were walking on the beach on March 23, 2020. The lot was closed due the ban on gatherings during to the coronavirus. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
The Padres were supposed to have opening day on Thursday, but has been postponed due to the coronavirus outbreak, shown here on March 23, 2020. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Traffic was sparse on State Route 163 on what would usually be a packed Monday morning commute on March 23, 2020 in San Diego, California. (Sam Hodgson / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

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