Quarantine and curfew: origins and history of these measures

Where do the terms "quarantine" and "curfew" come from? Explanation of these terms, which are not from today...

©️Gallica - BnF

The year 2020 is largely marked by the Covid-19 pandemic. In March, and again recently in November, the government imposes a lockdown period on the French people.

If someone presents symptoms, they must respect a 14-day isolation period (also called "quarantine"), a period reduced to 7 days in September. This quarantine period is also imposed in many neighboring countries to limit the spread of the virus. 

Also, on October 14th, the President announced the implementation of a curfew in several metropolitan areas. Let's go back to the origin and history of these terms, which are not from today...

The diverse origins of quarantine

Several explanations can be given regarding the origin of the term "quarantine". 

First, a Catholic origin, as the number forty refers to the period of Lent. This fasting period to prepare for new beginnings until Easter lasts forty days (excluding Sundays), a duration meant to recall the forty years the people of Israel spent in the desert. 

In the Middle Ages, "quarantine" was used for the forty-day period during which a lord could not take revenge. It was also called "quarantaine-le-roi". Although at that time, the sick were isolated to avoid contagion, the term "quarantine" was not yet used. 

Forty days is also the convalescence period necessary for women who have just given birth, before the ceremony of churching, or amusement, within the Catholic Church to reintegrate them with God and the faithful. 

Indeed, it was not until the 17th century that this term was used to designate the isolation period during an epidemic. For forty days, the sick had to remain isolated to limit the spread of diseases. 

Curfew as a protective measure

The origin of curfew differs according to historians. In England, it would date back to 1068 when William the Conqueror imposed it as a repressive measure against the English to avoid rebellions and frequent fires. For other researchers, this origin is a myth, as this custom would have been in use for much longer. 

The history of curfew is that a bell rang every evening in the 11th century to ask the population to cover their fire with a lid to avoid a fire but also to preserve it with a utensil made of copper, iron, or earthenware. 

Today, according to Larousse, it is a "police or military order measure temporarily banning people from leaving their homes," valid in times of war or global pandemic.