I'm currently reading 1918 by John Barry. People absolutely did not take the pandemic in stride. In fact, they "adapted their individual behavior" far more than

I'm currently reading 1918 by John Barry. People absolutely did not take the pandemic in stride. In fact, they "adapted their individual behavior" far more than people are doing today, because they were terrified. A large percentage of people simply stopped showing up for work, even in defense-related businesses during a world war. Social life "more or less" came to a halt, because people were afraid of each other. As for government actions, there were mask mandates, closures of businesses in some areas, and towns that posted armed guards at the borders to keep outsiders away.