A Look Back at How the Spanish Flu Ravaged Vancouver

Although the measures we are taking today to stem the spread of the coronavirus may be difficult for many to digest, especially with the thousands of jobs lost over the past month, it is in our best interest that we follow those measures to avoid a repeat of the past. Looking back at the influenza outbreak of 1918, 57% of deaths were of those employed in various sectors, many of them in highly skilled professions. Lessons learned from the Spanish Flu have allowed the federal and provincial governments today to create a robust aid package to support businesses to get them through this current storm. With so many sick during the Spanish Flu, essential services that businesses took for granted at the time started to deteriorate, and ultimately played a major role in how the city recovered. As many businesses were reluctant to see business and industry close during the Spanish Flu, looking back, public sentiment indicated that a more prolonged shutdown at all levels would have resulted in a quicker economic recovery and a faster return to so-called normal life.