[hilbertseries]

During the Spanish flu pandemic, entire cities and towns would get sick and everything would stop. There were also shelter in place orders given during this time. 1918 wasn’t the dark ages, we had telephones and radios. People knew what was happening.

[credit_guy]

> and radios

According to wikipedia first news on radio came in 1920.

"The first radio news program was broadcast August 31, 1920 by station 8MK in Detroit, Michigan."

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_radio#20th_century

[dboreham]

Downtown Abbey didn't get either a radio nor telephone until after the war. They had telegram.