Looking Back at March 2020

Five years after COVID hit, what has our community learned?

By Art Bukowski | March 22, 2025

It’s been just over five years since the world was turned upside down by the full onset of the COVID-19 outbreak, which by March of 2020 had led to widespread and major restrictions on work, socialization, and much more.

While this may feel like a distant memory for some, the effects of both the virus itself and resulting lockdowns are still very much felt by many people.

Northern Express reached out to several people in the community and asked them to share one difficult and one uplifting memory from the first several months of the pandemic. We also asked them what they learned from the experience that they’ve used to create positive change within their companies or organizations.

Harry Burkholder: Executive Director, Traverse City Downtown Development Authority

(Editor’s note: Burkholder was the DDA’s chief operating officer when COVID first hit)

One difficult memory: It was all pretty difficult. The inability to hold public meetings made decision-making clunky and hard, and many projects were simply put on hold. The most difficult part, however, was realizing that there was only so much we could do to support our downtown businesses until they were allowed to reopen—they were the true champions of adversity.

One uplifting memory: The pandemic pushed us to implement innovative solutions that might not have happened otherwise. One example was closing two blocks of Front Street to vehicles for most of the summer. This closure gave downtown restaurants additional space for outdoor seating and created more public space to accommodate both crowds and social distancing. To support this change, we also converted a portion of State Street to two-way traffic.

Lessons for positive change: The temporary conversion of State Street to two-way traffic during the pandemic sparked renewed interest in studying downtown circulation and the feasibility of converting other one-way streets to two-way operation. … Building on the success of State Street’s temporary conversion, the DDA partnered with the City in 2022 to launch a two-year pilot program, converting all of State Street—as well as Pine and Boardman—to two-way traffic. Data collected over the past two years indicates that the conversion has led to a two-mile-per-hour reduction in average vehicle speed on State Street, while instances of excessive speeding (over 35 mph) have been cut nearly in half. These changes have helped create a safer, more pedestrian-friendly downtown environment.

Tina Schuett: Co-owner, Rare Bird Brewpub

One difficult memory: The day we had to shut down and lay all of our employees off was one of the worst days of my life. I take being an employer as a serious job and know that I'm responsible for the livelihood of all of my staff. Telling them that we were shutting down and having no answers as to when things would be coming back was very hard. … The next hard thing was asking them to come back to work and put themselves at risk to serve people. It was exceptionally hard when we had to deal with COVID deniers and anti-maskers that didn’t want to adhere to rules and were rude to our staff. COVID brought out a lot of beauty in people but it also brought out some of the worst. We had one of our hosts get spit on by an angry customer for just asking him to follow the rules we were required to follow to be open. It really disgusted and angered me that people could be so rude to a poor kid just trying to do her job.

One uplifting memory: The outpouring of support from our community in the uncertain times was amazing. We had people buying gift cards and takeout to the point of it being hard to keep up at times. It felt really good to know that we still had our community behind us in a time that felt so isolated and unsure. A lot of people were just sending nice messages and words of encouragement which was really nice to receive.

Lessons for positive change: Some [lessons] were small, like learning people really don’t like ordering from QR codes and that they crave face-to-face interactions or that we could actually offer takeout via online ordering. Some were bigger, such as learning to be really flexible and learning to adjust to rules and regulations changing weekly and completely molding our business model to fit the rules on the drop of a hat. … Another big lesson was that the customer is not always right. I think our industry as a whole had gotten to a toxic point of customers thinking they could do no wrong and that we just had to do whatever they wanted to make them happy even when they were not being kind. … Our job is to give people a great experience dining out, which is what we always strive for, but we refuse to be bullied or disrespected now. It’s our job to keep our staff safe first and foremost.

Anne Stanton: Executive Director, National Writers Series

One difficult memory: My lowest point came early on. At the end of the workday on March 11, I received a call from Marcy Lindberg, our volunteer coordinator for Battle of the Books, which is a reading competition that the National Writers Series holds each year. She suggested we cancel the championship battle only two days away. I didn’t immediately agree, … but Marcy stressed that the virus was highly contagious, we expected 400 people to come, and asked how would I feel if someone was fatally infected. We canceled that night and later declared the two advancing as co-champions for 2020. Even so, the kids and parents were deeply disappointed, and it was an omen of what was coming.

One uplifting memory: We created an essay contest, “Life in the Time of Virus,” as a way to share each other’s stories and process the strange new world we were living in. Hundreds of submissions rolled in! The essays validated the sense of grief and frustration we all felt, providing a much deeper sense of community and the power of the word to comfort others. (Visit nationalwritersseries.org/life-in-the-time-of-virus)

Lessons for positive change: I learned from successfully offering our events virtually during COVID that many people either couldn’t physically come in-person or preferred to watch our events at home. So, we’ve continued to offer all our events both livestream and in-person. The Wege Foundation gave us $30,000 to buy new cameras and other equipment, which makes the virtual show a much richer experience. I’ll never say that I’m grateful for COVID, but the livestreaming makes our events consistently accessible, has added fans from around the world, and provides more financial stability.

Dan Thorell: Health Officer, Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department 

(Editor’s note: Thorell was director of environmental health at the Grand Traverse County Health Department when COVID first hit.)

One difficult memory: After the lockdowns and executive order restrictions were in place for several weeks, I came to the realization that the response to COVID-19 was in no way going to be short term, like it was for H1N1 in 2009. I remember thinking that we were going to be working on this pandemic response for years and that was something that caused me a lot of anxiety and uncertainty. In many ways, the public health community is still dealing with the pandemic and its aftermath.

One uplifting memory: When the lockdowns began in March of 2020 and all throughout those first months, I was moved by the community support for those of us in public health and healthcare. The community rallied behind us, and we have dozens of people that volunteered to help with the response throughout the pandemic. We could not have vaccinated over 70 percent of the community without the volunteers.

Lessons for positive change: Even though there was so much to do every day during the pandemic response, we needed to spend more time making sure our staff were taking care of themselves. There was so much burnout and stress amongst the public health workforce during that time which resulted in staff leaving the profession. I have embraced the importance of work/life balance and self-care for my staff. … One more lesson learned was that you can never communicate too much. Much of the mistrust for public health during and after the pandemic was born from lack of clear, concise communication.

Jennifer Standfest: Chief Nursing Officer, Munson Healthcare

One difficult memory: There was so much fear and confusion. I remember preparing to close down some of the hospital units, sending employees home, and receiving news of our first patient who was positive for COVID. I also recall our daily briefings and hearing about our first COVID patient in northern Michigan who passed away. I also remember being required to restrict visitors and nurses having to use iPads to help loved ones communicate with each other when everyone was in lockdown.

One uplifting memory: I remember the team delivering a baby in the COVID unit and how much teamwork it took for this to occur safely. I also remember the community support was amazing! Waiting outside in their cars to honk at teams arriving for work, making signs, leaving chalk art on the sidewalks. Providing donations of flowers and meals to lift spirits, but also literally bringing in gloves, masks, face shields, hand sanitizer, and so many other practical items from personal or local business supplies when the supply chain was at standstill.

Lessons for positive change: The opportunity we had to truly work together across the region was a huge step for our evolution as a system and toward our current regional care transformation vision. Patients, equipment, and resources were dispersed around the regions to ensure safe and effective care occurred. In addition, our ability to respond to a true extended public health emergency was tested; allowing us to improve systems, collaboration, and communication. It was a true privilege to serve our community in this extremely difficult time. … It is my sincere hope that in reflection and with time the experience contributes to our overall professional pride and personal resilience.

Bethany Korbel: General Manager, Comfort Keepers of Traverse City (an in-home care service provider)

One difficult memory: The first few months of lockdown were dominated by one thing: fear. People were faced with uncertainty, anxiety, and impossible decisions. We were caring for the most vulnerable population of seniors, most of whom already had health challenges. We were facing constantly changing information and guidance and watching with alarm as fatalities climbed. One of the most difficult tasks was having to inform families and caregivers about potential COVID-19 exposures. It was heartbreaking—these were people already navigating isolation and health challenges, and suddenly, they were faced with terrifying unknowns. … Meanwhile, securing proper PPE felt like an impossible task. We knew our caregivers were frontline heroes, yet there were moments when we weren’t sure we could get them what they needed to stay safe.

One uplifting memory: Amidst the chaos, there were moments of incredible resilience and humanity. One of the most uplifting was how our team came together to support one another. Our administrative team went virtual overnight and adapted quickly to the new reality. We made sure our staff had access to on-demand virtual counseling through our Employee Assistance Program. We also saw incredible acts of kindness—caregivers going above and beyond to ease the fears of seniors, sitting outside windows to keep them company, delivering meals and groceries, and finding ways to bring joy despite the circumstances. That sense of purpose and commitment was inspiring.

Lessons for positive change: The challenges of COVID-19 changed the way we operate at Comfort Keepers for the better. We strengthened communication, ensuring caregivers and families always feel informed and supported. We refined our emergency response protocols, so we’re always prepared for the unexpected. Most importantly, we made mental health a core focus, ensuring our staff always have access to the support they need. The pandemic reinforced that our work isn’t just about care—it’s about connection, trust, and resilience.

Bruce Patterson: Founder and CEO, HealthBioAI (a company working on treatment for so-called “long-haul” or “long” COVID)

One difficult memory: The lockdown was very different for me because I am a virologist and I felt a tremendous responsibility given my background and experience. We worked day and night in the lab on a drug class that could quell the cytokine storm (a life-threatening systemic immune response). The most difficult memory for me was how it was affecting my family, especially my daughter in her senior year of high school. No prom, and graduation was drive-in movie style sitting in cars.

One uplifting memory: Publishing our first paper on our acute COVID drug treatment trial in the spring of 2020 while also waiting for the mail every day to see where our daughter was going to college.

Lessons for positive change: When we discovered the immune abnormalities of long COVID, patients were being sent to mental health professionals because routine tests were normal. Being able to sit in front of a patient almost five years ago and say “I believe you” was half the battle of getting them better. We are extremely excited that our discoveries and publications from three years ago are being replicated, and the FDA has approved our long COVID clinical trial of our drug to proceed. Yes, it is extremely gratifying to wake up every day and know that we have a significant and exciting means to diagnose and potentially treat long COVID.