1918 or 2020? This public health order from the flu pandemic sounds a lot like today
A public health order from the City of Cleveland during the 1918 flu pandemic may sound familiar to many 102 years later.
Close churches, schools, libraries and theaters. No more public weddings or funerals. Loitering in restaurants and saloons is prohibited. Avoid crowded elevators.
Those orders sound all too familiar in 2020 as officials tell people to stay inside and avoid gatherings to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
An image of the 1918 order was shared by Case Western Reserve University’s Encyclopedia of Cleveland History.
“Then as now, isolation was seen as the best preventative. The initial approach was to suggest voluntary closures, but on October 14th theaters, movie houses, dance halls, night schools, churches, and Sunday Schools were ordered to close,” according to the encyclopedia.
John Grabowski, a professor of history at Case Western and editor of the encyclopedia, said the orders in 1918 “were not quite as strict as they are now.”
“Streetcar conductors were ordered to assist police in arresting those who spat on the floor of the cars. Outdoor gatherings could take place only with permission. The closure of schools followed on October 15th,” the university said.
Within a week of the order, there were 1,000 people in Cleveland hospitals suffering from the “grippe,” as influenza was called a century ago.
The parallels don’t end there: “A concern about a shortage of beds for patients was answered by using other spaces in the city including the Cleveland Normal School and the local headquarters of the Liberty Loan war bond drive. The operating hours of local businesses were further shortened,” the university said.
The 1918 pandemic came as World War I continued to rage in Europe, and Cleveland’s industry was a big part of the war effort, Case Western historians said.
“The estimated death toll for the United States was 675,000, and for Cleveland more than 4,400 or 474 per 100,000 — a higher rate than that in Chicago or New York City,” according to the university.
“That’s a substantial hit for Cleveland,” Grabowski said. The 1918 flu epidemic killed so many people that it actually lowered the average lifespan in the country, he said.
He cautioned against making a “one-to-one comparison.” In an interview with McClatchy News, Grabowski said, “History doesn’t repeat itself. Patterns repeat themselves.” He said the important part is to look for the differences.
The 1918 flu infected much younger people than the COVID-19 pandemic, he said, and it came at a major point in world history as the biggest powers fought a bloody war across Europe.
The pandemic began to wane the next month and businesses and schools were allowed to open back up just as the armistice was signed to end The Great War.
Here’s the full text of the order:
City of Cleveland
Department of Public Welfare, Division of Health
10-15-1918
For the purpose of preventing a severe epidemic of Spanish Influenza in the City of Cleveland, the following health regulations are hereby promulgated to continue in force and effect until further notice;-
- All places of public congregation including churches, theatres, moving picture houses, dance halls, lodge rooms, assembly rooms, public halls, pool rooms, bowling alleys, cabarets, and all other places used for general meetings whether public or private are hereby closed.
- Public, parochial, and private schools, including night schools, also public libraries and art museums will close beginning midnight, Tuesday, October 15th, 1918.
- If there is an increase in the number of cases of Spanish Influenza in the city of Cleveland it will be necessary to issue additional restrictions covering all places where persons congregate. In order to avoid necessity for further restrictions to prevent the spread of this disease, it will be imperative for those operating stores, factories, and shops to prevent patrons and employees from loitering or congregating in groups.
- All public funerals and weddings are prohibited.
- Under instructions from the State Department of Health, special caution is hereby given to persons operating restaurants, saloons, and cafes that loitering in these places must be strictly prohibited.
- The crowding of all elevators and all public conveyances must be avoided to the greatest possible degree. During the prevalence of epidemic influenza all street cars, factories, offices, dining rooms, and other rooms or places which must be occupied should be given the greatest amount of ventilation possible.
- Special permission of the Commissioner of Health must be obtained for all open air meetings.
Signed Dr. Harry Rockwood
ACTING COMMISSIONER OF HEALTH.
This story was originally published March 30, 2020 at 11:01 AM with the headline "1918 or 2020? This public health order from the flu pandemic sounds a lot like today."
