How did Sai Baba respond to the villagers' quarantine rules during the Shirdi epidemic?

During a terrifying epidemic (Mahamari) in Shirdi, the villagers imposed strict rules, banning all outside traffic and the slaughter of goats. Chapter 23 explains that Sai Baba did not approve of these measures, viewing them as superstitious beliefs and the product of ignorance. He would actively countermand the villagers' decisions. In a specific instance, when a cart carrying essential firewood was stopped at the village gate, Baba personally intervened. He stood before the cart, which gave the cartman courage and broke the villagers' stubbornness, allowing the cart to enter Shirdi without protest.