In the era of Covid-19, ‘curfew’ is considered an extreme measure for containing the spread of the virus. Illustration: Mario RivieraIn the era of Covid-19, ‘curfew’ is considered an extreme measure for containing the spread of the virus. Illustration: Mario Riviera
In the era of Covid-19, ‘curfew’ is considered an extreme measure for containing the spread of the virus. Illustration: Mario Riviera
Lisa Lim
Opinion

Opinion

Language Matters by Lisa Lim

How a medieval health and safety initiative gave us the word ‘curfew’

  • The term used to denote the ringing of a bell that told townspeople to extinguish the embers in their hearths

Lisa Lim
Lisa Lim

Updated: 3:22am, 17 Aug, 2020

Why you can trust SCMP
In the era of Covid-19, ‘curfew’ is considered an extreme measure for containing the spread of the virus. Illustration: Mario RivieraIn the era of Covid-19, ‘curfew’ is considered an extreme measure for containing the spread of the virus. Illustration: Mario Riviera
In the era of Covid-19, ‘curfew’ is considered an extreme measure for containing the spread of the virus. Illustration: Mario Riviera
READ FULL ARTICLE