The mental health effects of being quarantined for Covid-19

A woman (right), who has recovered from Covid-19, is disinfected by volunteers as she arrives at a hotel for a 14-day quarantine after being discharged from a hospital in Wuhan, China. Those who have to be quarantined can experience a wide range of psychological effects. — AFP

New British research has shown how being in quarantine, which is a common situation for many people around the world right now due to the current Covid-19 outbreak, could have a long-term effect on mental health.

Carried out by a team from King’s College London, the new research looked at 24 previous studies that had investigated the psychological impact of quarantine during previous disease outbreaks across ten countries, including SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome), Ebola, H1N1 influenza, MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome) and equine influenza.