The Impact of Quarantine, Isolation, and Social Distancing on COVID-19 Prevention: A Systematic Review

Background: The new Corona virus disease (COVID-19) appeared in Wuhan, China in December 2019. Methods, such as quarantine, isolation, and social distancing, if implemented properly, can help prevent the transmission of the disease. This study aimed to examine the effects of quarantine, isolation, and social distancing on the prevention of COVID-19. Methods: In this systematic review, EMBASE (Elsevier, 2018), MEDLINE (National Library of Medicine, 2018), Scopus, ProQuest, Web of Science (Clarivate Analytics, 2018b), and Google Scholar databases were searched for the studies published prior to 10 April 2020. The search and data extraction were conducted by two authors and to check and control the quality of the articles, we used the Newcastle-Ottawa checklist. Results: Based on the inclusion criteria, 24 out of the 768 primarily screened studies were finally assessed. Studies showed that the short-term negative psychological effects of quarantine included frustration, boredom, anger, and confusion. Nonetheless, extending the adult quarantine period to 18-21 days could be effective in preventing the spread of the virus and controlling the disease. Moreover, the decision to control the people’s travels through restrictions on freedom of movement must be balanced regarding the estimated epidemiological impact and the expected economic outcome. Conclusion: Although isolation, quarantine, and social distancing all have challenges, they are very useful methods for controlling the disease, which can be best used by knowing their duration of implementation.