Quarantine vs. Segregate — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman & Maham Liaqat — Updated on April 6, 2024
Quarantine emphasizes temporary isolation to prevent disease spread, while segregate involves separation based on specific criteria or characteristics.
Difference Between Quarantine and Segregate
Table of Contents
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Key Differences
Quarantine is primarily used in the context of health and safety, where individuals or groups are isolated for a period to prevent the spread of diseases. On the other hand, segregate refers to the act of setting someone or something apart from a main body or group.
While quarantine is a specific term with a strong association to health and disease control, requiring temporary isolation, segregation is a broader term used across various fields and situations to denote separation based on distinct characteristics or criteria. Quarantine measures are often mandated by health authorities during epidemics or pandemics, whereas segregation can be a policy or practice implemented in social, educational, or environmental contexts.
Quarantine periods are generally determined by the incubation period of a disease, meaning the time between exposure to the virus and onset of symptoms. This period is scientifically determined and can vary from disease to disease. Conversely, the duration and basis of segregation do not follow medical guidelines but are instead determined by policy, purpose, or preference.
Quarantine is a health-related isolation measure aimed at preventing disease spread, whereas segregation is a broader concept of separation based on various criteria, not necessarily related to health or disease.
Comparison Chart
Primary Context
Health and disease prevention
Broad, including social, educational, environmental
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Purpose
Prevent disease spread
Separate based on criteria or characteristics
Duration
Determined by disease incubation period
Varied, based on policy or purpose
Implementation
Often mandated by health authorities
Determined by policy, practice, or preference
Associated Fields
Medicine, public health
Education, environmental management, social policy
Compare with Definitions
Quarantine
A place designated for isolating individuals.
The hospital has a quarantine zone for contagious diseases.
Segregate
To separate based on specific criteria.
Waste is segregated into recyclables and non-recyclables.
Quarantine
Measures to restrict movement.
Travelers from affected areas faced strict quarantine.
Segregate
Practice of setting apart.
The company segregates tasks among teams for efficiency.
Quarantine
A policy for controlling disease outbreaks.
The government imposed a quarantine to control the virus spread.
Segregate
Division according to characteristics.
The library segregates books by genre for easier access.
Quarantine
A period of isolation for health monitoring.
The quarantine lasted for fourteen days after their arrival.
Segregate
To isolate from a group.
The school segregates students for special education needs.
Quarantine
Isolation to prevent disease spread.
During the flu outbreak, the family was placed in quarantine.
Segregate
Policy of separation in social contexts.
Historical laws once segregated public spaces by race.
Quarantine
A quarantine is a restriction on the movement of people, animals and goods which is intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. It is often used in connection to disease and illness, preventing the movement of those who may have been exposed to a communicable disease, yet do not have a confirmed medical diagnosis.
Segregate
To separate or isolate from others or from a main body or group.
Quarantine
A condition, period of time, or place in which a person, animal, plant, vehicle, or amount of material suspected of carrying an infectious agent is kept in confinement or isolated in an effort to prevent disease from spreading.
Segregate
To become separated or distinguished
Animals that segregate into male and female herds when not in mating season.
Quarantine
An action resulting in such a condition
The government's quarantine of the animals.
Segregate
To practice a policy of racial segregation.
Quarantine
An action to isolate another nation, such as a blockade of its ports or a severance of diplomatic or trade relations.
Segregate
(Genetics) To undergo genetic segregation.
Quarantine
The condition of being isolated by such an action.
Segregate
Separated; isolated.
Quarantine
(Computers) The isolation of data or data transmissions in order to keep viruses, worms, or other malware from infecting a computer or computer network.
Segregate
One that is or has been segregated.
Quarantine
To isolate in quarantine.
Segregate
(Genetics) See segregant.
Quarantine
A period of 40 days, particularly
Segregate
Separate; select.
Quarantine
The 40-day period during which a widow is entitled to remain in her deceased husband's home while any dower is collected and returned.
Segregate
(botany) Separated from others of the same kind.
Quarantine
(historical) The 40-day period of isolation required after 1448 at Venice's lazaret to avoid renewed outbreaks of the bubonic plague and identical policies in other locations.
Segregate
(geology) Separate from a mass and collected together along lines of fraction.
Quarantine
(historical) A 40-day period formerly imposed by the French king upon warring nobles during which they were forbidden from exacting revenge or continuing to fight.
Segregate
(transitive) To separate, especially by social policies that directly or indirectly keep races or ethnic groups apart.
Quarantine
A period, instance, or state of isolation from the general public or from native livestock and flora enacted to prevent the spread of any contagious disease.
The tourists were put in quarantine to ensure none of them would be able to spread the plague.
Segregate
Separate; select.
Quarantine
(figurative) A similar period, instance, or state of rigidly enforced or self-enforced detention or isolation.
Segregate
Separated from others of the same kind.
Quarantine
A place where such isolation is enforced, a lazaret.
Segregate
To separate from others; to set apart.
They are still segregated, Christians from Christians, under odious designations.
Quarantine
A blockade of trade, suspension of diplomatic relations, or other action whereby one country seeks to isolate another.
Segregate
To separate from a mass, and collect together about centers or along lines of fracture, as in the process of crystallization or solidification.
Quarantine
An isolation of one program, drive, computer, etc. from the rest of a computer network to limit the damage from a bug, computer virus, etc..
Segregate
Separate by race or religion; practice a policy of racial segregation;
This neighborhood is segregated
We don't segregate in this county
Quarantine
The program, drive, computer, etc. thus isolated.
Segregate
Divide from the main body or mass and collect;
Many towns segregated into new counties
Experiments show clearly that genes segregate
Quarantine
(transitive) To place into isolation to prevent the spread of any contagious disease.
Venice began quarantining incoming ships for 40 days in 1448 to prevent further outbreaks of bubonic plague.
Segregate
Separate or isolate (one thing) from another and place in a group apart from others;
The sun degregates the carbon
Large mining claims are segregated into smaller claims
Quarantine
Synonym of isolatemore generally.
Quarantine
Synonym of restrict.
Quarantine
To impose a quarantine, to establish quarantine regulations.
Quarantine
(intransitive) To enter or stay in quarantine, particularly to self-quarantine to avoid an epidemic disease.
International travelers must quarantine themselves at their own expense in a designated hotel for 14 days upon arrival.
Quarantine
Alternative case form of Quarantine: the Mount of Temptation where Jesus Christ supposedly fasted for 40 days, Jebel Quruntul near Jericho.
Quarantine
A space of forty days; - used of Lent.
Quarantine
Specifically, the term, originally of forty days, during which a ship arriving in port, and suspected of being infected a malignant contagious disease, is obliged to forbear all intercourse with the shore; hence, such restraint or inhibition of intercourse; also, the place where infected or prohibited vessels are stationed.
Quarantine
The period of forty days during which the widow had the privilege of remaining in the mansion house of which her husband died seized.
Quarantine
To compel to remain at a distance, or in a given place, without intercourse, when suspected of having contagious disease; to put under, or in, quarantine.
Quarantine
Enforced isolation of patients suffering from a contagious disease in order to prevent the spread of disease
Quarantine
Isolation to prevent the spread of infectious disease
Quarantine
Place into enforced isolation, as for medical reasons;
My dog was quarantined before he could live in England
Common Curiosities
Is segregation always negative?
No, segregation can be practical or necessary for organization, education, or environmental management, though it has negative connotations in social contexts.
What are common reasons for segregation?
Segregation can be based on criteria such as type, category, academic level, or purpose.
How do health authorities decide on quarantine measures?
Decisions are based on scientific evidence, disease incubation periods, and the contagiousness of the disease.
Can quarantine be voluntary?
Yes, quarantine can be voluntary, but during outbreaks, it may be mandated by health authorities.
Can animals be quarantined?
Yes, animals can be quarantined to prevent the spread of diseases to other animals or humans.
Why is quarantine important during a pandemic?
Quarantine helps contain the spread of the disease, reducing the number of new infections.
How long can a quarantine last?
Quarantine duration depends on the incubation period of the disease, typically ranging from a few days to several weeks.
What are historical examples of segregation?
Racial segregation in the United States under Jim Crow laws is a well-known example.
How do quarantine measures end?
They typically end when health authorities determine the risk of disease spread is minimal.
How is segregation implemented in schools?
It can be based on academic performance, special education needs, or extracurricular interests.
What happens if someone breaks quarantine?
Penalties vary by jurisdiction but can include fines or other legal consequences.
Can quarantine be applied to entire communities?
Yes, community-wide quarantines can be imposed during severe disease outbreaks.
What is an example of segregation in environmental management?
Segregating waste into recyclables, organic waste, and non-recyclables is a common practice.
What are the benefits of segregating waste?
It improves recycling rates, reduces landfill use, and minimizes environmental impact.
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Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Maham Liaqat
