Abstract
Due to the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus disease in 2019 (COVID-19), Wuhan was on lockdown for more than 60 days by the state government. This study investigated the perceptions and attitudes of the public on quarantine as a practical approach to halting the spread of COVID-19. An online survey was conducted via WeChat between 10 January 2020 and 10 March 2020 on the general population in Hubei province at the height of the COVID-19 outbreak. In total, 549 respondents participated in the survey. Results revealed that the public displayed significantly strong support towards quarantine throughout the outbreak period, apart from locking people up and using imprisonment legal sanctions against those who failed to comply with the stringent regulations. The support exerted by the public stemmed from the execution of authorised officers to protect the public interest and provision of psychosocial support for those affected. In situations where quarantine could not be imposed, public health policy-makers and government officials should implement an extensive system of psychosocial support to safeguard, instruct and inform frontline public health workers. The public should also be enlisted in an open conversation concerning the ethical utility of restrictive values during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Highlights
Quarantine has become a significant approach in combatting the coronavirus disease in 2019 (COVID-19), which has spread to all major cities in China
The UK, Canada and Beijing have responded to the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) outbreak that is caused by a coronavirus in 2003 through quarantine [3]
The current findings indicate that many people agree to quarantine as a necessary method in managing COVID-19
Summary
Quarantine has become a significant approach in combatting the coronavirus disease in 2019 (COVID-19), which has spread to all major cities in China. The ‘quarantine’ approach is referred to as the process of separating and restricting the movement of people to halt the spread of contagious disease [2]. Quarantine has since been used as a term across the world to describe movement control of the people when an epidemic happens. Quarantine differs from isolation as the latter reflects separating those diagnosed with a disease from the rest of the population who are healthy. These terms have been interchangeably used when addressing the general public throughout the COVID-19 outbreak [4]
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