Reuters
Street view after the Chinese government banned non-essential vehicles in the downtown area to contain the coronavirus outbreak, on the second day of the Lunar New Year.
- In an attempt to contain the Wuhan coronavirus, China has issued the largest quarantine in human history.
- The country has put 16 cities on lockdown, affecting an estimated 46 million people.
- Quarantines have been used to prevent the spread of disease for hundreds of years. The first formal system was established in Venice during the 14th Century.
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In a matter of weeks, the Wuhan coronavirus has killed more than 100 people and infected over 4,600. The Chinese government is scrambling to contain the disease, and in doing so, has issued the largest quarantine in human history - locking down 16 cities.
But will it work?
The idea of separating the healthy from the sick is not new. Documents dating as far back as the Old Testament contain rules for isolating people with Leprosy.
Here are some of the most prominent examples, and failures, of quarantines throughout history.
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