WHAT is a quarantine? Do tell? Is this the new normal?
According to Dictionary.com, “quarantine”, noun, means a strict isolation imposed to prevent the spread of disease. Originally, it meant a period of 40 days of detention or isolation imposed upon ships, persons, animals, or plants on arrival at a port or place, when suspected of carrying some infectious or contagious disease. For governments and the ports of entry they oversee, quarantine is a system of measures to prevent the spread of any disease.
Of course, with the recent developments worldwide, quarantine has
become the new normal. Indeed the world is evolving. Oftentimes, the disruption
and changes to our routines shock us! We gnash our teeth in frustration because
of altered plans and life changes. However, my friend, there’s no evading it!
So like any resilient human being, no matter how grudgingly, we modify our
mindsets first, an act much commonly known in academic circles as a “paradigm
shift”. We alter our usual routines to suit the present realities, gradually or
hurriedly, depending on the need. But just as any person discomfited by the
immediate disruption of habit, we tend to grumble, whine, complain, and
complain some more, and oh boy, how we love to complain! From the trivial
line-skippers up to about either the inaction or action or delayed action of
the government and everything else in-between.
Quarantine is wise and proven to be effective based on world experiences. According to Cécile M. Bensimon, PhD, MA and Ross E.G. Upshur, MD, MA, MSc, FRCPC in their paper, Evidence and Effectiveness in Decision-making for Quarantine:
“Long before the notion of public health was formulated, both as a discipline and an institution, and even longer before the emphasis of security and protection embodied in the historic conception of the welfare state entered our political consciousness, the use of quarantine was a fundamental pillar of what were essentially public health measures. [emphasis supplied].”
“It is, thus, both one of the oldest tools of and a precedent to public health that in bygone years was viewed as a legitimate response to protect the public health and commercial interests. For nearly half a century, however, when it appeared that infectious diseases were no longer a threat, quarantine became an antiquated intervention that was hardly ever considered an option, much less invoked on a large scale”, the authors added.
“Antiquated” but when the need arises, this archaic tool is resorted to by governments all over the world to arrest the spread of a deadly disease.
Naturally, with people enjoying so much freedom of movement, speech, ad infinitum, the concept of quarantine has also progressed into a political, ethical, and moral issue. At this point in time though, our foremost concern is protecting our people from this transnational Non-Traditional Security (NTS) threat.
While at this, let’s also try to understand what pandemic is all about. A pandemic, has nothing to do with changes to the characteristics of a disease, but is instead associated with concerns over its geographic spread – NTS is transnational. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a pandemic is declared when a new disease for which people do not have immunity spreads around the world beyond expectations.
But how does the WHO decide whether to call a disease a pandemic? Cases that involve travellers who have been infected in a foreign country and have then returned to their home country, or who have been infected by that traveller, known as the “index case”, do not count towards declaring a pandemic. There needs to be a second wave of infection from person to person throughout the community.
According to London-based paper The Guardian, once a pandemic is declared, it becomes more likely that community spread will eventually happen, and governments and health systems need to ensure they are prepared for that.
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Food for Thought
Presently, women are called to respond to a higher challenge. The demands and expectations of living abroad, societal pressure, and unpredictable economy, to mention a few, have made it unparalleled. As a mother, wife, and working woman, balancing family life and career while maintaining quality, peace, and harmony, has been a real struggle. My source and guideline in achieving this goal is to remain true to myself, be proud of my ethnicity, and need no validation from anyone. People will test you and sometimes circumstances are unforgiving, but I remain resilient. My determination to set good examples at work and at home while maintaining my core values guided by my faith and seeing the positive impact I have made, is empowering. – Maria Flor Willis (Former Office Manager/ Homemaker)
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For comments, you may reach the writer at belca.87@gmail.com./PN
