Quarantine powers

Quarantine powers are public health tools used when a person or group may have been exposed to a communicable disease. In Switzerland, such measures generally fall within communicable disease law and are implemented by competent cantonal or federal authorities depending on the situation. Quarantine differs from isolation, which concerns persons who are infected or ill. Restrictions on liberty, work, education or family life require a legal basis, public health justification, time limits and proportionality. Effective communication, medical support and review mechanisms are important safeguards.