Mask resistance during a pandemic isn’t new – in 1918 many Americans were ‘slackers’:There’s a
clear consensus that Americans should wear masks in public and continue to practice proper social distancing.
While a majority of Americans
support wearing masks, widespread and consistent compliance has proven
difficult to maintain in communities across the country. Demonstrators
gathered outside city halls in
Scottsdale, Arizona;
Austin, Texas; and other cities to protest local mask mandates. Several
Washington state and North Carolina sheriffs have announced they will not enforce their state’s mask order.
I’ve researched the history of the 1918 pandemic
extensively. At that time, with no effective vaccine or drug therapies,
communities across the country instituted a host of public health
measures to slow the spread of a deadly influenza epidemic: 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.
