Chapter 749: Pandemic
"You guys? Where are you?" Sheffield put down the phone suspiciously, muttering to himself. In August, he had taken an airship back to Oak Grove in New Orleans, waiting for the influenza pandemic to be exported and sold domestically.
But it seems that the situation is not out of control now. Maybe it has already spread to some places in the country, but there are no serious consequences, so it has not been discovered? There is no reason why the United States is immune to the pandemic when all countries are experiencing it?
There is only one possibility. If it is impossible to remain unscathed, then it means that we arrived a little late and the outbreak may be concentrated and not be discovered in one place. If this is possible, it seems to be a big deal.
"William!" After waiting for a long time, Sheffield picked up the phone again and heard his wife's familiar voice. After asking about Arlington's situation, the slave owner said in an unprecedented tone, "Dear, immediately block all external communication channels in Arlington and seal the train station for me. According to the situation in Europe, the flu is already very serious. John Connor also has infected soldiers. This flu will sooner or later spread to the country, but we don't know where it will appear."
"I'll do it right away. You should come back too." Annie was shocked and said anxiously, "It will be dangerous for you to be outside alone."
"I've been at Oak Manor recently. Oak Manor was our family's former base, and it's no less safe than Arlington. Just be sure you're all okay, and I'll be careful." Sheffield's heart softened. He spoke toughly, but he was also afraid of getting caught accidentally. His wife's timely concern did ease the tension in his heart.
The slave owners were not afraid of the flu landing in that city, but they were afraid that it would suddenly break out everywhere and sweep across the country in a short period of time, which would be impossible to prevent.
"Cut off all roads out of the city!" Anne put down the phone and ordered the housekeeper Patra, "I want to see my grandmother. Can aunt take me there now?"
Essentially, Arlington was built around this manor. After getting the approval of Karl Lagerfeld, the entire manor and the streets in the surrounding urban area were empty at night, the train station was out of service, the entire Arlington's external contacts were cut off, and the receptionist of the Telephone Bureau United Company was constantly making calls, asking managers from all over the country not to come to the headquarters recently.
"Is William making a big deal out of nothing?" Alice Roosevelt asked doubtfully, "Does it need to be so strict?"
"Although my husband tells countless lies every day, I can tell when he's telling the truth. He wouldn't joke about this. The flu virus is invisible, and no one knows whether it's spreading in the country." Anne glanced at Alice Roosevelt coldly. "He's not a politician, and I'm not a voter. There's no need for him to lie to his wife."
"Well, this manor is big enough. Alice just hasn't seen such a scene before. After all, for the politicians, it is still unimaginable that a businessman can bring a city to a standstill." Edith Rockefeller tried to smooth things over. "We should be worried about him. After the development of New Orleans, the distance between the manors in Hebei and the urban area is too close. I don't know if we can isolate them if a pandemic really breaks out."
Sheffield sent another telegram to Puerto Rico, suggesting that Gail close local entertainment facilities and asking if anyone had flu symptoms. Puerto Rico is a small island, and if flu symptoms appeared, Gail should be able to find out.
One day, when the slave owner was walking his dog, Jesra came running over in a hurry. His voice had already reached him before he arrived. "Boss, the Umbrella Company just called. Nearly a thousand people have been hospitalized in San Francisco in the past three days."
It's coming! Sheffield was shocked. He didn't expect that the flu in this time and space would land on the west coast instead of the east coast which had too much contact with Europe. A strange expression flashed across his face. Sheffield kept his previous posture and said suspiciously, "Is it a mistake? Maybe it's not that serious? The population density on the west coast is low, so nothing serious will happen."
"All those hospitalized have fever and cough, which seem to be the same symptoms as the European flu. I heard that the San Francisco City Government has already felt the seriousness of the situation." Jesla mentioned the local situation and said solemnly, "Boss, should we give an order to Umbrella Corporation to let them be careful?"
"That's the truth. We can't control others, but we can still manage ourselves." Sheffield nodded and waved his hand for Jesla to make the arrangements. He also reminded her, "Send a telegram to Arlington and ask Anne to get ready."
In major hospitals in Boston, countless doctors were helpless in the face of the surge of patients. One doctor lamented, "I have never seen so many patients in my life."
The Boston Globe then used the headline "The Pandemic Has Landed in America," pointing out that this deadly virus from Europe had begun to wreak havoc in the country, and the streets of Boston were filled with panic in just a few days.
Then, a large number of flu patients appeared in Chicago, rushing to major hospitals in the city with fever and cough. On the streets of New York, people coughing on the way to work received countless people's attention.
After the influenza pandemic first appeared in San Francisco, it broke out in major cities across the United States within just a few days. This influenza outbreak was obviously more deadly than many reports had shown. The influenza pandemic had mutated, and its transmission power and power had increased to a higher level.
New York, Boston, Pittsburgh, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and just two days later, Houston also reported a large number of patients being hospitalized. Citizens across the United States could feel the terrifying atmosphere through the newspapers.
In Chicago, a worker got up in the morning, had breakfast, went to work in the factory at noon, and his wife received a death notice in the evening. In New York City, thousands of people had lost their lives in three days, crematoriums were doing a booming business, and the Big Apple was in tears.
"Boss, Umbrella Corporation got news from the San Francisco hospital that most of the first batch of patients died within three days, and the mortality rate is nearly 8%." Jesla contacted Umbrella Corporation in San Francisco and informed Sheffield of the real situation in the area.
"Eight percent. It's a very deadly virus indeed." Sheffield was silent for a moment. It seemed that there was still potential for this pandemic. If the mortality rate in the white community, which was relatively well-off, was this, then what about the poorer black community? Or even the closed prison environment?
"This flu is more deadly than war. We must call on the federal government and even local police to take measures against the rampant spread of flu." Sheffield stood up and took two steps back and forth. "I appealed to the New Orleans Morning Post, asking the police to block some communities where flu has already appeared, saying that this is the general will of the citizens. Patients who deliberately spread the flu should be imprisoned and put in jail. Only strong law enforcement can protect citizens from the harm of the flu virus."
"I'll contact the National Police Agency right away." Jesla agreed and made a move to leave. Sheffield said to the bodyguard leader from behind, "Our production lines that have been put into operation and the accumulated medical supplies can be put into the market. Contact Adams and the others. We'll make a call tonight."
In fact, when Sheffield communicated with the directors of the National Police Association at Bilmont Manor last time, he had already mentioned the influenza pandemic spreading in Europe. The directors of the National Police Association were the most prepared group for this influenza pandemic except for United Corporation.
However, the slave owners were worried that if the European influenza was transmitted back to their country, it might be a huge disaster. The only way to solve this problem was to isolate the patients in a certain area and impose heavy penalties, imprisonment or even walls on those who spread the virus.
This argument frightened the directors of the police association, who said that if a flu spread across the country, the number of people in the police system would definitely not be enough. In response, Sheffield could only say that when the critical moment came, they could only do their best to preserve the safety of the white community and sacrifice some ethnic groups that could not be taken care of.
The slave owner did not mention the black community, but the meaning was clear. When signs of the flu appeared in San Francisco, the directors of the National Police Association did not take it seriously, but when signs of the flu appeared in Boston and New York, everyone could not sit still.
Unexpectedly, so many cities were hit by influenza outbreaks at once. In San Francisco, the first city to experience the outbreak, the mortality rate had already exceeded 7%. This made Congress and even the citizenry nervous all of a sudden.
San Francisco was the first city to enact a mask mandate, and anyone found without a mask outdoors could be fined or even jailed. Los Angeles followed suit and required people to wear masks when shopping in public. As the use of masks accelerates in Europe and North America, the supply problem has become more serious.
"John, let me have your company in Chicago authorize you." Sheffield called Rockefeller Manor. "The Chicago Preventive Equipment Manufacturing Company is yours, right? It's the largest medical equipment manufacturing company in the country. The flu came so quickly, and your company's production capacity is insufficient. Now let medical institutions recognize the products of the United Company's production line, and we can solve this problem."
"You even thought of this," Rockefeller Jr. replied. "Did you discuss this with the Bostonians?"
"No, but I know the situation in Boston is very serious right now." Sheffield lied without blushing, "Put your company's label on it and we can make the money together. This will benefit both of us."
"Wait, I'll let the medical experts speak right away." Rockefeller Jr. hung up the phone directly. Only a busy tone remained in the microphone. Sheffield smacked his lips and put the microphone back in its place helplessly.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
