Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1918-11-15
FLU QUARANTINE
MAY Be LII TED
ON DECEMBER z
{ Conditions Improve, or Get
No Worse by That Time,
Ban viii Be Raised, Is De-
cision Made by Officials,

That the quarantine against Spanish
Influenza may be lifted on Monday,
December ., was the decision arrived
at last night at a Joint meeting of the
city commissioners and the board OF
health No definite promise was
made to lift the quarantine at the
time stated unless the conditions
then existing justify such action. In
other words, should the situation get
no worse than it is now, or improve,
the ban will be lifted at the time
stated. Rut should conditions get
worse, the quarantine will not be mt
ed until later date.
in view of erroneous and altogeth-
er unfounded reports in circulation to
the effect that the commissioners ana
board of health had decided not to
lift the quarantine before January l
il was deemed advisable to allay the
fears of the people along this line as
much as possible. The idea of those
in authority all along has been to re-
store normal conditions Just as soon
as possible, and at no time has there
been a disposition on the part of the
members of the city commission or
the board of health to keep schools,
churches, lodges, movie shows ana
other places of assembly closed any
longer than was thought necessary.
The resolution passed last night
follows:
WHEREAS, the Board of Health
of the City of Albuquerque, in called
meeting, held on this 18th day of NO
yember, 1918, at which meeting the
CITY Commissioners and city Man
ager of said city were in attendance,
heard the reports of the health offic-
g. and of the city physician relative
to the present status of the Spanish
influenza epidemic in Albuquerque,
showing that the disease has not yet
been controlled to such an extent that
the partial quarantine now In effect
may be lifted witHbut jeopardizlng
the health and lives Of the inhabitants,
and,
WHEREAS, it appears to the
board that it is the consensus of opin-
ion among the physicians generally
and of the individual members OF TINS
board, that the next two weeks may
be expected to show an Improvement
In the situation for the better, now,
therefore,
"BE. 1T RESOLVED. that it is the
sense of this board, that the board
hereby recommends to the City Com
mission that the quarantine be abol-
ished effective December 2. provld-
ed however, that prior to that date
the conditions, with reference to the
disease, do not assume such serious
nroportions that further order OF
the board will be required TO properly
deal with the situation.
II was stated last night that there
are 655 quarantine signs up at pres
eut. which means that there are con-
siderably more than the above num-
her of cases in existence, as In some
families there are more than one
Ease Sixty-nine cases have been re-
D ,rted during the last two days
Twelve OF them by one doctor yeSter-
day who stated that they are the
most severe of any treated by him sc
far during the epidemic. Az o genera
proposition, though, it is believed that
there is decrease IN the number OF
cases and that those now in existence
are mach less severe than the ones OF
few weeks ago.
THE resolution quoted above was
not passed until the matter mad peer
discussed at some length. couple ol
members of the board of health, IL
| view of the fact that the presen'
quarantine is largely farce. were II
favor of throwing down the bars a,
once, while others we're in favor Of
continuing the quarantine indefinite
" and making it more drastic. ~
an argument in favor of not permit
| ting crowds to congregate 1t was
claimed that the number of infiuenza
cases had. increased since Monday
celebration, which was promptly com
batted by others with the claim Una
had there not been an Influenza cpl
demic in existence these cases woui'
have been diagnosed as bad colds o.
the grippe The doctors, in fact Were
split fifty-fifty as to the proper meth
/ DDS to pursue, and the resolution wa
sort of q compromise.