Editor’s note: This story is No. 1 in a series looking at the top 10 stories of 2020 for the Sun Journal, counting down from 10 to 1 from Dec. 23 to Jan. 1.
As it did both nationally and globally, the Novel Coronavirus - COVID-19 – impacted nearly every aspect of life in Craven County, becoming the worst public health crisis in at least a century.
From the hospital and school system, to restaurants, hotels and retailers, the virus closed, confused, and complicated the county’s health, education and business infrastructure in ways never before seen.
The first case of COVID-19 was reported in Craven County on March 14 and its second on March 19. By late March, the Craven County Health Department had confirmed the first incidences of community transmission.