CHICO, Calif. - The year is about to close, and we are still feeling the effects of the pandemic now more than ever.

At the beginning of the year, the nation was oblivious. From celebrating the New Year with one another quickly turning into a message like this only 12 months later.

“Look at LA county alone – twelve to fifteen thousand cases a day just in the last few weeks. It’s obviously having a big impact, taking a big toll on our hospitals, not only in terms of hospitals proper, but obviously ICU and the impact in terms of acute care – as well as just general emergency care within the system,” Governor Gavin Newsom said.

We hoped that by this time of year, we would all be able to celebrate the holidays together.

But now, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, is worried that we will see a surge upon the surge we are already under.

He said, “That in addition to the surge, we are going to have an increase superimposed upon that surge which could make January even worse than December. I hope not. I hope that doesn’t happen, but it certainly is possible.”

No one was expecting to be dealing with the coronavirus, especially around New Year’s Eve, back in March.

But this year, it’s going to look a lot different. 

How different?

Something like this: empty streets, closed bars and only a few people in sight. It has affected everyone.

Action News Now asked Dailyn Stokes, a recent graduate from Chico State, about what she hopes to do for the holiday.

"I was planning on being in a larger group of people but the only thing that is the same is that I’m going to stay with my boyfriend because he is somebody that I see every day anyway," said Stokes. "Probably going to watch the countdown or something.”

She is not the only one. But with proper management during this holiday, sights of empty streets will be less common.