Combating the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Role of the SARS Imprint

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Ru, Hong; Yang, Endong; Zou, Kunru
• 署名单位: Nanyang Technological University; University of Macau; Renmin University of China
• 刊物名称: MANAGEMENT SCIENCE
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0025-1909
• DOI: 10.1287/mnsc.2021.4015
• 发表日期: 2021
• 页码: 5606-5615
• 关键词: covid-19; imprint; SARS experience; delayed response

摘要

We provide evidence of delayed attention and inaction in response to COVID19 in countries that did not experience SARS in 2003. Using cross-country data, we find that individuals in countries that had SARS infections in 2003 searched more intensively for COVID-19-related information on Google in late January 2020, the time of the first known outbreak in Wuhan, China. Early attention to the novel virus, as measured by Google searches, is associated with deeper stock market drops in countries with SARS experience. In contrast, people in countries without SARS experience started to pay more attention much later, in March. Moreover, governments in these countries responded significantly more slowly in implementing social distancing policies to combat domestic COVID-19 outbreaks than governments in countries with SARS experience. Moreover, such early responses of individuals and governments in countries with SARS experience are prevalent within continent, even in non-Asian countries. Furthermore, people in countries with SARS experience are more compliant with social distancing rules. These timely attention and proactive responses of individuals and governments are more pronounced in countries that reported deaths caused by SARS, which left deeper imprints. Our find-ings suggest that the imprint of similar viruses' experience is a fundamental mechanism underlying timely responses to COVID-19.