Quarantine is nothing new. In 14th century Venice ships had to wait for 40 days before they were allowed to unload, to ensure that they did not bring plague into the city. In the 19th century Louisiana set up quarantine stations along the river to ensure that ships did not bring various diseases to the city. Louisiana has a long history of epidemics, most notably the dreaded yellow fever.
Quarantine Ground at the Mouth of the Mississippi River, October 15, 1881 from The Historic New Orleans Collection
Quarantine Station in Algiers, Louisiana, 1930s from The Historic New Orleans Collection
AN ACT to establish a Board of Health and Health Office, and to prevent the introduction of Malignant, Pestilential and Infectious Diseases into the City of New-Orleans.
Whereas experience has demonstrated the many important advantages resulting from the enactment and observance of well regulated quarantine laws, and the urgent necessity . . . .
Approved March 17, 1818
Scene in the Saint Louis Catholic Cemetery, New Orleans, from The Historic New Orleans Collection
1878 Yellow Fever epidemic
