[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

In Europe, going way back. The reason is that before the quarantine, people get infected and invisibly spread the disease, but the quarantine only goes into effect once people start showing symptoms.

And all the other human vices come into play as well, from denial and delay in instituting the quarantine, breaking the quarantine either to flee or to smuggle goods, etc.

Several books document it as well. Daniel Defoe’s A Journal of the Plague Year, about the great plague of 1665.

Albert Camus, The Plague (1947).

[ansel12]

In time of epidemic, the Public Health Agency becomes the most authoritarian government department. They have the authority to order the police, and even the military, to follow their orders.
As necessary, their directives come at the barrel of a gun. If they order a city quarantined (though this almost invariably happens too late), this means armed guards with orders to “shoot to stop” any effort at breaking the quarantine.
They are not controlled by habeus corpus, that is, if they order a person kept in medical isolation, there is no judicial relief. This has been invoked a few times in recent years because of extensively drug resistant Tuberculosis. That person is detained indefinitely until no longer infectious, or dead. And even their body is under control until it can be safely disposed.

You posted about the United States, """the Public Health Agency, habeus corpus, judicial relief, drug resistant Tuberculosis order a city quarantined (though this almost invariably happens too late), this means armed guards with orders to “shoot to stop”, authoritarian government department. They have the authority to order the police, and even the military."""

What examples of American cities being quarantined with shoot to kill orders are you talking about?