Page "The Plague" Paragraph 8

The town is sealed off.

The town gates are shut, rail travel is prohibited, and all mail service is suspended.

The use of telephone lines is restricted only to " urgent " calls, leaving short telegrams as the only means of communicating with friends or family outside the town.

The separation affects daily activity and depresses the spirit of the townspeople, who begin to feel isolated and introverted, and the plague begins to affect various characters.