NEW YORK – Looking back on 2020, The National Herald has compiled a list of the top 10 articles viewed on its website which received record numbers of views this year due unfortunately to the global COVID-19 pandemic. The hits and views reflect the overwhelming concerns and curiosity of our readers and highlight the responsibility of TNH to provide the most accurate and up to date information possible during the most trying times and under difficult circumstances. The numbers were not at all surprising when we think back on the year and hopefully next year will bring much brighter and happier events to share with our readers. 

The top online article of the year, titled Coronavirus Cases Hit 89 in Greece, All Schools Shut Down for Two Weeks, was published on March 11, when Coronavirus news was already dominating the headlines everywhere, and the date when the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. 

The second most popular article online this year seems poignant now. Titled, Greek Words for Love Highlight of Super Bowl Commercial, the article was published on February 5 and refers to a commercial for New York Life, the nation’s largest mutual life insurer with more than $500 billion in assets under management, which also celebrated its 175th anniversary in 2020.

The core business of the company includes life insurance, retirement income, investment management, and long-term care insurance. New York Life is the leading provider of life insurance and income annuities in the United States. The company’s Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer is Greek-American Theodore A. Mathas. 

The third most popular article this year, Illinois Gov. Announced the End of a 10-Week Stay-at-Home Order, was published on May 29, and offered some hope that the worst of the pandemic, at least in its first wave in the United States, was over. 

The next on the list, Dep. FM Vlassis Participates in 47th Anniversary Events for South Africa's Saheti School, was published on June 2. In a post on his Twitter account, Vlassis said, "with great joy, today I participated in the celebration for the 47th anniversary since the inauguration of the historic Saheti School in South Africa. A school that promotes the values of our culture and is a real jewel for the Greek Diaspora." 

The love of Greek food and the need to support local restaurants were reflected in the next article on the list, Tucson Offers Plethora of Greek Restaurants, published March 14. Of the eight restaurants featured in the article, all but one are still serving delicious Greek food in the Tucson area. Sadly, Athens on 4th Avenue, which was operated by Greek-born chef and owner Andreas Delfakis for nearly 30 years, shut down in June due to the pandemic, Tucson Foodie reported. 

Sadly, the epidemic of mass shootings drew our readers to the next article on the list, 16 Killed in Shooting Rampage, Deadliest in Canadian History, published on April 20. A gunman disguised as a police officer shot people in their homes and set fires in a rampage across the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. A police officer was among those killed. 

Next on the list, titled Death Inequality – Why was Queens Devastated by COVID-19?, was published on April 16. Dr. Georgios Syros wrote about why Queens suffered so much due to the

Coronavirus. Dr. Syros, Director of Cardiac Electrophysiology and Director of Cardiology Operations at Mt. Sinai Queens in Astoria, reported that he was exclusively seeing hospitalized COVID-19 patients for the three weeks before the article was published. 

Another COVID-related article also made the list, A Pennsylvania State Official Kept His COVID-19 Diagnosis a Secret, published on May 29. Pennsylvania State Rep. Andrew Lewis, R-Dauphin, waited a week before disclosing his COVID-19 diagnosis and the state attorney general declined to investigate, which caused an uproar in the Pennsylvania State House of Representatives where Democrats said the Republican legislator needlessly put people’s health at risk. 

Next on the list, Cuomo Announced All People in NYS Experiencing Flu-Like Symptoms Are Now Eligible for Test, was published on May 18. At that time, the state expanded eligibility as it dealt with a surplus of testing capacity. Cuomo said drive-thru and walk-in testing sites were performing about one-third of the 15,000 tests they were capable of each day. In all, the state was then testing about 40,000 people per day. 

Finally, the tenth article on the list this year, Fire Destroys Cottage at the Church of Our Savior in Rye, NY, reflected the concerns of readers for the safety of the community.