Plan to Halt Grip

• Mayor Hodgson last night announced a tentative plan to prevent influenza from getting a hold on St. Paul by closing schools, churches and places of amusement• Hodgson said, “With more than half our doctors and nurses in war service, we dare not take any chances with a possible epidemic here…Developments of the next few days will determine our course of action and I will not hesitate to close schools, churches and places of amusement if such a course of action appears justified.”• Six persons thought to have the disease have been admitted to the City hospital and two of the hospital’s resident physicians and one of its nurses also have developed symptoms of the influenza• All cases at the hospital have been placed under quarantine in the contagious ward• An additional precaution was announced by hospital superintendent, Dr. Arthur B. Ancker that beginning this morning, not patients in any of the wards will be allowed to receive visitors• The only exception will be for patients believed to be dying• [Military]• 55 patients were received yesterday Fort Snelling Army Hospital, all of whom were sent as suspected influenza victims• All of the patients sent were from the Farm school and Dunwoody Institute army detachments• The total number of patients at Fort Snelling is now 410 and only 2 have developed pneumonia• The Naval Detachment has over 100 men under treatment for colds and bronchial afflictions and 13 pneumonia among men on the ‘sick list’Newspaper article1,