Cordon sanitaire (medicine)

When someone is sick with a really bad disease, sometimes the people in charge of keeping people healthy make a special area around the sick person to keep the sickness from spreading to other people. This special area is called a "cordon sanitaire" which means "sanitary cord" in French. It might look like a big circle or a fence, and everyone inside the circle has to be very careful about not getting too close to the sick person or the things they have touched. They might have to wear special suits and masks to stay safe from the sickness. The goal of the cordon sanitaire is to keep everyone else healthy by keeping them separate from the sick person until they get better.