The impact of COVID-19 would be all-encompassing from March 2020 throughout the remainder of the year – even for those who were not sickened or killed by the virus.
Among the first signs of how life would be different were the Town Meetings scheduled for that time. Jaffrey postponed its Town Meeting after a staff member was potentially exposed to the virus. Town Meeting eventually took place in June, with voters in their cars in the Hope Fellowship Church parking lot.
Other towns conducted their business with extra safety measures in place, but the pandemic also forced the cancellation of high school sports playoffs and necessitated remote learning.
Meetings of town boards went online, and the increase in remote work has carried through to today.