A Year Of The Pandemic In Burlington: Share Your Story

BURLINGTON, MA — In a year that's felt like a decade, it's hard to believe the first anniversary of the declaration of coronavirus as a global pandemic is only arriving now.

For the March 11 anniversary, Patch is collecting stories from local residents about the past year. We want to hear about something that stood out to you, be it a memory about someone who died, a moment of hope you experienced or something you're looking forward to as vaccines bring the promise of a return to life before the virus.

The first case of COVID-19 came to Massachusetts in February 2020, when a UMass-Boston student returned from the state from a visit to Wuhan, China. The second case didn't appear until March 2, but by that point the virus was likely widespread in the state. It would be about two weeks before Gov. Charlie Baker shut down nearly the entire state.

As of Feb. 25, about 546,000 Massachusetts residents had tested positive for the virus and over 15,600 residents had died — more than all the deaths of state residents in World War II, Korea and Vietnam combined.

Here's how to tell us your story:

• Email local editor Christopher Huffaker at chris.huffaker@patch.com
• Publish your story using the Patch Neighbor Post feature
• Leave us a note in the comment section below