Quarantine, physical distancing and social isolation measures in individuals potentially exposed to SARS-CoV-2 in community settings and health services: a scoping review

Tereza Brenda Clementino de Freitas; Rafaella Cristina Tavares Belo; Sabrina Mércia Dos Santos Siebra; André de Macêdo Medeiros; Teresinha Silva de Brito; Sonia Elizabeth Lopez Carrillo; Israel Junior Borges do Nascimento; Sidnei Miyoshi Sakamoto; Maiara de Moraes

doi:10.3126/nje.v12i2.43838

Quarantine, physical distancing and social isolation measures in individuals potentially exposed to SARS-CoV-2 in community settings and health services: a scoping review

Nepal J Epidemiol. 2022 Jun 30;12(2):1182-1202. doi: 10.3126/nje.v12i2.43838. eCollection 2022 Jun.

Authors

Tereza Brenda Clementino de Freitas¹, Rafaella Cristina Tavares Belo², Sabrina Mércia Dos Santos Siebra², André de Macêdo Medeiros¹, Teresinha Silva de Brito¹, Sonia Elizabeth Lopez Carrillo², Israel Junior Borges do Nascimento¹, Sidnei Miyoshi Sakamoto³, Maiara de Moraes⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Health Sciences, Biological and Health Sciences Center, Federal University of the Semi-Arid Region, Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.
² Department of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the State of Rio Grande do Norte, Mossoró, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.
³ University Hospital and School of Medicine, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais, Brazil.
⁴ Department of Pathology, Health Sciences Center, Federal University of the Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil.

Abstract

To provide a synthesis of diverse evidence on the impact of the non-therapeutic preventive measures, specifically quarantine, physical distancing and social isolation, on the control of COVID-19. A scoping review conducted in the PubMed, Embase, LILACS, CENTRAL and SCOPUS databases between 2019 and August 28th, 2020. The descriptors used were the following: "quarantine", "physical distancing", "social isolation", "COVID-19" and "SARS-Cov2". Studies that addressed the non-therapeutic preventive measures in people exposed to SARs-CoV-2 in community settings and health services were included. A total of 14,442 records identified through a database search were reduced to 346 studies and, after a standardized selection process, a total of 68 articles were selected for analysis. A total of 35 descriptive, cross-sectional or longitudinal observational studies were identified, as well as 3 reviews, in addition to 30 studies with mathematical modeling. The main intervention assessed was social distancing (56.6%), followed by lockdown (25.0%) and quarantine (18.4%). The main evidence analyzed points to the need for rapid responses to reduce the number of infections, deaths and hospital admissions, especially in intensive care unit beds.The current review revealed consistent reports that the quarantine, physical distancing and social isolation are effective strategies to contain spread of the new coronavirus.

Keywords: Confinement; Coronavirus; Physical Distancing; Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome.

Publication types

Review