In a recent news release the state Department of Health has been working to identify several suitable locations for a quarantine site, should the need arise, in response to new federal measures around controlling the spread of 2019 novel coronavirus. The purpose of quarantine is to prevent healthy people who’ve potentially been exposed to a communicable disease from spreading it to other people. The Department has identified state-owned property behind the Washington State Public Health Laboratory in Shoreline as another potential site for quarantine. On Friday, January 31st, the United States federal government declared the novel coronavirus outbreak to be a public health emergency. As part of the announcement, certain passengers returning from Hubei Province and other parts of China will be quarantined for up to 14 days. To learn more about this quarantine, the purpose of quarantine for protecting public health and whether it can be effective now, Dr. Jeff Duchin, Health Officer for Public Health – Seattle & King County, provides additional information and explanation in this new public helath blog post from the agency.
