Arguments against a statewide shelter in place order stress the differences between the cities and the country, but influenza devastated plenty of rural communities in 1918, as these clippings from Caruthersville, Missouri make clear. 
It was only a matter of time before the influenza epidemic reached rural areas. According to the Encyclopedia of Arkansas, "Influenza spread to American cities and rural areas alike," killing 7,000 statewide. encyclopediaofarkansas.net/entries/flu-ep…
Elsewhere in the Midwest, "Wisconsin's death rate was highest in rural areas (which often lacked adequate health care and volunteer resources) and in crowded urban areas." wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Articl…
"Rural areas in Missouri were not immune to the outbreak. Dr. J. Lee Harwell was one of a dozen doctors in Poplar Bluff at the time, said his grandson, Dr. Larry Harwell, 80, of University City. 'My grandfather’s stories of the epidemic were frightening.'" stltoday.com/news/local/met…
To curb the influenza epidemic of 1918, rural Missourians eventually turned to social distancing, thanks in large part to the leadership of Governor Gardner.
"Hospitals in northwest Kansas would have only a third of the beds needed. Under these circumstances, demand for beds in Springfield, Missouri, and its surrounding counties would be almost two and one-half times more than the supply."
