Quarantine Act 1721

The Quarantine Act 1721 was a health protection measure passed by the Parliament of Great Britain.
During the 18th century, the age of empire and sailing ships in England, outbreaks of diseases such as the plague seemed to travel from country to country very rapidly. Parliament responded to this threat by establishing the Quarantine Act 1721.

Provisions

The first clause of the act reads:

Summary

In simpler terms, this act made it mandatory for all ships and crew to undergo a complete quarantine of the ship’s cargo and crew to determine whether there was a threat to public health. If the ship was infected by a disease and the captain or any of the crew members knew and hid the information, they were subject to capital punishment. If a crew member was found to be infected they were to be sent to a “lazeret” until they were cured of the disease and deemed eligible for release. A lazaret, or quarantine station, was usually constructed on an island and was guarded by soldiers who were also confined to the island for fear of spreading the illness. If a person tried to escape, they also would be subject to capital punishment under the terms of that statute.

Amendment and repeal

Although the plague never reached England during the time the act was enforced, parliament continued to fear it, and the act was amended several times until it was finally repealed and replaced by the Public Health Act 1896. The act was first amended in 1743 by an act of Parliament passed in response to an epidemic in Messina. The act was then amended by the Quarantine and Customs Act 1788 so that it included the cargoes of the ships as well as the people aboard. The act was last relied on during the approach of Cholera in 1831.
The whole act was repealed by section 1 of, and the schedule to, the Statute Law Revision Act 1867.