What other time did we wear masks in the U.S?
In the midst of involvement of World War 1,
the world saw the outbreak of H1N1 Flu.
One of the precautions taken was to wear masks.
In 1918 an H1N1 Pandemic claimed 675,000 lives
in the U.S alone.
The first recorded infection was in a U.S. Army private stationed at Fort Riley,
Kansas on March 4, 1918. ref link
They closed schools and businesses,
banned public gatherings and isolated and
quarantined those who were infected.
Many communities recommended or required that
citizens wear face masks in public – and this,
not the onerous lockdowns, drew the most ire.
Mid-October 1918
In addition to nationwide posters,
The United States Public Health service recommended
that citizens wear masks by way of leaflets.
The Red Cross organization put out instructions
on how to construct masks with gauze and cotton string.
Regardless of where covid-19 really came from, today we look
back on the history and we all do our part to prevent the widespread.
Times will soon be better.
