On 07 June 1665, during the Great Plague of London, Samuel Pepys made a poignant entry in his diary noting the ominous sight of houses marked with a red cross in Drury Lane. These markings indicated that someone inside was infected with the plague, and the household was consequently quarantined. The red cross, accompanied by the words "Lord have mercy upon us," signified that the inhabitants were to be confined for 40 days or until death. This measure was part of the broader public health efforts to contain the spread of the devastating plague, which ultimately claimed the lives of an estimated 100,000 people, roughly a quarter of London's population at the time. Pepys's detailed diary entries provide a vivid, personal account of the impact of the plague on the daily lives and fears of Londoners during this catastrophic period.
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