10/10/1918: No Public Gatherings To Be Permitted Until Epidemic Peril Passes: Board of Health Order Will Become Effective Tomorrow Morning

Item

Title

10/10/1918: No Public Gatherings To Be Permitted Until Epidemic Peril Passes: Board of Health Order Will Become Effective Tomorrow Morning

Creator

The Eau Claire Leader

Source

Newspaper Archive

Date

October 10, 1918

Coverage

Eau Claire, Wi

Description

Newspaper article announcing the restrictions on gatherings and the closure of various entities throughout Eau Claire

Format

Newspaper

Rights

Public domain. For more information contact Special Collections and Archives, McIntyre Library, UW-Eau Claire.

Publisher

The Eau Claire Leader

transcription

"LOCK BARN BEFORE HORSE IS STOLEN, POLICY HERE

Nine Cases Now Under Quarantine; Number Believed Much Greater.

No public gatherings will be permitted in Eau Claire until the present state-wide epidemic of influenza has subsided. The board of health last night ordered the closing of:
Churches
Schools
Public Library
Theaters and all places of amusement
Lodges
Dancing academy
Y.M.C.A meetings
Pool and billiard rooms

The order becomes effective tomorrow morning.

Saloons will continue open - No loitering will be allowed in eating and drinking places, nor in any shops, railway stations, club rooms, etc. Signs to this effect will be posted.

Gatherings cancelled by the order include:
Wisconsin Federation of Woman's clubs, Oct. 3-5
Suffrage meeting, Oct. 4
Liberty Day, Oct. 12
Northwestern Teachers' Association, Oct. 18-19
Political rallies

New Hospital Rules:
All visitors will be excluded from hospitals except in extreme cases. The board of health recommends that no patients with influenza or with pneumonia following influenza be admitted to hospitals unless isolated and cared for by a special nurse.

Shop before Saturday, is a request the board of health makes of city people so that this day may be left comparatively free for county customers.

Urged by Surgeon General:
The action taken by the Eau Claire board of health last night no doubt will be paralleled in the majority of cities in Wisconsin and in other states in which influenza epidemics exist or are threatened. Four Wisconsin cities already have stopped all meetings and closed schools. The [illegible phrase] was [illegible word] by C. A. Harper, secretary of the state board of health that he [continued below notice]

CLOSING ORDER MAY BE MADE STATEWIDE
MADISON, Wis., Oct. 9
An order closing all schools, churches, theatres, and all places of public assembly in Wisconsin in an effort to halt the influenza epidemic is being considered by the state board of health, it was announced tonight. It was said that the proposed action has the sanction of Governor Philipp.

[continued from above]
had received from Surgeon General Blue an urgent request that the boards of health of all cities threatened with epidemics place an immediate ban on public gatherings of all kinds and close schools.
Although the disease has made little progress here, the drastic measures are taken as a member of the health board expressed it: "in order to lock the barn before the horse is stolen."

Nine Cases Quarantined:
Nine influenza patients are quarantined here and the consideration of the public is urged by the board of health to keep the disease from becoming epidemic. The total number of cases in the city is believed to be much greater than nine, as physicians are not called in many influenza cases and the board of health does not learn of them.
The condition through the state is serious, Milwaukee yesterday reported 683 cases, Green Bay 400, Berlin over 500, Madison approximately [illegible]. Hospitals in Racine are overcrowded. in Benton, a town of 700, five deaths occurred in the past two days.

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