# How would we cope if this pandemic had hit in this way 30 years ago (1990)?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-we-cope-if-this-pandemic-had-hit-in-this-way-30-years-ago-1990/850354>\
**Category:** The Quarantine Zone\
**Tags:** covid-quarantine\
**Created:** [March 26, 2020, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-we-cope-if-this-pandemic-had-hit-in-this-way-30-years-ago-1990/850354 "2020-03-26T19:41:40Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![split\_p\_j](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e19b73/32.png) [@split\_p\_j](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/split_p_j)\
**Post date:** [March 27, 2020, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-we-cope-if-this-pandemic-had-hit-in-this-way-30-years-ago-1990/850354/21 "2020-03-27T18:36:57Z")

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> [@RickJay](#):
>
> Gosh, I think it would have been the exact opposite. People would have taken it far LESS seriously, and many more people would have died.

May I ask why you think that? All of the media sources would have been saying the same thing. TV, radio and newspapers all would have had the same message.

Like I said, I was a senior in high school that year, so I may be remembering the times differently than an adult of the time would.

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**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\
**Post date:** [March 27, 2020, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-we-cope-if-this-pandemic-had-hit-in-this-way-30-years-ago-1990/850354/22 "2020-03-27T18:44:33Z")

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> [@JohnT](#):
>
> We wouldn’t have the calm, soothing presence of social media.

If you imagine this as being said by Billy D. Williams it almost sounds convincing. [“Works eeevery time!”](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pK5HmuCMBM)

Billy D., where art thee?

Stranger

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**Author:** ![skdo23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@skdo23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/skdo23)\
**Post date:** [April 2, 2020, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-would-we-cope-if-this-pandemic-had-hit-in-this-way-30-years-ago-1990/850354/23 "2020-04-02T20:00:25Z")

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Western economies weren’t nearly as interlinked with China’s, which meant far less travel back and forth. This may have at least slowed the spread throughout the rest of the world.

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