On March 11, 2020, the WHO declared the novel coronavirus a pandemic. For some of us, our lives changed radically in that moment. For others, our lived experiences shifted more gradually in the coming days and weeks. For a few, life as we knew it had been turned on its head weeks, even months, earlier. This exhibit features individual stories of how a group of Rutgers-Newark students, their professor, and various peoples in their lives that they interviewed reacted in the initial moments -- most often the beginning few days -- of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Among our stories you'll find humor, despair, disbelief, hope, and -- writing our memories of the pandemic's initial days six to seven months later in fall 2020 -- regret at early nonchalance. Our First Days reflect some common experiences, such as panic buying toilet paper, saying farewell to family and friends for a while, and donning our first masks. Our First Days also feature some less common experiences, such as jetting off to Vegas for a good time, settling bets, and watching friends attend a NOVID party at a frat. We invite you to learn about our First Days.