World 2020 Timeline

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Showing 75 events on this page. Use search or category filters to narrow the year.
Mar
15
Health / Disasters

COVID-19 pandemic in Uzbekistan Uzbekistan confirms the Central Asian country's first case of COVID-19, an Uzbek citizen who had recently returned from France.

COVID-19 pandemic in Uzbekistan Uzbekistan confirms the Central Asian country's first case of COVID-19, an Uzbek citizen who had recently returned from France. All schools, colleges and universities are ordered to close for three weeks, while all public events are cancelled. (Reuters)

Mar
15
Health / Disasters

Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education reports 1,209 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 113 more deaths, the highest number of deaths in a single 24-h

Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education reports 1,209 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 113 more deaths, the highest number of deaths in a single 24-hour period in the country to date, bringing the total to 13,938 confirmed cases and 724 deaths. (Reuters)

Mar
16
Health / Disasters

COVID-19 pandemic in Iran Grand Ayatollah Hashem Bathaie Golpayenagi dies two days after testing positive for COVID-19, as Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical

COVID-19 pandemic in Iran Grand Ayatollah Hashem Bathaie Golpayenagi dies two days after testing positive for COVID-19, as Iran's Ministry of Health and Medical Education reports 129 more deaths from the virus. (Al Jazeera) Economist and social activist Fariborz Raisdana also dies from coronavirus. (Tehran Times)

Mar
17
Health / Disasters

2020 coronavirus pandemic in Brazil Brazil records their first death from COVID-19 in São Paulo state.

2020 coronavirus pandemic in Brazil Brazil records their first death from COVID-19 in São Paulo state. (Nasdaq) Hundreds of inmates escape from a prison in Mongaguá after rioting over new coronavirus restrictions. Riots and escapes are also reported at prisons in Mirandópolis, Porto Feliz and Tremembé with as many as 1,000 prisoners on the loose; at least 174 have been recaptured by police. (Metro)

Mar
17
Health / Disasters

Iran temporarily frees 85,000 prisoners, including political ones and British-Iranian dual national Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, amid the coronavirus outbreak in

Iran temporarily frees 85,000 prisoners, including political ones and British-Iranian dual national Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, amid the coronavirus outbreak in the country. A judiciary spokesman says all of those freed were serving less than five years in prison, while all other prisoners serving heavier sentences remain in jail. (Reuters)

Mar
18
Health / Disasters

2020 Salt Lake City earthquake An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.7 hits Salt Lake City, Utah, with several aftershocks reported and tens of thousands of resid

2020 Salt Lake City earthquake An earthquake with a magnitude of 5.7 hits Salt Lake City, Utah, with several aftershocks reported and tens of thousands of residents left without power. The earthquake is the largest in the state since the 1992 St. George earthquake. (CNN)

Mar
18
Health / Disasters

COVID-19 pandemic in Spain, 2020 Spain coronavirus lockdown King Felipe VI of Spain addresses the nation in a special speech for the second time in his reign, a

COVID-19 pandemic in Spain, 2020 Spain coronavirus lockdown King Felipe VI of Spain addresses the nation in a special speech for the second time in his reign, and the sixth by a monarch in the democracy’s 40 years. Focusing on the coronavirus pandemic, he gives his appreciation for the work of health personnel and calls for a break in differences, stating that Spaniards can "defeat this crisis" through unification. (El País)

Mar
18
Health / Disasters

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education In the United States, several K–12 school systems will keep their learning facilities physically closed for the rem

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education In the United States, several K–12 school systems will keep their learning facilities physically closed for the remainder of the academic school year due to the coronavirus pandemic, resulting in 92,000 American schools across 39 states, and 42.1 million students and their families, transitioning to online learning, while some systems will not calculate grades at all. (Education Week) (CNN)

Mar
18
Health / Disasters

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on religion The Greek Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople issues a worldwide suspension of all "divine services,

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on religion The Greek Orthodox Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople issues a worldwide suspension of all "divine services, events, and rites, with the exception of private prayer in churches that will remain open, until the end of March". (Ecupatria)

Mar
18
Health / Disasters

In the United States, several K–12 school systems will keep their learning facilities physically closed for the remainder of the academic school year due to the

In the United States, several K–12 school systems will keep their learning facilities physically closed for the remainder of the academic school year due to the coronavirus pandemic, resulting in 92,000 American schools across 39 states, and 42.1 million students and their families, transitioning to online learning, while some systems will not calculate grades at all. (Education Week) (CNN)

Mar
18
Health / Disasters

King Felipe VI of Spain addresses the nation in a special speech for the second time in his reign, and the sixth by a monarch in the democracy’s 40 years.

King Felipe VI of Spain addresses the nation in a special speech for the second time in his reign, and the sixth by a monarch in the democracy’s 40 years. Focusing on the coronavirus pandemic, he gives his appreciation for the work of health personnel and calls for a break in differences, stating that Spaniards can "defeat this crisis" through unification. (El País)

Mar
19
Health / Disasters

COVID-19 pandemic in California Six counties in the San Francisco Bay Area announce shelter in place orders for all residents due to the ongoing coronavirus pan

COVID-19 pandemic in California Six counties in the San Francisco Bay Area announce shelter in place orders for all residents due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. (San Francisco Chronicle) Los Angeles County, California, announces a near-lockdown, urging residents to stay in their homes and to only go out in public for essential needs. (The San Diego Union-Tribune) California Governor Gavin Newsom issues a statewide stay-at-home order for all Californians except for essential errands such as grocery shopping or for medical services. (PBS NewsHour)

Mar
19
Health / Disasters

COVID-19 pandemic in Florida Florida Senator Rick Scott urges those visiting the state for spring break to stay away from public beaches to avoid the spread of

COVID-19 pandemic in Florida Florida Senator Rick Scott urges those visiting the state for spring break to stay away from public beaches to avoid the spread of the coronavirus. (Sun-Sentinel) In an effort to prevent those visiting the state for spring break from gathering on beaches amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis institutes Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines preventing large crowds and says "the party’s over." However, he stops short of closing all public beaches in the state, despite calls for him to do so. (New York Post)

Mar
19
Health / Disasters

In an effort to prevent those visiting the state for spring break from gathering on beaches amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis

In an effort to prevent those visiting the state for spring break from gathering on beaches amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis institutes Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines preventing large crowds and says "the party’s over." However, he stops short of closing all public beaches in the state, despite calls for him to do so. (New York Post)

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