2 Years of COVID In FL: How Has Your Life Changed?

FLORIDA — Two years of the coronavirus pandemic have brought face mask debates, school upheaval, businesses and workers struggling to survive, and 69,790 deaths in Florida alone as of Monday. The second COVID-19 anniversary is nearly here.

Patch wants to know how our readers have coped during the pandemic. What have you mourned or celebrated, what financial impacts did you face, what kept you going?

We've created a survey asking how the pandemic has affected you, click here to fill out the survey. If you are willing to talk to an editor, you can share your contact information with Patch; it will be kept confidential.

The survey is not meant to be a scientific poll, with random sampling and margins of error, but is meant only to gauge the sentiments of our readers in an informal way.

The World Health Organization declared coronavirus a pandemic on March 11, 2020.

March 1, 2020, is when state officials confirmed the first cases of the respiratory virus had sickened Florida residents. Within days, life was turned upside down as events were canceled, businesses shuttered — some for months, some forever — schools tried to teach students via video, and face masks and toilet paper were in short supply.

By early 2021 vaccines were rolling out across the country, and Floridians began to gather again at ballgames, restaurants and school events. Summer saw travel skyrocket as families got out of the house, and then the delta variant of the coronavirus sent cases, and hospitalizations, soaring again.

That was followed over the holidays by a surge tied to the omicron variant, with cases finally falling.

On Feb. 25, Florida's positivity rate was 5.6 percent, according to the state's COVID dashboard, which updates weekly. That was down from a ten-week high of 31.3 percent the week of Dec. 31,

Last week the Sunshine State had reported 25,640 COVID cases, state data showed.

The state had seen 119 deaths last week.

Throughout the pandemic, Florida has seen 5,800,561 COVID cases and a total of 69,790 deaths.

In a sign that the country is shifting to living with the virus, the Biden administration loosened federal COVID-19 mask guidance Friday as infection rates return to pre-omicron variant levels around the country.

The change means most Americans live in areas where federal guidelines say they're not required to wear masks indoors.

With COVID-19 numbers falling in Florida, Walt Disney World Resort updated its face mask policy for theme park guests. On Feb. 18, face coverings became optional for all fully vaccinated guests in both outdoor and indoor locations, according to the Walt Disney World website.