On Nov. 27, 1918, after a spike in influenza cases including several children, St. Louis health commissioner Dr. Max C. Starkloff ordered another school closure, and banned children under 16 from public gatherings.

After a hurried conference with other health department personnel, city officers, and public school authorities, Starkloff announced that he was closing schools once again. Because so many of the recent influenza victims were children, Starkloff banned children under 16 years of age from places of amusement, stores, or any other locations where people congregate.

For the city’s adults, all public gatherings, conventions, and banquets were barred. Stores were barred from advertising special sales. As before, retailers, theater owners, unions, and mass transportation companies rushed to protest the economic hardship this second round of orders would cause.