Quarantines Might Protect, But They Also Punish

Quarantine as a means of preventing the spread of disease is an ancient phenomenon. Early forms of the practice are described in the Old Testament book of Leviticus and in the writings of Hippocrates. The word itself is Venetian, derived from the quaranta giorni (40 days) that arriving ships were expected to anchor outside La Serenissima to ensure freedom from the plague.

Unlike isolation, quarantine focuses on the segregation of the potentially ill, rather than those exhibiting symptoms. Voluntary exclusion is the common response to the former today. More forceful measures have, throughout history, been the normal prescription for the latter. The Derbyshire town of Eyam, which voluntarily isolated itself during the plague outbreak of 1666, is a brave outlier.

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