Editor’s note: This story is No. 1 in a series looking at the top 10 stories of 2020 for The Daily News, counting down from 10 to 1 from Dec. 23 to Jan. 1.
March 12, 2020 was the day the global novel coronavirus pandemic arrived at Onslow County’s doorstep and brought with it a public health crisis full of challenges as well as a community that has stepped up to help those most in need.
During the nine months that have followed that first positive case of COVID-19 reported in Onslow County, there are few aspects of life that haven’t been impacted by the pandemic, from healthcare and education to business and the economy.
Cars filled the Onslow County Fairgrounds Saturday. Families waited with trunks and hatchbacks open as they neared a conveyor belt filled with food boxes and supplies, which were loaded into their vehicles as they passed.
Alissa Morgan, of Jacksonville, who arrived around 8:15 a.m., was nearing the front of the line around noon. It wasn’t the wait that she was concerned about.
Morgan said she is disabled and lives on a fixed income with her 16-year-old daughter, Alicia Murray. COVID-19, she said, has affected her family as it has many others.
Bills are a little higher as they spend more time at home during the pandemic, and there are out-of-pocket expenses for necessary prescriptions and all the additional expenses that come with school sports and internet costs for remote learning.