One Year Later: A timeline of the COVID-19 pandemic in Kane County

It’s been one year since the first COVID-19 case was confirmed in Kane County, marking the beginning of the pandemic that has altered life as we know it by shuttering schools and businesses and forcing us to change the way we do just about everything.

The virus has killed more than 720 Kane county residents, and there have been more than 51,000 positive cases among Kane County’s population of 532,403.

Here’s a look back at some significant dates in the pandemic:

Jan. 31, 2020: The World Health Organization declares a public health emergency, as cases are now found in the U.S., Germany, Japan and other countries.

Feb. 3, 2020: The Trump administration declares a public health emergency.

March 10, 2020: The first confirmed COVID-19 case in Kane County is a woman in her 60s.

Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital in Geneva. (Sandy Bressner)

March 11, 2020: WHO declares COVID-19 a pandemic.

March 11, 2020: The St. Charles St. Patrick’s Day parade is canceled

March 13, 2020: Gov. JB Pritzker orders all Illinois schools closed until March 30.

Students leave Geneva High School on March 13, 2020, just as former President Trump announced that he is declaring the coronavirus pandemic a national emergency. The school had canceled all extra-curricular activities March 13, 2020. (Sandy Bressner)

March 16: Restaurants and bars close at 5 p.m.

March 21, 2020: Pritzker issues a stay-at-home order for Illinois.

March 24, 2020: The first COVID-19 death is reported in Kane County, a man in his 90s in Aurora.

April 17, 2020: Pritzker announces all Illinois schools will remain closed for the remainder of the academic year.

April 23, 2020: Pritzker extends stay-at-home order through the end of May.

Gov. JB Pritzker announces an extension of the stay at home order for Illinois as well as a mandatory face covering order at his daily Illinois COVID-19 update April 23, 2020 at the Thompson Center. (Chicago Sun)

May 5, 2020: Pritzker announces the five-phase Restore Illinois plan.

Gov. JB Pritzker's Restore Illinois plan. (Gov. Pritzker)

May 29, 2020: The state, except Chicago, moves into Phase 3 of the plan. Nonessential retail, salons, barber shops and more are allowed to reopen with capacity limits, gyms can offer outdoor group fitness classes and outdoor dining is permitted.

With cooler weather approaching, bars and restaurants are looking at their options as COVID-19 restrictions remain in place that limit the number of customers that can sit indoors. The city closed a portion of First Street in downtown St. Charles to vehicles in order to increase outdoor dining opportunities. Outdoor dining in the downtown proved to be popular during the summer months. (Sandy Bressner)

June 26, 2020: All regions in Illinois move into Phase 4 of the plan, allowing indoor dining. Gyms, theaters, museums, zoos and more reopen, all with capacity limits. Gatherings of up to 50 people are permitted.

Julie Donahue leads a Zumba class at the Geneva Park District's Stephen D. Persinger Recreation Center on June 10, 2020. Fitness classes are allowed in outdoor settings as part of Illinois Phase 3 of reopening. (Sandy Bressner)

Oct. 23, 2020: Region 8, which includes Kane and DuPage counties, moves back into Tier 1 mitigations, which prohibit indoor dining, but permit outdoor dining.

Illinois' Phase 4, Tier 3, Tier 2 and Tier 1 mitigation plan. (Illinois Governor's Office)

Nov. 7. 2020: Kane County has its highest case rate during the pandemic to date at 663 cases per 100,000 people.

Nov. 18, 2020: Kane County’s test positivity rate hits 18%, the highest to date.

Nov. 20, 2020: Kane County and the entire state of Illinois move into Tier 3 mitigations, the most restrictive phase since early spring, due to a spike in cases and hospitalizations.

Dec. 12, 2020: Kane County has 35 COVID-19 deaths reported the week ending Dec. 12, the highest number of deaths in a week to date.

Dec. 16, 2020: The Kane County Health Department receives its first COVID-19 vaccine shipment. The 4,795 doses are distributed to five Kane County hospitals to administer to front-line health care workers.

Bickford of St. Charles resident Louise Burhop receives his second dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2021. (Sandy Bressner - sbressner@shawmedia.com)

Feb. 3, 2021: Region 8 moves into Phase 4 after positivity rate, hospitalizations and ICU bed availability meet the metrics. Indoor dining resumes with limited capacity.