During the 1918 influenza outbreak, San Francisco closed non-essential businesses.

Cases went down and they quickly reopened, thinking they had won.

But then deaths DOUBLED after they prematurely declared victory. Many refused to wear masks. SF had one of the worst death rates!

During 1918’s influenza, there were people who thought the whole thing was overblown.

Protestors in San Francisco formed the Anti-Mask League which met in a large group of thousands to protest against public health measures

They even tried to bomb the mayor who encouraged masks

The front page of the San Francisco Chronicle on November 21, 1918.

They thought they had defeated influenza but they had not. After they relaxed public health guidelines, the second wave struck. The very next month there was a spike of another 5,000 cases reported.

We do not want to repeat the 1918 influenza experience in Omaha Nebraska, where they had a second spike in deaths after officials prematurely lifted social distancing measures after a few weeks of declining cases

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/2020/03/how-cities-flattened-curve-1918-spanish-flu-pandemic-coronavirus/