Mtn. Review Special Edition Late Summer 2020 | Page 7

December 20, 1918
January 10, 1919
Mountain View citizens were ordered
to wear masks until further notice
by the town’s Board of Health in
December 1918. Then, as now, masks
were viewed as the best tool for
protecting the population against
further spread of the virus, while
still allowing public places to remain
open.
By January 1919, the pandemic had
waned enough to allow Mountain
View’s public schools to reopen. This
article outlines the procedures put
in place to protect school children,
including the employment of Ms.
Edith Burdick as an on-site nurse
to screen children for symptoms of
the flu at the start of each day.
The article also notes:
“If all of the people will do
what they can to help the
health department and
the nurses in the schools,
the epidemic will soon
be a thing of the past in
Mountain View. In fact
this community has been
more fortunate than most
others in that regard. Our
percentage of deaths from
influenza causes has been
very low, comparatively.”
Let’s hope the same can be written
after the current pandemic has
ended. Take care, everyone!
Louis Vidovich’s obituary offers a
glimpse into the local toll the flu
pandemic had on the people of
Mountain View. Mr. Vidovich (also
spelled Bidovich) passed away on
December 19, 1918, at the age
of 36, leaving his wife, Annie,
a widow. His World War I draft
registration card lists him as an
orchardist living in a rural area
just outside of Mountain View.
Mtn. View High School in 1919
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