The isolation period gave rise to the term quarantine, from the Italian quaranta giorni, meaning 40 days, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Professor Hodge said quarantines could be effective if they selectively isolate only those who have been infected or are suspected of infection. The response in Wuhan, with the establishment of a “cordon sanitaire”-type boundary, goes much further than that. “Quarantine would be saying ‘You can’t leave your own home, can’t go to school, work or church,’” he said. Earlier that year, Liberian officials placed West Point, a sprawling slum in Monrovia where 60,000 to 120,000 people were crammed into shacks, under an Ebola quarantine.

Source: New York Times January 23, 2020 02:55 UTC