14 photos from a year ago - the week normal life ended

• The World Health Organization was declared a pandemic on March 11, 2020 - one year ago today.
• World leaders attempted to remain optimistic as to when a sense of life-as-we-knew-it would return.
• Photos show how the world changed in the last week before normalcy came to a startling halt.

On March 11, 2020, the world was plunged into unprecedented circumstances. The coronavirus spread to nearly every country around the globe, prompting the World Health Organization to declare it a pandemic.

That same day, actor Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson announced they had tested positive for COVID-19, then-President Donald Trump halted all travel from Europe, and the NBA suspended the rest of its 2020 season after Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert tested positive for the coronavirus.

Two days later, Trump declared a national emergency in the US, urging Americans to shutter inside their homes and social distance in a bid to contain the virus.

As scientists and researchers scrambled to learn more about the newly emerged virus, world leaders attempted to remain optimistic as to when life-as-we-knew-it would return. Now a year later, the US is still adjusting to the new normal, with the number of daily cases plateauing amid the rollout of vaccines that were developed in record time.

One year after the world was faced with an unparalleled disruption, here are 14 photos to show how the world has changed since the coronavirus was declared a pandemic:

People attended events mask-less and in non-socially-distanced crowds, such as Big Ten Tournament game.

Fans enjoy the action tonight as it was announced the the remaining games of the mens Big Ten Tournament will be played with out fans in the stands due to the concern of the coronavirus on March 11, 2020 at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN.      Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Hugs and embraces soon became a thing of the past as elbow bumps and distanced waves became the accepted way to greet others with health safety in mind.

Betty Pochinski, 77 and Ed Wilson, 83 dance as band plays in Lake Sumter Landing Market Square in The Villages, Florida on March 11, 2020.      Eve Edelheit for The Washington Post via Getty Images

Panic-buying items became a trend as people raided grocery stores of common necessities, like hand sanitizer, face masks, and toilet paper.

Shelves with toilet paper and disinfecting wipes are nearly empty at a Pavilions supermarket in South Pasadena on March 11, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.      Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times

Researchers scrambled to learn more about the coronavirus as the race began to develop a treatment or vaccine for it.

A lab technician begins semi-automated testing for COVID-19 at Northwell Health Labs on March 11, 2020 in Lake Success, New York.      Andrew Theodorakis/Getty Images

Drive-through coronavirus testing sites started to pop up around the country in an attempt to bolster and streamline testing and contact tracing efforts.

Medical staff test a person for the coronavirus in a drive-through setting at the Kaiser Permanente Geary Street campus in San Francisco, Calif. Wednesday, March 11, 2020.      Jessica Christian/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

Healthcare workers rallied to support their fellow medical professionals to protest pay cuts and demand more personal protective equipment as hospitals braced for an influx of COVID-19 patients.

Registered nurses and others listen to speakers during a National Nurses United rally at Alta Bates Summit Medical Center Calif., on Wednesday, March 11, 2020.      Jane Tyska/Digital First Media/East Bay Times via Getty Images

A nursing home in Washington was the site of one of the first COVID-19 outbreaks in the US, highlighting the increased danger of coronavirus spreading among the high-risk population of older individuals and those with underlying conditions.

In this March 11, 2020, file photo Judie Shape, center, who has tested positive for the coronavirus, blows a kiss to her son-in-law, Michael Spencer, left, as Shape's daughter, Lori Spencer, right, looks on, as they visit on the phone and look at each other through a window at the Life Care Center in Kirkland, Wash., near Seattle.      Ted S. Warren, File/AP

The initial shock of the pandemic sparked a crash in the stock market, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) plunged 6,400 points in March of last year.

Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on March 11, 2020 in New York.      Bryan R. Smith / AFP via Getty Images

Tourists visited landmarks and sites in droves before the coronavirus forced museums and other non-essential buildings to shutter their doors amid a halt in both international and domestic travel.

Tourists are arrive for springtime visits as crowds fill the U.S. Capitol, in Washington, Wednesday, March 11, 2020.      J. Scott Applewhite/AP

The sports world came to a screeching halt as the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of upcoming tournaments.

In this March 11, 2020, file photo, fans leave the Golden 1 Center after the NBA basketball game between the New Orleans Pelicans and Sacramento Kings in Sacramento, Calif., was postponed at the last minute due to the coronavirus.      Rich Pedroncelli, File/AP

The pandemic led to a major decline in public transit demand as some companies let their employees work from home.

Passengers ride a Red Line car at South Station MBTA station in Boston, MA on March 11, 2020.      Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

University students were sent home and proceeded with classes virtually via Zoom.

University of New Haven students Victoria Salazar and Alexis Cervantes (from left) leave their nearly deserted residence hall room with bags packed after the campus closed due to coronavirus concerns on March 11, 2020.      Mark Mirko/Hartford Courant/Tribune News Service via Getty Images

After months of downplaying the threat of the coronavirus, then-President Donald Trump declared a national emergency and urged Americans to stay in their homes to stem the spread of the virus.

President Donald J. Trump meets with bank CEOs about Coronavirus COVID-19 response in the Cabinet Room at the White House on Wednesday, March 11, 2020 in Washington, DC.      Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Top US infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci became a beacon of hope in the US as he offered advice and guidance to Americans to navigate the pandemic.

Representative Stephen Lynch (D-MA) and Dr. Anthony Fauci (R), Director, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at National Institutes of Health, greet each other with an elbow bump before the start of a House Oversight and Reform Committee hearing concerning government preparedness and response to the coronavirus, in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill March 11, 2020 in Washington, DC.      ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images