On This Day

Australian state of Victoria announces state of disaster and imposes further lockdown measures after spike in COVID-19 c

Australian state of Victoria announces state of disaster and imposes further lockdown measures after spike in COVID-19 cases

Countries and territories around the world enforced lockdowns of varying stringency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Some included total movement control while others enforced restrictions based on time. In many cases, only essential businesses were allowed to remain open. Schools, universities and colleges closed either on a nationwide or local basis in 63 countries, affecting approximately 47 percent of the world's student population.

Beginning with the first lockdown in China's Hubei province and nationwide in Italy in March 2020, lockdowns continued to be implemented in many countries throughout 2020 and 2021. On 24 March 2020, the entire 1.3 billion population of India was ordered to stay at home during its lockdown, making it the largest of the pandemic.

Historical Significance

Countries and territories around the world enforced lockdowns of varying stringency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Events Before

  1. Dutchman Michael van Gerwen wins his 3rd PDC World Darts Championship; beats Englishman Michael Smith 7-3 at the Alexand

    Dutchman Michael van Gerwen wins his 3rd PDC World Darts Championship; beats Englishman Michael Smith 7-3 at the Alexandra Palace in London

  2. US grounds all Boeing 737 Max aircraft after bans by other countries following the plane type's second crash in Ethiopia

    The Boeing 737 MAX is a series of narrow-body aircraft developed by Boeing Commercial Airplanes as the fourth generation of the Boeing 737.

  3. Climate change strikes held by schoolchildren take place around the world, inspired by Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg

    Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg is a Swedish activist best known for pressuring governments to address climate change and social issues.

  4. Syrian Democratic Forces announce that the last Islamic State territory has been retaken, raising flags in Baghuz, Syria

    Syrian Democratic Forces announce that the last Islamic State territory has been retaken, raising flags in Baghuz, Syria, and ending the five-year Islamic State "caliphate"

  5. Amazon's Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Bezos agree record-breaking $35 billion divorce settlement

    Amazon's Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Bezos agree record-breaking $35 billion divorce settlement

Events After

  1. Cuba's "day zero" unifies its two currencies by withdrawing the Cuban Convertible Peso (CUC), alongside steep increases

    Cuba's "day zero" unifies its two currencies by withdrawing the Cuban Convertible Peso (CUC), alongside steep increases in prices and salaries, effectively devaluing the remaining Cuban Peso for the first time since 1959 [1]

  2. First Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines are given to the general public, with 82-year-old Brian Pinker in the UK the

    First Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines are given to the general public, with 82-year-old Brian Pinker in the UK the first to receive the jab [1]

  3. Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump storm the Capitol in Washington, D.C., during Congress’s certification of Joe

    Supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump storm the Capitol in Washington, D.C., during Congress’s certification of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’s victory, resulting in five deaths and prompting the evacuation of lawmakers and Vice President Mike Pence

  4. Military coup in Myanmar; civilian leaders are detained, including Aung San Suu Kyi, and a one-year state of emergency i

    Military coup in Myanmar; civilian leaders are detained, including Aung San Suu Kyi, and a one-year state of emergency is declared (still in effect)

  5. Kim Kardashian West files for divorce from her third husband, Kanye West after almost seven years

    Khloé Alexandra Kardashian is an American media personality, socialite, and businesswoman.

More from the 2020s

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on August 2, 2020?
Countries and territories around the world enforced lockdowns of varying stringency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Some included total movement control while others enforced restrictions based on time. In many cases, only essential businesses were allowed to remain open.
Why is Australian state of Victoria announces state of disaster and imposes further ... significant?
Countries and territories around the world enforced lockdowns of varying stringency in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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