Quarantine

Quarantine separates or restricts the movement of people exposed to contagious disease who may become infectious. Its purpose is to limit transmission during the period when infection could emerge.

Incubation period: The interval between infection and the onset of symptoms. Quarantine must cover the time an exposed person could develop symptoms and become infectious.
COVID-19 pandemic: The global outbreak of COVID-19 that began in 2019 and caused extensive illness and social disruption. Governments used quarantine for exposed contacts, with rules changing as evidence and conditions evolved.
Venetian Republic: A maritime state centered on Venice that existed from the late seventh century until 1797. Venetian authorities developed early formal controls on ships and travelers during plague outbreaks.
Public health ethics: The study of moral questions arising in efforts to protect and promote population health. Quarantine raises questions about when collective protection justifies restricting individual liberty.
Isolation (public health): The separation of people with a contagious disease from people who are not infected. Unlike quarantine, isolation responds to infection rather than exposure alone.
Latent period: The interval between infection and the start of infectiousness. It determines whether exposed people can transmit infection before symptoms appear.
SARS outbreak of 2002–2004: The international outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome caused by SARS-CoV-1. Quarantine and contact tracing helped contain transmission in several affected regions.
Black Death: The fourteenth-century pandemic of plague that devastated populations across Europe, Asia, and North Africa. The plague threat drove early European practices of isolating arrivals and restricting movement.
Civil liberties: Individual freedoms protected from unjustified government interference. Compulsory quarantine restricts movement and requires legal and ethical justification.
Medical surveillance: The systematic monitoring of people’s health to detect disease or changes in health status. Surveillance can monitor exposed people without necessarily restricting their movement.

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