Palm Beach Daily News It was a year ago that the world changed for us. Heading into March 2020, the season was in full force. Galas were happening almost daily; restaurants, stores and houses of worship were all open; the beaches were full of sun worshippers. And in just a few days it all changed. The novel coronavirus came to the United States, first on the West Coast before spreading its way across the country. On March 9, 2020, the town's Public Safety Committee held its first meeting on COVID-19. Soon social distancing and flattening the curve became part of the lexicon; masks became a necessity (though some still stubbornly refused to wear them); and people began to get sick.