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Daily newspapers report on new infections and deaths due to infection with the new virus, and publish recommendations on how to behave in order to minimize the risk of disease. Among them there are, among others it is about wearing masks in public spaces. For a time, masks have been widely accepted, but the longer the epidemic lasts, the more “anti-masks” appear. Sounds like 2021? The same thing happened 100 years earlier in the Spanish pandemic.
- The first confirmed case of a Spanish woman was recorded in San Francisco in late September 1918. Half a month later, more than 2000 people were infected. One of the recommendations of health specialists was to wear masks in public spaces
- The anti-mask movements appeared as early as October 1918, but only at the beginning of 1919 gained strength, thanks to the establishment of the “Anit-Mask League”, i.e. the anti-mask league
- Failure to comply with the recommendations to protect the mouth and nose was punishable by a reprimand, fine or arrest. In one night, over 100 people were arrested without masks
- Even health officials disagreed about wearing masks. Some treated them as a hope to stop the epidemic, others openly admitted that the masks did not protect and there was no point in wearing them
- More information can be found on the Onet homepage.
Masks in San Francisco during Spanish time
In San Francisco, the first cases of Spanish flu began to appear in the fall of 1918 – the first documented case was reported in late September. The epidemic spread quickly – in mid-October there were over 2000 cases of the disease in the city. The City Health Council did the same as the governments of many countries did in 2020. To avoid the spread of the disease, they introduced a number of restrictions: gatherings were banned, schools and theaters were closed, and citizens were warned to avoid gatherings. Masks also appeared in the public space. Initially, they were worn by hairdressers, hotel employees, bankers, pharmacists and sellers, all those who deal with customers on a daily basis.
On October 25, 1918, San Francisco authorities issued an ordinance that required all residents to wear masks in public places and in groups of more than two people. Eating was an exception.
Initially, the residents of San Francisco understood with understanding about the need to wear masks and it is estimated that 80 percent. citizens obeyed this order. Interestingly, in other states, the issue of “masking” was approached differently. For the most part, governments made recommendations regarding the wearing of face masks, but they were not enforced in any way.
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In San Francisco, anyone who wore a mask improperly or did not wear it at all was accused of disturbing the peace, was reprimanded and, if he showed no improvement, fined or imprisoned.
The mask ordinance was lifted on November 21, 1918, as new infections began to decline. On January 17, 1919, with the second wave of the pandemic, a new ordinance appeared, requiring the wearing of masks again. This time it met with resistance from part of the society.
Antymaseczkowa League w San Francisco
The January regulation sparked opposition among San Francisco citizens who decided to oppose the government and founded the Anti-Mask League, the Anti-Mask League. The League included doctors, ordinary citizens, and even members of the Board of Supervisors. According to estimates, about 25-1919 thousand participants took part in the meeting of the Antimascale League on January 4, 5, which took place at the ice rink. citizens. The president of the anti-mask revolution is EC Harrington – a lawyer and civil rights activist from San Francisco. The league demanded the abolition of the mask requirement, but also wanted the resignation of the health officer and mayor of San Francisco.
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On January 27, the League presented a petition to repeal the regulation regarding the necessity to wear masks. On February 1, San Francisco face masks were no longer required by the Health Council.
Prosecution for non-compliance with the obligation to wear masks
Although the Anti-Mask League was not formed until the second ordinance of San Francisco authorities, earlier there were also people who strongly expressed their opposition to the wearing of mouth and nose guards. TampaBay describes, among others the case of a blacksmith who was shot by a sanitary inspector during the intervention on the lack of a mask. How did it come about? The blacksmith without a mask loudly encouraged others to disobey the order of “masking”, shouting that “this is all nonsense”. Hearing this, the sanitary inspector decided to intervene, forcibly dragged the man to the pharmacy and ordered him to buy a mask. There was a struggle, the inspector took out a revolver and fired at the blacksmith, injuring two other people in the process. The whole action was described in the “San Francisco Chronicale” of October 29, 1918. Both gentlemen were arrested.
On the same night, more than 100 other people were arrested for lack of masks. Most were fined, and a few were arrested for 10 to 30 days.
Masks are for women, not men
There were suggestions in the press that the masks were intended for women, not men. There were such slogans as: “masks do not fit male faces, as well as beautiful girls”.
A correspondent from Atlanta, who wrote for the newspaper Tribune, portrayed the face masks as a stylish accessory of clothing. The pinnacle of elegance was tying the chiffon veil of the mouth and nose in a Far East style and pinning the hair so that it protrudes slightly between the chiffon mask and the brim of the velor hat.
One of the doctors who worked in San Francisco at the time said that face masks are helpful and prevent the spread of the flu, but only if they are worn correctly. Sounds familiar? In 2020, as more and more people started wearing mouth and nose protectors, WHO reminded us to do it correctly, otherwise we can do more harm than help.
There has been a long debate about the appropriateness of wearing masks during the Spanish pandemic. Doctors who attended the American Public Health Association conference in Chicago in December 1918 split into two camps. Some of them believed that the masks were “the country’s greatest hope”, others, such as the Health Commissioner from Detriot, called them “pure fake”.
The bottom line, however, is that historians say the decline in deaths from the Spanish flu in San Francisco can be partly attributed to a mandatory mask wearing policy.
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