Isolation/Quarantine Orders

Programs that issue public health orders restricting the movements of individuals who have contracted or have been exposed to specified communicable diseases during a bioterrorism incident, pandemic or other outbreak in order to prevent the spread of the illness. Affected individuals may be isolated, e.g., confined to their homes during the time they are considered contagious, or may be gathered together at a sports arena, auditorium, theater, school, hospital or other central location where it is easier for the government to care for them and to enforce the quarantine order. Factors such as the duration and location of restriction are dependent on what the agent is, how it is transmitted, how widely the agent has been disseminated, whether exposed persons can be personally identified, and what resources are available to care for those who have been restricted. Quarantine orders may also apply to animals as in the case of an outbreak of hoof and mouth disease or other similar threats.