Wearing Masks in 1918 to Prevent the Flu

The Mask Slackers 

In 1918, most of the ordinances to wear masks were in the Western states.

Most people complied to the orders because World War I was going on. Anything people could do to prevent the troops from becoming infected was regarded as an act of patriotism.

Ordinances, which varied in different sections of the United States, included closing schools and places of amusement, orders not to spit on the streets, rules to use handkerchiefs or tissues, and requirements to wear masks.

The Red Cross called people who didn’t co-operate “mask slackers.”

Some people wore masks made of gauze.

Signs such as “Wear a mask or go to jail,” and “Wear a mask to save your life,” reached out to influence the public.

Those who failed to wear masks were sometimes charged fines, sent to prison, or had their names printed in the paper.

An officer for the San Francisco board of health shot a man who refused to wear a mask.

The San Francisco mayor paid a fine of $50 for showing up at a boxing match without his mask.

It was not uncommon to make a hole in a mask for smoking.

Some factions argued against wearing masks because they created fear and kept people from remaining calm.

Businesses expressed fear that shoppers required to wear masks would stay away.

 The above information is paraphrased from 1918 Spanish Flu Mask Wearing Resistance, which quotes American Pandemic: The Lost Worlds of the 1918 Influenza Epidemic by Nancy Bristow.

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