Forty days regardless of what you do. Seems like the Venetians had an inherent insight when they came up with “quaranta” or 40 days when dealing with outbreaks of infectious disease.
I observed my county’s “shelter in place” for exactly 40 days, and then released my kids to go see their friends, etc.
Something about observing the quarantine for 40 days, no more and no less, felt right to me—it was more than “15 days to flatten the curve,” but less than the months and months my blue county wants to stay shut down. . .
The ancients knew 40 days was enough.
The Jews came up with it first.
40 is the biblical number for God’s judgement. Noah’s flood rained for 40 days and nights—and the world was destroyed. The Hebrews wandered 40 years in the Wilderness,with an entire generation dying.... before going into the Promised land. Jesus fasted and was tempted for 40 days.
40 is a very eerie number.