Americans celebrated Christmas more than a century ago during the previous pandemic with some of the same concerns of today, including the possibility of meeting loved ones and risking a deadly infection.
But by 1918, World War I had just ended and many soldiers were heading home on vacation to see the family. And with the federal government less prominent than it is today, and the emergence of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 1946, still decades away, states and, much more, local municipalities, they applied variable restrictions across the country.
The second wave of the so-called Spanish flu rose in the United States in November, but the pandemic was far from over and a third wave would hit US cities the following year. However, the day of the November 11 armistice sparked reasons for celebration, and some people complained that churches were closed while halls remained open, according to Smithsonian magazine.
In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where very observant German and Norwegian immigrant populations lived at the time, residents complained that churches were closed during Advent and churches were allowed to hold services for a special exception on Christmas.
In the December 21, 1918 issue of the Ohio State Journal, the state’s interim health commissioner warned people to “take care of mistletoe,” recommending a “kissless vacation” for combatants in the Ohio State Journal. grip. He also warned not to attend parties or meetings, given the risk of bringing infections to the family.
“Demonstrate your love for father and mother, brother, sister and the rest of them this year better by attending to your home instead of making annual Christmas visits, holding family reunions and parties in general,” said the commissioner at the time. “It goes against everything we like to do not to celebrate the holidays … And yet we must not do it. I’m sorry to say that. “
Influenza Encyclopedia, a project edited by historian Howard Markel and produced by the University of Michigan Center for the History of Medicine, compiled centennial newspaper clippings that provide information about what life was like for Americans at the time.
On Christmas night, the Nebraska State Health Board classified the Spanish flu as a “quarantine disease,” according to the December 24, 1918 issue of the Omaha Daily Bee. In Omaha, at least 500 homes were quarantined and none of the people living in a home where there was even a case of the flu were able to leave “until four days after the fever fell.”
“Big blue cards are now being printed to put on homes instead of the current‘ voluntary ’cards which only mean danger,” the newspaper wrote. “A fine of $ 15 to $ 100 is provided for any violation of the quarantine order.
The country’s population was much smaller than it is now: there were only 103.2 million people in the United States in 1918, compared to the current approximately 328.2 million. And it is estimated that the Spanish flu would kill about 675,000 people in the United States before the pandemic finally ended in 1919. It killed about 50 million people worldwide and nearly a third of the world’s population at that time became infected.
“Without a vaccine to protect against the flu infection or antibiotics to treat secondary bacterial infections that may be associated with flu infections, control efforts around the world were limited to non-pharmaceutical interventions such as isolation, quarantine, a good personal hygiene, the use of disinfectants and limitations of public meetings, which were applied unevenly, ”according to the CDC.
During this time period, many American families could relate to losing a child to diphtheria or seeing a loved one suffer from polio, so in general, more people were willing to follow the instructions of the health departments. public officers sometimes wore insignia and had police powers. In some circumstances, officials had the power to quarantine you by force or put you on a quarantine station on an island, according to Smithsonian magazine.
More than 116,000 Americans lost their lives during World War I, many of whom died after catching the flu. But with men returning from European battlefields and other military bases, there was a sense of global euphoria in the country after a victory of democracy over authoritarianism.
In the December 12, 1918 issue of the Boston Globe, the Boston Department of Health warned not to meet for the holidays after seeing a rebound in cases after the Victory Day and Thanksgiving crowds.
Even in San Francisco, known for one of the worst outbreaks and the strictest restrictions, people flooded the streets to celebrate the armistice on Nov. 11, which came at the end of a mask-wide mandate. the city destined to slow down transmission. When cases began to escalate again over Christmas, city officials wanted to enforce the warrant, but people resisted.
The companies, which were suffering significant economic losses, wanted the long-awaited Christmas shopping rush, although the tone and restrictions of these activities varied from place to place.
For example, the December 20, 1918 issue of Spokesman-Review published in Spokane, Washington, warned that the city health office would have a sworn city inspector but paid by the store to ensure that buyers do not they did. pile up the hallways. This contrasts with the December 21, 1918 issue of the Salt Lake Tribune that encouraged shoppers to sponsor stores after the “big economy and economy” practiced over the past year.
“We can all afford to let go of some bonds at this time of year. The Lord has prospered us as a nation and we don’t need to pinch, scrape and close our bag and heart during the holidays. But let’s not forget that the The Red Cross needs money to carry out its great work, “the number said.
Although newspaper entries show that people still mourned the loss of traditional celebrations, they are more likely not to miss close relatives, as it was more common for extended families to live nearby or in the same home, in compared to today, when more Americans live far away. of their hometowns.