A pandemic is an epidemic of an infectious disease that has a sudden increase in cases and spreads across a large region, for instance multiple continents or worldwide, affecting a substantial number of individuals. Widespread endemic diseases with a stable number of infected individuals such as recurrences of seasonal influenza are generally excluded as they occur simultaneously in large regions of the globe rather than being spread worldwide.
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. It is distinct from medical isolation, in which those confirmed to be infected with a communicable disease are isolated from the healthy population.
A notifiable disease is any disease that is required by law to be reported to government authorities. The collation of information allows the authorities to monitor the disease, and provides early warning of possible outbreaks. In the case of livestock diseases, there may also be the legal requirement to kill the infected livestock upon notification. Many governments have enacted regulations for reporting of both human and animal diseases.
In health care facilities, isolation represents one of several measures that can be taken to implement in infection control: the prevention of communicable diseases from being transmitted from a patient to other patients, health care workers, and visitors, or from outsiders to a particular patient. Various forms of isolation exist, in some of which contact procedures are modified, and others in which the patient is kept away from all other people. In a system devised, and periodically revised, by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), various levels of patient isolation comprise application of one or more formally described "precaution".
A notifiable disease is one which the law requires to be reported to government authorities.
The COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom is a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In the United Kingdom, it has resulted in 25,018,085 confirmed cases, and is associated with 232,112 deaths.
The COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland is a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In Ireland, it has resulted in 1,751,701 cases and 10,072 deaths, as of 13 December 2024.
The COVID-19 pandemic was confirmed to have spread to the British Overseas Territory of Gibraltar in March 2020. The first death in Gibraltar occurred on 11 November 2020. As of 18 March 2021, there are 4,270 confirmed cases, 4,146 recoveries, and 94 deaths. As of April 2021, Gibraltar is the first territory where enough of the population has been vaccinated to achieve herd immunity.
The COVID-19 pandemic in Malawi is part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The virus was confirmed to have reached Malawi on 2 April 2020. It has spread to all districts of Malawi.
The COVID-19 pandemic in the Marshall Islands is part of the ongoing worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. The virus was confirmed to have reached the Marshall Islands on 28 October 2020, but remained confined to quarantined arrivals until August 2022. The first known community transmission cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Majuro on August 8, 2022, ending the country's COVID-free status. The first confirmed death from COVID-19 in the Marshall Islands occurred on August 11, 2022.
The COVID-19 pandemic in Martinique was a part of the ongoing global viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which was confirmed to have reached the French overseas department and region of Martinique on 5 March 2020.
The Coronavirus Act 2020 is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that granted the government emergency powers to handle the COVID-19 pandemic. The act allowed the government the discretionary power to limit or suspend public gatherings, to detain individuals suspected to be infected by COVID-19, and to intervene or relax regulations in a range of sectors to limit transmission of the disease, ease the burden on public health services, and assist healthcare workers and the economically affected. Areas covered by the act included the National Health Service, social care, schools, police, Border Force, local councils, funerals and courts. The act was introduced to Parliament on 19 March 2020, and passed the House of Commons without a vote on 23 March, and the House of Lords on 25 March. The act received royal assent on 25 March 2020.
The COVID-19 pandemic in the Turks and Caicos Islands is part of the ongoing global viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which was confirmed to have reached the British Overseas Territory of the Turks and Caicos Islands on 23 March 2020, and the first death occurred on 5 April. On 12 May, all cases were declared resolved, but on 20 June, new cases had been discovered. On 4 July 2021, all cases resolved again. On 8 July, new cases were discovered.
The Health Protection (England) Regulations 2020, informally known as "the Lockdown Regulations", was a statutory instrument (SI) enacted on 26 March 2020 by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It became the principal delegated English legislation restricting freedom of movement, gatherings, and business closures during the COVID-19 emergency period until its revocation by The Health Protection (England) Regulations 2020 on 4 July 2020.
The COVID-19 pandemic was first confirmed to have spread to England with two cases among Chinese nationals staying in a hotel in York on 31 January 2020. The two main public bodies responsible for health in England were NHS England and Public Health England (PHE).
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom, the UK Government introduced various public health and economic measures to mitigate its impact. Devolution meant that the four nations' administrative responses to the pandemic differed; the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government, and the Northern Ireland Executive produced different policies to those that apply in England. Numerous laws were enacted or introduced throughout the crisis.
An immunity passport, immunity certificate, health pass or release certificate is a document, whether in paper or digital format, attesting that its bearer has a degree of immunity to a contagious disease. Public certification is an action that governments can take to mitigate an epidemic.
Sergio Brusin an Italian epidemiologist and public health advisor. Brusin is the former Principal Expert Response and Emergency Operations at the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. Brusin developed the ECDC infectious disease risk assessment methodology that is used by ECDC and other public health institutions in assessing the risk posed by communicable disease events. In early March 2020, Brusin urged the UK government to take action and urgently implement lockdown measures referring to Italy as the catastrophic example to avoid. He also advocated for far fewer travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic recommending to concentrate the response efforts to stricter domestic control measures strongly enforced. As of 2024, Brusin is the Head of the MedCOI Sector at the European Union Agency for Asylum (EUAA)—formerly known as the European Asylum Support Office (EASO). He is one of the contributors to the Strengthening Data Sharing for Public Health project by Chatham House. The initiative aims to enhance public health by facilitating the sharing of surveillance data, promoting regional collaborations, capacity building, and improving risk management while addressing technical, ethical, and legal concerns.
The Health Protection (England) Regulations 2020 is an English statutory instrument made on 3 November 2020 by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Matt Hancock, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This article outlines the history of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Kingdom. Though later reporting indicated that there may have been some cases dating from late 2019, COVID-19 was confirmed to be spreading in the UK by the end of January 2020. The country was initially relatively slow implementing restrictions but a legally enforced stay-at-home order had been introduced by late March. Restrictions were steadily eased across the UK in late spring and early summer that year.
