Quarantine facts for kids
Quarantine is when people, animals, or even areas of land are kept separate from others. This is done to stop the spread of disease or pests. For example, countries often stop animals and plants from coming in from other places. They do this unless they are sure these things do not carry diseases.
What is Quarantine?
The word "quarantine" comes from an old Venetian language word, quarantena. This word means "forty days." This is because, a long time ago, ships and people were kept separate for 40 days. This helped prevent the spread of the plague, a very serious disease.
Quarantine is different from medical isolation. Medical isolation is for people who are already sick with a disease. Quarantine is for people who might have been near a disease but are not yet sick. It helps make sure they don't spread it if they do get sick.
Sometimes, keeping people separate can be difficult. It can make people feel confused or angry. But it is done to protect everyone's health.
Self-Quarantine and COVID-19
Self-quarantine is also called self-isolation. This term became very well known during the 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic. This pandemic spread to many countries in 2020. During this time, people were asked or told by law to stay home. This helped slow down the spread of the disease. Some countries even had "lockdowns" as a way of quarantine. This meant most people had to stay home and many businesses closed.
Related pages
Images for kids
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The quarantine ship Rhin, at large in Sheerness. Source: National Maritime Museum of Greenwich, London
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Isolating a village in Romania whose inhabitants believe that doctors poison those suspected of cholera (1911)
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The quarantine hospital building (lazaretto) at the historic Columbia River Quarantine Station near Knappton, Washington
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Public Health Service Quarantine Station, New Orleans, Louisiana, 1957
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Quarantine of the convict ship Surry on the North Shore of Sydney Harbour in 1814, the first quarantine in Australia
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A road sign at an exit on Interstate 91 in Vermont, photographed in November 2020.
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Slovakia closed borders to non-residents because of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.
See also
In Spanish: Cuarentena para niños
