You claim that the epidemic is as serious as the Black Plague, yet in the same breath, assert that the ill-educated, over-emotional rabble will "quarantine themselves" rather than spread panic and disease all through China. I suppose the "free" people of Hong Kong are rioting to help the health crisis situation by shutting down healthcare facilities and spreading panic everywhere. Only if the model of Hong Kong zeroes could have been implemented throughout all Chinese cities, the epidemic would have been better controlled. Or perhaps the "free" people of S. Korea intentionally spreading the virus.
Or perhaps the rioters in Ukraine attempting to murder their own people whom they suspect of being ill. What nonsense. "Free" people wouldn't be able to organise themselves out of a wet paper bag.

The quantine measures are necessary to ensure compliance. The ignorant muck, when left to its own devises in a time of crisis, will eat themselves. The only method of beating reason and rational behavior into you precious low-born scum is the iron fist of government enforcement. The government, by necessity, must enact draconian measures because the muck will not, or can not, obey the rational behaviors demanded of them during crisis. That the average modern humanist, pampered in his soft lifestyle made possible by the social stability deriving from the policies of central government, is unable to understand the realities of ruling, gives further indication that the subjects ought to have little to no say in formulating sociopolitical policies.

Welding the doors of whole apartment blocks shut is not something the residents of the apartments are likely to find beneficial

It seems like you don't understand the concept of quarantine. Those trapped in the cruise ships, unable to dock anywhere, are also not benefiting from the "tyrannical" policies of Western nations. Those US citizens "evacuated" into 'Murican military bases are not benefitting from forced imprisonments. Ruling in a time of crisis means deciding which population lives and which population dies. Be thankful that it is your betters who are tasked with this responsibility and not you.