William Mann On Masks & Repeating Spanish Flu Mistakes In COVID-19 Pandemic: “Have We Learned Nothing From History?” – Deadline

William Mann On Masks & Repeating Spanish Flu Mistakes In COVID-19 Pandemic: “Have We Learned Nothing From History?” – Deadline

1918 Spanish Flu and Hollywood

Date	Event
Mid-September, 1918	Soldiers returning from WWI become first known Spanish flu infections.
September 22, 1918	Civilian cases start to appear; LA Mayor Frederick Woodman creates medical advisory board as health commissioner Dr. Luther Milton Powers warns the city should prepare for worst.
October 11, 1918	Woodman declares state of emergency; all public places are closed.
	Shooting of crowd scenes is banned; Hollywood and east coast studios shut down film production for 3-4 weeks.
October 12-14, 1918	City registers 300 cases and 11 deaths. Powers wrongly assumes epidemic has peaked.
October 23, 1918	California Governor William D. Stephens calls for voluntary mask wearing for all as a way to control the spread. In LA, the mayor and Powers agree it’s a good idea, but the City Council balks. U.S. Surgeon General Rupert Blue telegraphs Powers, asking him not to issue a mandatory mask order.
October 31, 1918	Daily tally of new cases falls below 1,100; Powers prematurely announces that the tide had turned.
November 6, 1918	Mount Washington Hotel is converted into convalescent facility for underprivileged recovering victims.
November 7, 1918	The leadership of the Theater Owners’ Association, all wearing masks, appear before the City Council arguing that they have been unfairly singled out by having their theaters forcibly closed when other businesses remain open. They advocate enacting more stringent social distancing measures. City Council refers request to Powers, who denies it.
November 9, 1918	Businesses implement staggered hours to reduce street crowding.
Mid-November, 1918	New cases drop but still hover around 500 a day; Powers optimistically predicts restrictions will lift in a week. Theater owners team up with the big studios and together they appeal directly to the Influenza Advisory Committee, lobbying for a 5-day total shutdown of Los Angeles with theaters re-opening for business on the sixth day. Two local merchant organization vigorously oppose this plan, as do Powers and Mayor Woodman.
November 15, 1918	City Council votes 7-2 to approve five-day shutdown followed by lifting the ban on theaters. Powers is against any plan that prematurely lifts bans on theaters. He attempts a voluntary “Stay at Home Week,” which the entire city ignores. Faced with an unexpected late-November spike in flu cases, Powers steps in and the ban stays in place in turn angering the theater owners.
November 29, 1918	New flu cases drop below 350.
December 2, 1918	Powers' request that City Council lift the ban on public gatherings is granted unanimously.
December 10, 1918	Flu cases spike again, prompting passage of quarantine law. Schools close but public gatherings are still allowed.
December 12, 1918	A newly-appointed Business Advisory Committee meets with Powers and the Mayor to focus on encouraging the voluntary wearing of flu masks. They initiate a publicity campaign.