Eyam Plague Quarantine Saved Neighbors

In May 1666, the plague-stricken English village of Eyam voluntarily quarantined itself inside a perimeter of boundary stones rather than let residents flee and spread the disease. For 14 months, neighboring communities left food at designated points along the boundary, while villagers paid with coins disinfected in running water or vinegar. An estimated 260 villagers, nearly 80 percent of the population, died, but no one crossed the cordon in either direction. The quarantine ended in November 1667 after the plague had run its course, and the villagers' sacrifice likely saved thousands beyond Eyam.

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