A curfew is an order that imposes certain regulations during specified hours. For instance, children are often given curfews by their parents, and an au pair is traditionally given a curfew by which time he or she must return to his or her host family's home.
Some jurisdictions have juvenile curfews which affect all persons under a certain age not accompanied by an adult or engaged in certain approved activities. Curfews have been used as a control measure in martial law , as well as for public safety in the event of a disaster, epidemic , or crisis.
The enforcement of curfews has been found to disproportionately affect marginalised groups, including those who are homeless or have limited access to transportation. During the COVID pandemic , curfews were implemented in several countries, including France, Italy, Poland and Australia, as a measure to limit the spread of the virus. Between the evening twilight and the grayness before dawn one can hardly make out the walls of the houses, for there is no lighting in the medieval city as we said.
At evening curfew the women cover the coals in the hearth with ash to reduce the fire hazard. The houses are built with beams of oak and every one is a potential tinderbox waiting to blaze up, so at night the only flames left burning are the candles before the holy images. Why would the streets need to be lit anyway?
In the evening the entrances to the dangerous neighborhoods are barred, chains are stretched across the river to prevent a surprise attack from barbarian raiders coming upstream, and the city gates are locked tight. The city is like one big household, with everything well secured. Curfews have been used since the Middle Ages to limit uprisings among subordinate groups, including Anglo-Saxons under William the Conqueror.
