2020 in review: How COVID-19 rose through the year
Kirksville Daily Express
The dominant story of 2020 is the ongoing pandemic from COVID-19.
Adair County reported its first case on March 21, a person who had recently returned to Kirksville from Chicago. As of writing in late December, more than 1,660 cases have been reported and seven county residents have died from the virus.
The economic impacts from the virus and that order saw unemployment rise in the area, just as it did across the country. Adair County had 4.5 percent unemployment in March, which increased to 7 percent in April. The county stayed around that rate for the summer, when there is usually more unemployment already.