COLUMBIA - Thursday is the one year mark of the World Health Organization declaring COVID-19 to be a global pandemic. One year later, Missouri and the whole world has gone through a trying year with constant changes. The pandemic began on March 11, 2020. With the WHO's pandemic announcement, the University of Missouri also switched classes to online through spring break from COVID-19 concerns. Two days later on March 13, Governor Parson declared a state of emergency in Missouri over the COVID-19 pandemic. Columbia shortly followed with a declaration of emergency within city limits on March 16. The Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services spokesperson explained what it was like within the first few days of the pandemic.Â