WATCH LIVE: Biden Addresses the Nation on One-Year Anniversary of the Covid Shutdown

It was one year ago today when our nation changed forever. On Thursday night, President Joe Biden will mark the solemn occasion with a speech offering a bit of good news, with Americans badly seeking a return to normal.

Until the evening of March 11, 2020, the coronavirus was not seen as an imminent, serious threat by many Americans. But in the space of 90 minutes, the NBA abruptly shut down its season, American icon Tom Hanks was announced to have contracted the virus, and then-President Donald Trump gave a sobering address from the Oval Office.

The past year has brought with it unparalleled devastation. More than 530,000 Americans have died from Covid-19, and nearly 30 million in all are confirmed to have had the virus. Schools and businesses across the nation have shuttered. American life has been stopped in its tracks.

But on Thursday, President Biden plans to offer some hope. In his address to the nation, he will announce that all Americans will be eligible to sign up for a vaccine by May 1. Further, he will float the possibility that if Americans continue to wash their hands, socially distance, mask up, follow CDC guidelines and get a vaccine, there is a chance that the U.S. will be able to celebrate Independence Day on July 4 with backyard barbecues and other small, outdoor gatherings. The news is likely to be received as a welcome — if small — respite for a nation which has now spent a full year in the throes of a pandemic.

The address begins at 8:00 p.m. ET. Watch above, via the White House.