The Spanish Flu epidemic happened more than 100 years ago, but a recent photograph going viral claims that people who did not wear masks at the time were arrested by authorities and sent to jail.
The claim comes as many travelers on public airlines, trains, metros, and buses would be required to pay fines that range from $500 to $3,000 if they refused to properly wear face masks. The situation comes as the coronavirus pandemic continues to spread and raises similar fears as the 1918 flu.
Spanish Flu Mask Mandates
Recent mandates have received widespread criticism from the public and some lawmakers, with some people being aggressive in their opposition. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) of the United States has received thousands of reports of unruly passengers who refused to wear face masks on planes, fueling disputes over federal mask requirements.
But the recent claim suggests that there were even stricter mandates during the Spanish influenza that threatened people of the world in 1918 and 1919. The black-and-white image features a sign that reads, "Wear a Mask or Go To Jail" that is pinned to a young woman's coat, MSN reported.
The woman can be seen standing next to two young men who were wearing white cloth masks and brimmed felt hats that covered everything but their eyes. The photo was captioned, "1918, Spanish Flu" and was posted on Dec.14.
More than 1,300 social media users shared the Facebook image. However, many of the people who commented on the post were skeptical of its legitimacy. They wrote that the masks, the sign, or both, could have been photoshopped into the image to portray a greater sense of responsibility for wearing face masks.
However, the masks and the sign were not digitally added to the image, they have always been there, which make the photo authentic. It was later found that the sign's warning was also accurate and not altered, USA Today reported.
Violating Safety Protocols
Historical records showed that people dubbed as "mask slackers" were placed in jail for several weeks at a time and were given hefty fines in some cities under mask mandates. The viral photo gave people worldwide a look into the regulations surrounding face masks in the time of the Spanish influenza.
But despite killing up to 50 million worldwide and around 675,000 in the United States, there were still people that refused to follow mask-wearing ordinances imposed by local governments. Authorities attempted to stop the spread of the virus, with some closing schools and places of public amusement, enforcing "no-spitting" ordinances, encouraging people to use handkerchiefs or disposable tissues, and imposing mask mandates in public areas.
When mask-wearing ordinances were enforced, mainly in the western states, many people complied. And as the nation was still fighting in World War I, officials implemented the safety protocols as a way to protect their military's soldiers from the Spanish influenza.
The first case of the Spanish influenza was recorded as a U.S. Army private who was stationed at Fort Riley, Kansas, on Mar. 4, 1918. While it was an American that first caught the virus, it was dubbed the Spanish flu because it was Spain, who was neutral, that freely reported the incident, with the United States and other nations at war suppressing news of the infection, History reported.
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