Researchers call it a potential "game-changer"
Greek physician Hippocrates wrote about epidemics in 400 BCE.
Ships arriving at the port of Venice (an international trading hub at the time), and who were suspected of carrying sick people, were sent to a quarantine island, where they stayed for 40 days.
The Bible describes how to treat and cure people with leprosy. The book of Leviticus makes reference to quarantining lepers.
The word quarantine comes from the Italian quarantinario, though there are also references to the phrase quaranta giorni (both terms mean "40 days").
There are various theories. One version points to Hippocrates' texts, another theory links it to the Pythagorean theory of numbers, and then, of course, there's the Bible.
London held suspected plague-infested ships at the Thames estuary. This was then followed by Marseille in 1683.
Quarantine was used to contain the yellow fever breakouts of 1688 and 1691, respectively. This was followed throughout the 18th century when, for instance, people with smallpox were ordered to stay isolated.
Sailors arriving in the city would be sent to the Philadelphia Lazaretto (a quarantine station/hospital), but quarantine was useless against yellow fever, as the disease was spread by mosquitoes.
Typhus-infected Russian Jewish immigrants arrived at Ellis Island in 1892. This was followed by an outbreak of cholera. The events led to a quarantine system being put in place.
A bubonic plague epidemic led to authorities isolating Chinatown. The Chinese immigrant community was heavily affected, as many laborers lost their jobs and faced discrimination.
"Typhoid Mary" was immune to the disease and was responsible for spreading it while working as a cook. She was quarantined, and later institutionalized on North Brother Island.
STDs were a real concern during WWI. "Working girls" were incarcerated, as soldiers were falling ill due to venereal diseases. Condoms were even distributed before US soldiers shipped off to France.
With an estimated 50 million death toll around the world, measures such as isolation and quarantine were used to contain the disease.
The 2003 SARS outbreak led to nearly 100 people for every confirmed case to be quarantined in Canada. In Toronto alone, about 30,000 people were confined to hospitals and their homes.
In 2014, 30,000 residents of Yumen were not allowed to leave the city, and 151 people were placed in quarantine after a man died of bubonic plague.
In Liberia, the neighborhood of West Point was under quarantine for 10 days. In Sierra Leone, a three-day quarantine was put in place and people had to stay home.
Also known as Swine flu, the pandemic originated in Mexico and led to numerous quarantines in various countries.
Mary Mallon, better known as "Typhoid Mary," was the first recorded asymptomatic case of a typhoid carrier in the US.
Another example includes a cruise ship with 2,000 passengers being quarantined in Australia.
In Hong Kong, over 280 people, including guests and staff, were quarantined at Metropark Hotel.
The plain yellow flag (known as "Quebec" or "Q" amongst international maritime signal flags) used to indicate quarantine, but nowadays it actually signals the opposite—it means all crew are healthy.
Currently the "Lima" flag, also known as a "Yellow Jack," is used when a vessel is in quarantine at harbor.
See also: Diseases and infections that can kill you within 24 hours.
In 1814, an English ship transporting convicts to Australia arrived at Sydney harbor with over 40 people dead, due to typhoid. The resulting quarantine station was likely the first in Australian history.
During the Spanish flu, American Samoa imposed a quarantine on all incoming ships, resulting in zero flu infections. New Zealand-governed Western Samoa, on the other hand, was hit by a 90% infection rate.
In 1969, the astronauts of Apollo 11 were quarantined after returning to Earth to prevent any potential contamination by lunar microorganisms.
The outbreak infected 175 people and killed 35. Martial law was declared and numerous quarantines took place. A massive vaccination campaign was then held by the World Health Organization.
In 2014, Kaci Hickox , a nurse from Maine, US, was quarantined after arriving in New Jersey. A new mandatory quarantine regulation had just been passed.
Hickox had been treating Ebola patients in Sierra Leone. She contested the quarantine regulations and entered a legal battle with the government.
In 2020, the world witnessed the largest quarantine in human history. While this was an unprecedented event due to to its scale, quarantines have been used throughout history to contain diseases. Isolating infected individuals has proved to be effective when trying to contain certain pandemics. As a result, quarantines are still used to this day.
In this gallery, we look back on the origins and history of the practice of quarantine, as well as revisiting its most famous cases. Click through to learn more.
Coronavirus and more: a brief history of quarantines
Coronavirus caused the largest quarantine in human history
HEALTH Infection control
In 2020, the world witnessed the largest quarantine in human history. While this was an unprecedented event due to to its scale, quarantines have been used throughout history to contain diseases. Isolating infected individuals has proved to be effective when trying to contain certain pandemics. As a result, quarantines are still used to this day.
In this gallery, we look back on the origins and history of the practice of quarantine, as well as revisiting its most famous cases. Click through to learn more.