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[[File:mask_violations.jpg|thumb|left|Figure 1. Men being escorted away from a building in 1918 San Francisco because they were not wearing masks. ]]__NOTOC__
The Covid-19 pandemic is not the first time in the United States that public health officials encouraged people to wear masks to limit the spread of a deadly virus. In the United States, a surprising number of Americans have been angered by this simple request. This reaction should not be unexpected. Similarly, during the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic, mask-wearing was also politicized. In desperation, public health officials then turned to various tactics to convince Americans to wear masks.