MONROE — The unquestioned biggest story of 2020 was the COVID-19 pandemic. Locally, more than 3,000 cases were found combined in Green and Lafayette counties, with more than a dozen deaths among them.

When the virus reached Wisconsin in March, Governor Tony Evers issued a Safer at Home order, which shuttered businesses, schools and public gatherings. When public and private schools closed on March 13, classrooms went into virtual learning through the end of the school year, with teachers, students, parents and districts adjusting its instruction on the fly. During the summer months, each school district developed plans for the 2020-21 school year, with nearly all local schools responding with a mix of face-to-face and virtual instruction.

High school sports were also deeply affected, with the WIAA canceling the girls and boys basketball tournaments before the state championships could be held in March. Then, the WIAA delayed the start of the spring season, only to ultimately cancel it altogether. In late July and August, the WIAA delayed the start of the fall sports season, and ultimately gave schools the option for an alternate fall season in the spring of 2021.

Local events such as high school graduations, Breakfast on the Farm, Monroe Balloon Rally, Green County Fair, Cheese Days and Concerts on the Square were also postponed or canceled. Businesses, like restaurants and bars, were forced to close their doors in the spring during Wisconsin’s Safer at Home order, and many struggled after reopening in late May. Unemployment levels in the area more than doubled during March and April, before slowly recovering.

Court cases were suspended for a length of time, and when resumed, many were held virtually, as were public meetings. The April election saw an increase in mail-in voter ballots, as well as early curbside voting in the area. Main-in ballot numbers increased even more for the November presidential election.

Early on, COVID-19 affected coastal cities and regions, but in late summer the number of cases in Wisconsin grew more rapidly, including Green and Lafayette County. Green County saw its first case March 20, and about two weeks later Lafayette County had its first case. In early fall, a permanent COVID-19 testing site began operating on Monroe’s west side. In November, daily case numbers across the state grew to over 7,000 at its worst. More than 4,000 people died in Wisconsin from complications of the virus in 2020.