Jersey Shore Magazine

J e r s e y s h o r e • F A L L / H O L I D A Y 2 0 2 0 10 10 Pandemics Among Us BEACHCOMBER " L e t u s t ak e a j o u r n e y do w n t h e S h ore t o s ee w h a t w e c a n f i n d… " S cientists and doctors have predict- ed a flu-like pandemic of epic pro- portions year after year, and here we are, smack in the middle of the big one. The global COVID-19 pandemic stole the Jersey Shore's spring and summer, and in the direst of cases, robbed too many families of count- less loved ones. These unprecedented times, which we never saw coming as the calendar turned its page from 2019 to 2020, have upended daily routines, shut- tered businesses, postponed events and life's celebrations, transformed education, and made terms such as "social distancing," "outdoor din- ing," and "flatten the curve" every- day phrases. Zoom is now the way to gather, handshakes and hugs are taboo, and face masks have gone designer. While the current pandemic's sta- tistics are staggering, this isn't the first time a pandemic has affected the Jersey Shore. The Spanish Flu Pandemic of 1918 Dubbed one of the worst infec- tious diseases in recorded history, the Spanish Flu spanned almost two years and sent its accompa- nying grim reaper to every street in America, including those at the Jersey Shore. Soldiers unknowingly brought influenza-A, a type of swine flu known as H1N1, to the United States when they returned home from The Great War's foreign battlefields. The highly contagious illness was first observed in New Jersey at Fort Dix in Burlington County (bordering Ocean County) in the spring of 1918, and the first recorded death from Spanish Flu in New Jersey also occurred at Fort Dix the following September. A father wearing a protective mask puts one on his son during the COVID-19 outbreak. SbytovaMN The 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic. November 1, 1918 Asbury Park Evening Press article about the end of the quar- antine. The events described in this article are uncan- nily like today, 102 years later. There were an estimated 675,000 deaths in the U.S. including 18,500 in New Jersey from the virus. CITY QUARANTINE IS TO BE LIFTED SUNDAY Health Board Raises Ban, In Effect Since Oct. 7, and Church Services Will Be Held as Usual. Schools Will Be Reopened on Monday 7 NEW CASES IN PAST 24 HOURS O R D E R L I F T I N G Q U A R A N T I N E The order of the board of commissioners and the board of health of the city of Asbury Park of Oct. 7 1918, "to close all churches, theaters, moving picture houses, dance halls, pool rooms, saloons, soda fountains and other places where numbers of people congregate," is hereby withdrawn, to take effect at 1 o'clock a. m., Sunday, Nov. 3, 1918. B. H. OBERT, Health officer. Official announcement of the lifting on Sunday morning of the quarantine imposed on Oct. 7 on account of the epidemic of Spanish influenza, was made this morning by Health Officer Budd H. Obert, to whose discretion the matter of removing the restrictions had been left by the city commissioners. The lifting of the ban becomes effective Sunday morning at 1 o'clock Services are to be held in all the churches on Sunday, but sessions of some of the Sunday schools will not be resumed for another week. City schools will be reopened Monday morning, according to an official announcement made this morning by Supt. Amos E. Kraybill, acting upon instructions of the board of education. None of the schools will be fumigated, as fumigation is declared by health officials to be useless in an epidemic of this kind, but all the seats and furniture in the schools are to be washed daily with a bichloride solution. Whether there will be"movie" performances at the St. James theatre Sunday has not yet been announced. Hospital benefit performances on Sunday are permitted by the city commission thru a recent decision. As a precautionary measure all persons sneezing or coughing in public meeting places, such as churches or theatres, are to be requested to leave, in accordance with instructions given by the board of health. This custom prevails in the larger centers where the quarantine has been lifted. The rule will be followed until the disease has been definitely stamped out in the city. Physicians reported to the health board six cases of influenza and one case of pneumonia during the 24-hour period ending this morning. This makes a total of 924 influenza and 82 of pneumonia, with a total of 21 death—26 from influenza and 5 from pneumonia. Two of the new influenza cases reported have been definitely traced to the Morgan work train. Mr. Obert said this morning. The other four were cases developing in families where other members have had the disease. Following a conference in New York with United States employment officials, Mayor Hetrick said today that he had been assured that conditions on the Morgan specials would be improved. A scheme to eliminate the overcrowding is being worked out, he was told, and measures taken to better the sanitary conditions on the cars.

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