Fritzi Bryant, a 106-year-old woman from Washington State, survived the Spanish Flu that took place in 1918. Even though she was a young girl, she remembers what took place and has advice for Americans who are currently facing the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic.
“I remember my parents speak about it. I was only four or five years old,” Bryant said. “It was very serious.”
According to KING-TV, Bryant's father, Carl Schassberger, was a tailor at the time. Instead of making clothes, the government asked him to produce face masks. The goal was to help stop the spread of the Spanish Flu, which was also deemed a pandemic. And Schassberger obliged.
“They wanted him to make masks, which he did. My mother was helping him too,” Bryant told KING-TV.
Even though Bryant is in a nursing home facility in Yakima and is under quarantine, her spirits are high.
“(I’m doing) wonderful," she said. "Just fine. Everything is fine here. Plenty to eat, which is good. You have to look at the sunny side instead of the bad side of things.”
But she doesn't want people to be complacent either.
“There’s no sense in playing it down," Bryant said. "You have to look it square in the face…and do everything you can in your power to make it better.”
The Center for Disease Control is telling people to avoid places like restaurants, bars and other areas where more than 10 people gather. Even though people are told to practice "social distancing," the CDC also tells Americans to practice good hygiene, which includes washing your hands, covering your mouth with your arm if you have to cough and staying home if you're sick.
Although we should take this pandemic seriously, we should also use this time to recharge, spend time with our immediate family members and enjoy the great outdoors (as long as it's done in a safe manner)!