At the time, it seemed almost absurd. During an emergency meeting of the Sister Bay Village Board of Trustees on March 16, 2020, trustee Rob Zoschke leaned back in his chair and asked bluntly: "Should we be telling resorts to close down and not accept reservations and cancel existing ones?"

Wisconsinites are adapting to life under the cloud of COVID-19, and for a growing group that means getting into the habit of covering up with a face mask when they venture from their homes.

The 1918 influenza pandemic and how the ordeal played out in Wisconsin illuminates the scale at which the experience of and response to public health emergencies impact both human lives and the economy.

More than a month after Wisconsin directed residents to stay home as much as possible to slow the spread of COVID-19, adherence to the state's "safer at home" order is beginning to erode.