Until Proven Safe: The gripping history of quarantine, from the Black Death to the post-Covid future

Until Proven Safe is a book about the history and future of quarantine,chasing the story of emergency isolation through time and space,from the crumbling lazarettos of the Mediterranean to the hallways of the CDC,to the corporate giants hoping to disrupt the widespread quarantine imposed by Covid-19 before the next pandemic hits. It is part travelogue, part intellectual history, and one that could not be more urgent or timely.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 416 pages
Publication date: 17 March 2022
Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Quarantine has profoundly impacted our world, eliciting both fear and misunderstanding. It serves as our most powerful response to uncertainty, yet operates on the assumption of guilt, treating individuals as infectious until proven safe. This metaphorical concept represents moral and mythic ills, symbolizing a period of waiting to uncover hidden aspects within ourselves.

Until Proven Safe delves into the historical and future aspects of quarantine across the globe, tracing the story of emergency isolation across time and space. From the decaying lazarettos of the Mediterranean to the corridors of the CDC and the corporate giants seeking to disrupt the widespread quarantine imposed by COVID-19 through surveillance and algorithmic prediction, the book explores the diverse contexts in which quarantine has been implemented.

However, quarantine extends beyond its medical application. Geoff Manaugh and Nicola Twilley embark on an extraordinary journey, exploring a nuclear-waste isolation facility beneath the New Mexican desert. They don protective Tyvek suits to observe plants afflicted with a disease that poses a significant threat to the global wheat supply. Additionally, they meet with NASA's Planetary Protection Officer, responsible for safeguarding the Earth against extraterrestrial infections.

The result is a captivating blend of travelogue and intellectual history, a book that is both compelling and definitive. Its urgency and timeliness are undeniable, making it a vital read for our times.

Weight: 296g
Dimension: 130 x 198 x 28 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781509867431