12 ‘Normal’ Cell Phone Photos Taken Before the Pandemic Took Over

The reality of the coronavirus pandemic wasn't exactly clear to me until I took a look back at my photos on my phone.

The date was March 13, 2020.

I remember it being the Friday before St. Patrick's Day and it was shaping up to be an epic weekend. That was, of course, until COVID-19 hit the area and the radio station immediately went into quarantine lockdown.

All of the on-air hosts were set up to broadcast from the safety of their homes. Our co-workers in the office would also work from home. Nobody was allowed to enter the station except for me and a small skeleton crew. Social distancing took a steadfast hold and before anyone knew what was happening, the SouthCoast was shut down.

There was no more shaking hands, no more hugging and families were being separated from their loved ones. What a strange and odd time this was. It all felt foreign and the mystery of it all was somewhat frightening.

Nobody foresaw a shortage of toilet paper, nobody foresaw one-way aisles in grocery stores and nobody foresaw an entire worldwide population asked to wear face masks to not only protect themselves but others around them as well.

Fast-forward 10 weeks and a lot of things we thought were OK in the past are no longer acceptable, just like the last 12 photos that I found in my phone featuring activities that at the time were completely normal, but are now frowned upon and possibly even illegal.

Here's a quick look back on simpler times and fond memories: