Americans celebrated Christmas more than a century ago, during the previous pandemic, with some of the same concerns of modern day, including the possibility of reuniting with loved ones and risking a deadly infection.
But in 1918, the First World War had just ended and many soldiers were returning home on vacation to see the family. And with the federal government less prominent than it is today, and the advent of the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in 1946, even decades ago, states, and even more so local municipalities, implemented several restrictions on All country.
The second wave of the so-called Spanish flu shot in the United States in November, but the pandemic was far from over and a third wave would hit American cities the following year. Still, Armistice Day on November 11 brought cause for celebration – and some people complained that churches were closed while bars remained open, according to Smithsonian Magazine.
In Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which was home to a population of deeply observant German and Norwegian immigrants at the time, residents complained that the churches were closed during Advent, and the churches were allowed to hold services for a special exception on Christmas Day. .
In the December 21, 1918 edition of the Ohio State Journal, the state’s interim health commissioner warned people to “be careful with mistletoe”, recommending a “kissless holiday” for flu fighters. He also warned against attending parties or meetings, due to the risk of bringing infections to the family.
“You will show your love for father and mother, brother, sister and the rest of them better this year, staying in your own home instead of paying for annual Christmas visits, holding family meetings and parties in general,” said the commissioner. in time. “It is contrary to everything we like to do not celebrate the holidays… And we shouldn’t do it. I’m sad to say that. “
Influenza Encyclopedia, a project edited by historian Howard Markel and produced by the Center for the History of Medicine at the University of Michigan, compiled clippings from centuries-old newspapers that provide information about what life was like for Americans at that time.
On Christmas Eve, the Nebraska State Health Council classified Spanish flu as a “quarantine disease,” according to the December 24, 1918 edition of the Omaha Daily Bee. In Omaha, at least 500 houses have been quarantined and none of the people who lived in a house where there was at least one case of flu was allowed to leave “until four days after the fever has subsided”.
“Large blue cards are now being printed to be nailed to homes instead of the current ‘voluntary’ cards that only mean danger,” wrote the newspaper. “A $ 15 to $ 100 fine is provided for any violation of the quarantine order.
The country’s population was much smaller than it is now – only 103.2 million people lived in the United States in 1918, compared with about 328.2 million today. And the Spanish flu would kill about 675,000 people in the United States before the pandemic finally subsided in 1919. It killed about 50 million people worldwide and almost a third of the world’s population at the time was infected.
“Without a vaccine to protect against influenza infection and without antibiotics to treat secondary bacterial infections that may be associated with influenza infections, control efforts around the world have been limited to non-pharmaceutical interventions such as isolation, quarantine, good personal hygiene , use of disinfectants and limitations of public meetings, which were applied unevenly ”, according to the CDC.
During this period, many American families could relate to the loss of a child from diphtheria or the presence of a loved one suffering from polio, so more people were generally willing to follow the instructions of the public health departments whose police officers sometimes used badges and had police powers. In some circumstances, employees had the power to forcibly quarantine you or place you on an island quarantine station, according to Smithsonian Magazine.
More than 116,000 Americans lost their lives during the First World War, many of whom died after contracting the flu. But with men returning from European battlefields and other military bases, there was a general feeling of euphoria in the country after democracy’s victory over authoritarianism.
In the December 12, 1918 edition of the Boston Globe, the Boston Department of Health warned against the holiday meeting after seeing an increase in cases after crowds on Victory Day and Thanksgiving Day.
Even in San Francisco, which was known for one of the worst outbreaks and the strictest restrictions, people stormed the streets to celebrate the Armistice on November 11, which took place at the end of a municipal mask order designed to contain the broadcast. When cases started to increase again at Christmas time, city officials wanted to implement the order, but people resisted.
Suffering considerable economic losses, companies were looking forward to the early Christmas shopping spree – although the tone and restrictions on such activities varied from place to place.
For example, the December 20, 1918 edition of the Spokesman-Review published in Spokane, Wash., Warned that the city health office would have a city-sworn inspector, but paid by the store to ensure that customers do not overcrow aisles . This is in contrast to the December 21, 1918 edition of the Salt Lake Tribune that encouraged shoppers to visit stores after the “great economy and economy” practiced last year.
“We can all afford to launch some links this season of the year. The Lord has made us prosper as a nation, and we don’t need to squeeze, scrape and close the purse and heart during the holidays. But let us not forget that the Red Cross needs money to do its great job ”, said the edition.
Although diary entries show that people still mourn the loss of traditional celebrations, they are more likely not to have missed close relatives, as it was more common for extended families to live close or in the same house – compared to today, when more Americans live far from their hometowns.