Human Efforts to Stop the Plague Were Not Useless
One of the interesting myths about the Black Death is that nothing could stop the spread of the plague. The truth is much more interesting because some cities were able to do things that saved large portions of their population but their methods were brutal at best. One of the most successful cities at stopping the spread of the bubonic plague was Milan.
Milan was already at an advantage over other areas of Europe because they had better hygiene habits and they were not particularly superstitious. The lack of superstition is important because it meant that they did not bleed a person that was sick (and therefore spread the disease) but rather did something far worse for the patient. If a person was found to have the plague the entire home would be walled up. All the windows and doors would be bricked shut, along with anyone inside – whether or not they were infected. This strict method of quarantine largely stopped the spread.
Another way that Milan took efforts to protect themselves was to close off the city. The city was already surrounded by walls and therefore they closed the gates and would not let anyone into the city. Merchants delivering goods would have to leave the goods outside the gate and step away while guards retrieved the goods and left money from the merchants.
Quarantine efforts and border patrols were the reason the plague stopped spreading and would eventually prevent future plagues from breaking out as the practice spread. During the bubonic plague people would carry health ID cards that would identify the person and where they came from. Spies would then travel throughout Europe and report cities and areas that were being affected. Cities would then know who could be allowed to enter the city. Venice was also effective at restricting shipping until it could be verified that the boat and its sailors were not bringing the plague with them.