• Updated: 08/02/2021 The word 'quarantine' has probably never been more in our consciousness than right now. With countries around the world imposing self-isolation rules for arrivals, terms like 'lockdown', 'quarantine', and 'pandemic' becoming a major part of our daily vocabulary. But the word 'quarantine' dates back six hundred years to Italy when Venetians were grappling with another devastating disease - the bubonic plague. In the 1400s, ships, goods, and their crews arriving from the east were required to isolate before continuing their journey to the mainland. To protect citizens from early waves of the disease, authorities established an isolation system on two islands in its lagoon which continues to be replicated today.