Connecticut governor, health officials sued over Ebola quarantines

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) – Several people quarantined in Connecticut after returning from West Africa during the 2014 Ebola epidemic are suing Gov. Dannel P. Malloy and state health officials, saying they were essentially imprisoned based on politics and not for any legal or scientific reasons.

Yale Law School students filed the federal lawsuit Monday. The plaintiffs include a West African family of six and a current student and former student at the Yale School of Public Health.

The lawsuit says the plaintiffs had no Ebola symptoms, but were illegally quarantined for weeks. The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages and an order preventing such quarantines in the future.

A Malloy adviser says the governor will continue to take necessary actions to protect the public. State policy is to quarantine travelers potentially exposed to Ebola.