ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the history of quarantine – with an emphasis on the historical progression of the ethical and legal issues raised by its use – in order to contextualize the issues raised about the use of quarantine during the 2014 Ebola outbreak. Viewed through a historical lens, it becomes clear that many fundamental issues associated with the use of quarantine that arose in the past remain relevant today – e.g. multiple interpretations of quarantine, inconsistent applications of quarantine laws across jurisdictions, claims of ineffectiveness, and the role of the military in enforcing quarantines. What is substantively different today is the imperative to respect individual rights and consider the effects of quarantine, an inherently coercive measure, on these rights. Although quarantine is one of the oldest tools of public health, the 2003 SARS outbreak reignited debate about its legitimacy as this was the first time that quarantine was used on a large scale in modern public health. That quarantine remains an important and contentious public health strategy was reinforced during the 2014 Ebola outbreak, when it was implemented on a mass scale despite ongoing opposition and controversy about the use of coercive and liberty-restricting measures in public health.
