The 102-year-old message to Sydneysiders that’s frighteningly relevant today: Government’s plea to residents to beat Spanish flu shows pandemics change but people don’t The 1919 NSW Government lockdown bears striking similarities to current rules The Spanish Flu killed 15,000 Australians in 1919, as the state locked down Sydney's current lockdown due to coronavirus is scarily similar to that of 1919 The 1919 government and NSW Premier proclaim: ''everyone shall wear a mask' By Tom Sargeant For Daily Mail Australia Published: 16:48 BST, 9 July 2021 | Updated: 17:13 BST, 9 July 2021 2 Viewcomments A 102-year-old warning from the NSW government as it tried to contain the Spanish flu pandemic has resurfaced as the state is locked in a desperate battle with coronavirus - and it makes for very familiar reading for Sydneysiders caught in lockdown. The Spanish flu ravaged Australia in 1919, leaving 15,000 Aussies dead within a year of the first case arising in January, and killing 50 to 100million people worldwide. Australia's population stood at about five million at the time, and more than a third of all Australians were infected. Indigenous communities were hit particularly hard by the virus, which had a 50 per cent mortality rate among Aboriginal people. The NSW Government of today finds itself in similarly dire straits with Sydney in the grip of the Indian Delta variant, an incredibly contagious strain of the coronavirus. Premier Gladys Berejiklian has responded with a sweeping range of restrictions and warnings that failure to follow them will spell disaster - which is exactly what the 1919 government's flyer states. The document begins by warning the people of NSW their state is faced with a 'greater danger than war' and shouts 'EVERYONE SHALL WEAR A MASK'. The document was released by the NSW Government on February 3, 1919 - and its calls for residents to obey measures to control a killer virus still ring eerily true today Health workers wearing protective gear gather in Surry Hills in Sydney's inner city in 1919 as the city fought the Spanish flu pandemic that claimed up to 100 million lives worldwide NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said something very similar in a recent press conference: ''New South Wales is facing the biggest challenge we have faced since the pandemic started and I don't take it lightly'. And Sydneysiders now have to wear face masks whenever they are indoors apart from when they're at home. The document was released by the NSW Government in the Government Gazette on February 3, 1919. It singles out those who are not following flu rules, saying they are 'showing their indifference for the lives of others'. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian has been warning Sydneysiders to follow lockdown laws so they don't put their fellow citizens in danger - which is exactly what of her predecessors' governments did 102 years ago Ms Berejiklian has taken the same line, pleading with Sydney siters to 'avoid visiting family and friends, because you're not allowed to. The data shows in the past few days that is how the virus is spreading.' The flyer also states that 'everybody is not yet working, so....the Government insists that the many shall not be placed in danger for the few' - a principle the Berejiklian government no doubt followed when residents were banned from travelling out of the greater Sydney area to stop Covid-19 spreading across the state. William Holman was Premier of NSW in 1919 as the state reeled from Spanish flu In 1919, the government didn't stop public transport, and currently, trains are still running around Sydney. The similarities continue, as spacial regulations are implied onto hotels, bars and restaurants. Although this current lockdown has shut hospitality venues from in-house business, previous regulations have allowed for people to sit and drink as long as they adhere to spacial regulations. Retail shops were also allowed to stay open while adhering to spacial regulations, as shopping centre doors have also stayed upon to those wearing a mask and only attending for 'essential purchases'. In our current 2021 coronavirus lockdown, the stay at home order is enforced, with only a few reasons for leaving the home allowed. The 1919 lockdown also enforced similar rules, as churches, auction rooms, libraries, billiard rooms and race meeting all being prohibited. Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility