On Dec. 14, 1918, meeting in special session, members quickly decided that the influenza situation in Cincinnati had improved enough over the course of the previous few days to warrant removal of the restrictions on business hours.

Undoubtedly weighing on their minds were the numerous complaints they had received from concerned business owners, and the fact that most members fully realized that the board’s order was discriminatory and largely unenforceable.

On December 23, the Board of Health removed the ban prohibiting children from entering public places. The next day, parochial schools re-opened. A week later, on Monday, December 30, Cincinnati’s public schools opened their doors again