(a) Any town, city, borough or district director of health may order any person isolated or quarantined whom such director has reasonable grounds to believe to be infected with a communicable disease or to be contaminated, if such director determines such person poses a substantial threat to the public health and isolation or quarantine is necessary to protect or preserve the public health, except that in the event the Governor declares a public health emergency, pursuant to section 19a-131a, each town, city, borough and district director of health shall comply with and carry out any order the Commissioner of Public Health issues in furtherance of the Governor’s order pursuant to the declaration of the public health emergency.

Ask a legal question, get an answer ASAP!
Click here to chat with a lawyer about your rights.

(b) (1) The director shall adhere to the following conditions and principles when isolating or quarantining persons: (A) Isolation and quarantine shall be by the least restrictive means necessary to prevent the spread of a communicable disease or contamination to others and may include, but not be limited to, confinement to private homes or other private or public premises; (B) quarantined persons shall be confined separately from isolated persons; (C) the health status of isolated or quarantined persons shall be monitored frequently to determine if they continue to require isolation or quarantine; (D) if a quarantined person subsequently becomes infected or contaminated or is reasonably believed to have become infected with a communicable disease or contaminated, such person shall be promptly moved to isolation; (E) isolated or quarantined persons shall be immediately released when they are no longer infectious or capable of contaminating others or upon the order of a court of competent jurisdiction; (F) the needs of persons isolated or quarantined shall be addressed in a systematic and competent fashion, including, but not limited to, providing adequate food, clothing, shelter, means of communication with those in isolation or quarantine and outside those settings, medication and competent medical care; (G) premises used for isolation and quarantine shall be maintained in a safe and hygienic manner and be designed to minimize the likelihood of further transmission of infection or other harms to individuals isolated or quarantined; (H) to the extent possible without jeopardizing the public health, family members and members of a household shall be kept together, and guardians shall stay with their minor wards; and (I) to the extent possible, cultural and religious beliefs shall be considered in addressing the needs of persons and establishing and maintaining premises used for quarantine and isolation.

(2) The order by the director shall be in writing setting forth: (A) The name of the person to be isolated or quarantined, (B) the basis for the director’s belief that the person has a communicable disease or has been contaminated and poses a substantial threat to the public health and that isolation or quarantine is necessary to protect or preserve the public health, (C) the period of time during which the order shall remain effective, (D) the place of isolation or quarantine that may include, but need not be limited to, private homes or other private or public premises, as designated by the director, and (E) such other terms and conditions as may be necessary to protect and preserve the public health. Such order shall also inform the person isolated or quarantined that such person has the right to consult an attorney, the right to a hearing under this section, and that if such a hearing is requested, he has the right to be represented by counsel, and that counsel will be provided at the state’s expense if he is unable to pay for such counsel. A copy of the order shall be given to such person. In determining the duration of the order, the director shall consider, to the extent known, the length of incubation of the communicable disease or contamination, the date of the person’s exposure and the person’s medical risk of exposing others to such communicable disease or contamination. Within twenty-four hours of the issuance of the order, the director of health shall notify the Commissioner of Public Health that such an order has been issued. The order shall be effective for not more than twenty days, provided further orders of confinement pursuant to this section may be issued as to any respondent for successive periods of not more than twenty days if issued before the last business day of the preceding period of isolation or quarantine.

(c) A person ordered isolated or quarantined under this section shall be isolated or quarantined in a place designated by the director of health until such time as such director determines such person no longer poses a substantial threat to the public health or is released by order of a Probate Court for the district in which such person is isolated or quarantined. Any person who desires treatment by prayer or spiritual means without the use of any drugs or material remedies, but through the use of the principles, tenets or teachings of any church incorporated under chapter 598, may be so treated during such person’s isolation or quarantine in such place.

(d) A person isolated or quarantined under this section shall have the right to a hearing in Probate Court and, if such person or such person’s representative requests a hearing in writing, such hearing shall be held not later than seventy-two hours after receipt of such request, excluding Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays. A request for a hearing shall not stay the order of isolation or quarantine issued by the director of health under this section. The hearing shall be held to determine if (1) the person ordered isolated or quarantined is infected with a communicable disease or is contaminated, (2) the person poses a substantial threat to the public health, and (3) isolation or quarantine of the person is necessary and the least restrictive alternative to protect and preserve the public health. The commissioner shall have the right to be made a party to the proceedings.

(e) Jurisdiction shall be vested in the Probate Court for the district in which such person resides or is isolated or quarantined.

(f) Notice of the hearing shall be given the respondent and shall inform the respondent that his or her representative has a right to be present at the hearing; that the respondent has a right to counsel; that the respondent, if indigent or otherwise unable to pay for or obtain counsel, has a right to have counsel appointed to represent the respondent; and that the respondent has a right to cross-examine witnesses testifying at the hearing. If the court finds such respondent is indigent or otherwise unable to pay for counsel, the court shall appoint counsel for such respondent, unless such respondent refuses counsel and the court finds that the respondent understands the nature of his or her refusal. The court shall provide such respondent a reasonable opportunity to select his or her own counsel to be appointed by the court. If the respondent does not select counsel or if counsel selected by the respondent refuses to represent such respondent or is not available for such representation, the court shall appoint counsel for the respondent from a panel of attorneys admitted to practice in this state provided by the Probate Court Administrator. The reasonable compensation of appointed counsel shall be established by and paid from funds appropriated to, the Judicial Department, but, if funds have not been included in the budget of the Judicial Department for such purposes, such compensation shall be established by the Probate Court Administrator and paid from the Probate Court Administration Fund.

(g) Prior to such hearing, such respondent or respondent’s counsel shall be afforded access to all records including, without limitation, hospital records if such respondent is hospitalized. If such respondent is hospitalized at the time of the hearing, the hospital shall make available at such hearing for use by the respondent or the respondent’s counsel all records in its possession relating to the condition of the respondent. Nothing in this subsection shall prevent timely objection to the admissibility of evidence in accordance with the rules of civil procedure.

(h) At such hearing, the director of health who ordered the isolation or quarantine of the respondent shall have the burden of showing by a preponderance of the evidence that the respondent is infected with a communicable disease or is contaminated and poses a substantial threat to the public health and that isolation or quarantine of the respondent is necessary and the least restrictive alternative to protect and preserve the public health.

(i) If the court, at such hearing, finds by a preponderance of the evidence that the respondent is infected with a communicable disease or is contaminated and poses a substantial threat to the public health and that isolation or quarantine of the respondent is necessary and the least restrictive alternative to protect and preserve the public health, it shall order (1) the continued isolation or quarantine of the respondent under such terms and conditions as it deems appropriate until such time as it is determined that the respondent’s release would not constitute a reasonable threat to the public health, or (2) the release of the respondent under such terms and conditions as it deems appropriate to protect the public health.

(j) If the court, at such hearing, fails to find that the conditions required for an order for isolation or quarantine have been proven, it shall order the immediate release of the respondent.

(k) A respondent may, at any time, move the court to terminate or modify an order made under subsection (i) of this section, in which case a hearing shall be held in accordance with this section. The court shall annually, upon its own motion, hold a hearing to determine if the conditions which required the isolation or quarantine of the respondent still exist. If the court, at a hearing held upon motion of the respondent or its own motion, fails to find that the conditions which required isolation or quarantine still exist, it shall order the immediate release of the respondent. If the court finds that such conditions still exist but that a different remedy is appropriate under this section, the court shall modify its order accordingly.

(l) Any person aggrieved by an order of the Probate Court under this section may appeal to the Superior Court.