It takes just a few cases to spread outside the Chinese quarantine zone before critics say it has failed. If that’s the case, a major disruption like the Chinese quarantine would seem foolish and cost a fortune in terms of public health efforts, interrupted commerce, public dissonance, trust, good will and panic. In 2004, I attended an international meeting focused on examining the public health response to the SARS epidemic the year before. But that doesn’t necessarily mean autocratic nations, such as China, are better equipped to contain contagious diseases. Such human considerations cannot, of course, eradicate the many problems caused by the experience of quarantine, but they can reduce those burdens.

Source: Washington Post January 24, 2020 16:58 UTC