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Connecticut Officials Sued Over Ebola Quarantines In 2014

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

Yale Law School students filed the federal lawsuit Monday. The plaintiffs include a West African family of six, a current student and former student at the Yale School of Public Health, a physician who has treated Ebola patients in West Africa and the Liberian Community Association of Connecticut.

The law students say the plaintiffs had no Ebola symptoms but were quarantined for two to three weeks.

Yale law student Kyle Edwards said under state statue, these people were entitled to food, shelter and communication with family and friends, but she said these amenities were lacking, WCBS 880's Fran Schneidau reported.

"If you're in quarantine, you can't go out and go shopping for yourself. So at times, they had friends who tried to bring them food or deliveries and the police stationed outside of their homes prevented those people from reaching their friends in quarantine," she said.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages and an order preventing such quarantines in the future.

The Connecticut health department no longer monitors Connecticut travelers arriving from countries where Ebola cases have been detected.

A spokesman said Connecticut followed all guidelines set by the CDC.

(TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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