Despite two years of recommendations and mandates, there are still people who refuse to wear masks in public. “Anti-maskers,” although a new and baffling phenomenon to many of us today, actually existed 100 years ago during the 1918 flu epidemic. 

During the early months of COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), World Health Organization (WHO), and other health officials recommended that face masks be worn in public and when gathering with other people. However, an audible minority of Americans resisted masking and lockdowns, some going as far as to protest in the streets over wanting a haircut and a return to “normal” life.

This, however, is nothing new. In 1918, as the Spanish flu epidemic ravaged the country, a similar public health response followed. Americans donned masks of gauze and cotton cloth, lockdown orders went into effect, and communities across the country issued mask mandates or recommendations. 

Organizations such as the American Red Cross advertised mask-wearing as a civic duty. In a 1918 issue of the Oakland Tribune, Oakland Mayor John Davie said, “[mask-wearing] is sensible and patriotic… to safeguard our fellow citizens.”

In cities with mask mandates, punishment for not wearing one was much more significant than today. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, the police arrested hundreds of citizens in San Francisco for defying mask laws, although most were disciplined with fines ranging from $5 to $200.

According to The Conversation, in 1918, a crowd of 2,000 people called the Anti-Mask League met for a rally in San Francisco’s Dreamland Rink and vehemently protested the mask requirements. 

Defiance rose in Denver, Colorado as well. One anti-masker said in a 1918 issue of Rocky Mountain News, “I believe there is [a] higher power than the authorities of Denver who is looking after my health.” 

Although anti-masking in 1918 was not as partisan as it is today, the phenomenon of “mask slackers,” as the American Red Cross called them, is eerily similar to the anti-maskers in 2022. 

According to data compiled by the New York Times, COVID-19 has killed more than 900,000 Americans. Protests against a safeguard meant to protect us are a dangerous repetition of history.