ALBANY, NY — A controversial policy that authorizes the state government to order people to isolate or quarantine to prevent the spread of highly contagious diseases has been reinstated.

The policy was reinstated this week by New York state’s Fourth Judicial Department. It was originally passed in February 2020 but struck down by the state Supreme Court that summer.

The Republican challengers to the policy had argued that it gave undue power to the executive branch and while disregarding state lawmakers. But the court’s Democratic supermajority ruled unanimously that the challengers failed to establish they had standing, and that the executive branch did not have the authority to order safety measures during a pandemic. The court also ruled that the legislature retains its power to change the regulation.