5:19 pm UTC Dec. 24, 2020 The coronavirus pandemic has irrevocably changed life in Michigan — killing thousands, disrupting everyone's lives, and harming or destroying businesses, big and small. It began on March 10 when Michigan's first two coronavirus cases were confirmed. Within days, schools would close, office workers and others would begin transitioning to working from home, and on March 16, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer orders bars, restaurants, theaters, and casinos to close and restricts gatherings to less than 50 people — forcing thousands into unemployment and businesses scrambling to stay afloat. And in another week, as people began dying from the virus, the governor issued the stay-at-home order — banning all public and private gatherings of any size outside of a family home.