On Oct. 16, 1918, the Illinois Influenza Advisory Commission decided to ban all non-essential public gatherings. State Health Commissioner C. St. Claire Drake issued a statewide order for this.

All banquets and public dinners, conventions, lectures and debates, club and society meetings, union gatherings, and athletic contests (whether indoor or out) were therefore prohibited. Saloons could remain open, as could poolrooms and bowling alleys, so long as they were properly ventilated.