Plagued by a tenacious outbreak of measles that began last October, New York's Rockland County declared a state of emergency Tuesday and issued a directive barring unvaccinated children from all public spaces.

[W]here more than 10 persons are intended to congregate for purposes such as civic, governmental, social, or religious functions, or for recreation or shopping, or for food or drink consumption, or awaiting transportation, or for daycare or educational purposes, or for medical treatment. A place of public assembly shall also include public transportation vehicles, including but not limited to, publicly or privately owned buses or trains...

Effective at midnight Wednesday, March 27, anyone aged 18 or younger who has not been vaccinated against the measles is prohibited from public spaces in Rockland for 30 days or until they get vaccinated. Public spaces are defined broadly in the directive as any places:

The directive follows an order from the county last December that barred unvaccinated children from schools that did not reach a minimum 95-percent vaccination rate. That order—and the directive issued today—are intended to thwart the long-standing outbreak, which has sickened 153 people, mostly children.

"We must not allow this outbreak to continue indefinitely," County Executive Ed Day said in a statement announcing the emergency declaration.

"Every action we have taken since the beginning of this outbreak has been designed to maximize vaccinations and minimize exposures. We are taking the next step in that endeavor today," he explained. "We must do everything in our power to end this outbreak and protect the health of those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons and that of children too young to be vaccinated."

The outbreak kicked off when an international traveler sick with the highly contagious viral illness arrived in the county late last September. It has largely spread among the county's insular Orthodox Jewish community. However, other pockets of the county also have low vaccination rates, making them vulnerable.

Earlier this month, anti-vaccine parents appeared in federal court, bringing a lawsuit against the county alleging that banning their unvaccinated children from schools violated their religious freedom. The parents had used religious exemptions to opt their children out of standard vaccinations. The judge in the case denied their request to issue a temporary injunction that would let the children return to school.

But the lawsuit isn't the only opposition the county has faced as it tries to stamp out the infections.

"As this outbreak has continued, our inspectors have begun to meet resistance from those they are trying to protect. They have been hung up on or told not to call again. They've been told 'we're not discussing this, do not come back,' when visiting the homes of infected individuals as part of their investigations," Day noted in today's announcement. "This type of response is unacceptable and irresponsible. It endangers the health and wellbeing of others and displays a shocking lack of responsibility and concern for others in our community."

Rockland county is one of six locations nationwide currently experiencing an outbreak of measles. So far this year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has tallied 314 confirmed cases of the disease from 15 states. The agency recorded 372 cases total for 2018 and just 120 in 2017.</s>Rockland County, New York will declare a state of emergency today in response to an ongoing measles outbreak, according to multiple media reports.

The state of emergency will go into place at midnight on Wednesday. Under the declaration, anyone who is unvaccinated and under the age of 18 will be barred from public spaces, according to the Westchester Journal News.

A press release from the county said that as of March 26, there have been 153 confirmed reported cases of measles. 15 percent of those cases were in children less than 1 year old. 82.1 percent of people affected had not had the MMR vaccine.

Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by a virus. It is one of the most contagious viruses on earth. According to Rockland County, 90% of unvaccinated people exposed to the virus become infected.

Symptoms of measles include high fever, cough, runny nose and red, watery eyes. White spots can appear inside the mouth and a rash made of flat red spots can also appear a few days after infection.

The virus is especially dangerous for babies and young children, pregnant women and those whose immune system is compromised. Severe cases of measles can cause pneumonia, swelling of the brain and death.

The first case of measles was reported in Rockland County at the end of September last year. The Rockland Health Department is offering free vaccines and advising individuals who may have been exposed to the virus to contact their doctor before going in for care. They stress that those who have been exposed should tell their doctors before coming in so that facilities can prepare to prevent exposure among patients and faculty.</s>Health officials in Rockland County, New York have declared a state of emergency amid an ongoing measles outbreak.</s>Rockland County, New York, has declared a state of emergency over the measles outbreak that has sickened 151 in the county.

Health officials are banning unvaccinated people under 18 from public places for the next 30 days.

That will include a requirement that children without proof of vaccination be kept home from school.

The county-wide protective ban will take effect at midnight Wednesday March 27.

Nowhere in the US has more cases of measles than Rockland County.

Rockland's population is just under 329,000, and 151 people there have the preventable illness.

Five days ago, county officials warned that its measles outbreak was not over.

In fact, it added several more locations where residents may have been expose to measles.

The outbreak is spreading like wildfire in several areas of the county, but primarily among Orthodox Jewish communities.

Distrust in doctors, concerns over the dangers of vaccines and confusion about the attitude of Jewish law toward vaccination have helped to fuel low vaccination rates there.

Public health officials are warning that pregnant, immunocompromised, unvaccinated and young people avoid six different locations in the area.

They are urging anyone who has not gotten an MMR shot to contact the health department to arrange to get vaccinated against the highly contagious disease for free as soon as possible.

Already in December, the county health commissioner Dr Patricia Schnabel Ruppert barred unvaccinated students from attending schools in two zip codes where vaccination rates were below 95 percent - beneath the herd immunity threshold.

Now, that ban has extended to the entire county.

Students will not be allowed to attend school for 30 days or until they get vacinated, the health department announced.

Dr Dan Salmon, a Johns Hopkins University vaccine safety specialist and member of the university's Vaccine Initiative, said he supports the month-long ban.

'I think it’s a reasonable measure in the midst of an outbreak,' he said.

'The health department has the authority and an obligation to protect the community and those [members who] are vulnerable,' like children with compromised immune systems.</s>A county in New York state is set to declare a state of emergency over a measles outbreak that has sickened 151 community members so far this year. Under the declaration, unvaccinated minors in Rockland County will be barred from public places beginning at midnight on March 27.

While it is unclear how it will be enforced, the ban will last for the next 30 days, or until the minor is vaccinated, Fox 5 NY reported. Rockland County Executive Ed Day is scheduled to hold a press conference Tuesday to formally announce the declaration.

JUDGE DENIES REQUEST FOR UNVACCINATED CHILDREN TO RETURN TO NY SCHOOL AMID MEASLES OUTBREAK

Earlier this month, a judge denied a request for 44 unvaccinated children in Rockland County to return to school after their parents sued the county’s health department over a policy enacted in December. The parents had argued that Commissioner Patricia Schnabel Ruppert’s order to keep unvaccinated children in specific zip codes with vaccination rates of under 95 percent out of school violates religious objections to vaccinations.

The county is currently experiencing its longest outbreak since 2000, with most of the cases involving members of the Orthodox Jewish community. Recent measles outbreaks have sparked vaccination debates worldwide, with Italy putting a law into effect that mandates parents get their child vaccinated for school or risk facing a penalty.

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Rockland County Health Department is offering free MMR vaccinations to residents at several locations.</s>– A state of emergency is being declared in Rockland County due to the measles outbreak

People under the age of 18 who are not vaccinated for measles will not be allowed in public places.

The ban is in effect for 30 days, or until the get the vaccination.

As of Thursday, there were 151 cases of the measles in Rockland County. The outbreak started in the fall.

County Executive Ed Day is scheduled to give more information at an afternoon news conference.

It will be streamed live on CBSN New York at 2 p.m.

For more information on the cases in Rockland County, click here.</s>[What you need to know to start the day: Get New York Today in your inbox.]

Rockland County, a suburb of New York City, will declare a state of emergency and bar minors who are unvaccinated against measles from being in public places, the latest effort to fight New York State’s worst measles outbreak in decades.

The declaration will take effect at midnight on Tuesday and expires in 30 days.

The county executive, Ed Day, is expected to discuss the details of the state of emergency in a news conference at 2 p.m.

Rockland County, which has a population of more than 300,000 people, has had 153 confirmed cases of measles since October, a county spokesman, John G. Lyon, said. Of those, 48 have come in 2019.

The emergency order is the most aggressive step taken in the state since the measles outbreak began last fall. So far, the outbreak has mostly affected ultra-Orthodox communities in Rockland County and New York City, where vaccination rates tend to be lower and anti-vaccination literature has spread, public health officials have said.</s>Rockland County, a suburb of New York City, will declare a state of emergency and bar minors who are unvaccinated against measles from being in public places, the latest effort to fight New York state's worst measles outbreak in decades.

The declaration will take effect at midnight Tuesday and expires in 30 days.

The county executive, Ed Day, is expected to discuss the details of the state of emergency in a news conference at 2 p.m.

Rockland County, which has a population of more than 300,000 people, has had 153 confirmed cases of measles since October, a county spokesman, John G. Lyon, said. Of those, 48 have come in 2019.

The emergency order is the most aggressive step taken in the state since the measles outbreak began last fall. So far, the outbreak has mostly affected ultra-Orthodox communities in Rockland County and New York City, where vaccination rates tend to be lower and anti-vaccination literature has spread, public health officials have said.

In December, Rockland County issued exclusion orders barring unvaccinated children from schools with low vaccination rates.

In New York City, health officials also issued an emergency health measure ordering that schools in certain ZIP codes bar unvaccinated students from attending classes.

Measles, an extremely contagious virus, can live for up to two hours in the airspace where an infected person breathed, coughed or sneezed.

The disease is so contagious that up to 90 percent of nonimmunized people close to an infected person will also become infected, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The disease was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000, but a handful of outbreaks have occurred in recent years. Through March 21 of this year, there have been 314 confirmed measles cases in the United States, according to the CDC.</s>There is no scientific link between vaccines and autism, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

A New York county has introduced regulation that bans unvaccinated minors from public areas following a measles outbreak.

In effect as of Wednesday at midnight, the new rule in Rockland County states that any unvaccinated individual under the age of 18 is not permitted in “a place where more than 10 persons are intended to congregate,” according to a news release published Tuesday.

The “country-wide State of Emergency” called by County Executive Ed Day comes amid “the ongoing measles outbreak,” the release says. As of Wednesday morning, 153 cases of the highly contagious disease have been confirmed in the county.

“Every action we have taken since the beginning of this outbreak has been designed to maximize vaccinations and minimize exposures. We are taking the next step in that endeavor today,” said Day in the release. “This is an opportunity for everyone in our community to do the right thing for their neighbors and come together. We must do everything in our power to end this outbreak and protect the health of those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons and that of children too young to be vaccinated.”

“We’re not punishing the people who are doing the right thing already and following the rules. We just want to encourage everyone to do the right thing so we can stop this outbreak,” director of strategic communications for Day, John Lyon, told CNN, adding that the decision is “extremely unusual. [We] don’t believe it’s been done anywhere in the country before.”

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According to the , Day said at a new conference Tuesday that the move — which will be in place for 30 days, during which violators “could be charged with a misdemeanor punishable by up to six months in jail” — was “an attention grab” intended to drive home the importance of vaccines.

“There will not be law enforcement or deputy sheriffs asking for vaccination records. That is ridiculous,” he said. “However, parents will be held accountable if they’re found to be in violation of this emergency declaration.”

Day noted that more than 25 percent of people under the age of 18 had been vaccinated against measles in the county, which has a population of over 300,000.

The new regulation comes two weeks after a federal judge in New York ruled not to lift a ban which would have allowed 40 unvaccinated children to return to school, where they have been barred for months amid a county-wide measles outbreak.

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The Rockland County health commissioner said in December that unvaccinated students at any school in the county with less than a 95 percent vaccination rate must stay home until the outbreak’s end, according to .

“As this outbreak has continued our inspectors have begun to meet resistance from those they are trying to protect. They have been hung up on or told not to call again,” Day continued in Tuesday’s news release. “They’ve been told ‘we’re not discussing this, do not come back,’ when visiting the homes of infected individuals as part of their investigations.”

“This type of response is unacceptable and irresponsible,” he added. “It endangers the health and well-being of others and displays a shocking lack of responsibility and concern for others in our community.”</s>ROCKLAND COUNTY, N.Y. — Unvaccinated people under age 18 are banned from public places in Rockland County, New York, as of midnight Wednesday, according to John Lyon, director of strategic communications for County Executive Ed Day.

The declaration is an effort to contain an outbreak of measles that began in October; 153 cases have been confirmed in the county.

“We’re not punishing the people who are doing the right thing already and following the rules. We just want to encourage everyone to do the right thing so we can stop this outbreak,” Lyon said. The step is “extremely unusual. [We] don’t believe it’s been done anywhere in the country before.”

Measles is a highly contagious virus that is prevented with the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that the two-dose vaccine be given at 12 to 15 months of age and the second between age 4 and 6.

This is the 26th week — the sixth month — of the outbreak in Rockland County, according to Lyon, who said it has been the longest outbreak in the United States since before measles was declared eliminated in 2000.

Public places include synagogues, churches, schools, restaurants, stores and public buses. Children who are current with the vaccine schedule but not fully vaccinated against measles because they are not old enough are exempt from the order.

The order does not apply to people who are older than 18 because “we did not want to prevent anyone from going to work,” but unvaccinated adults are also encouraged to get vaccinated.

It will be enforced the same way any law is enforced, according to Lyon: During the investigation into when and where an infected individual was exposed, those who are identified as unvaccinated and people in public places will be referred to the district attorney’s office.

“The goal is not to prosecute people. We don’t want to fine people. We want to encourage people to get vaccinated,” he said.

Nearly 17,000 vaccinations have been administered in the county during the outbreak.

But Lyon said residents are becoming fatigued, are not returning calls from the health department and are declining to speak with health investigators who visit in person. “We need people to help protect everyone in the community,” Lyon said.

The outbreak has mainly been isolated in a couple of communities within Rockland County, which is just north of New York City, but the whole community is at risk, he said, noting that there have been complications among patients, including a premature labor and a handful of hospitalizations.

“Every new confirmed case is a roll of the dice that we’ll see more complications. There’s a lot that can go wrong with any case.”

New York City has also been dealing with this measles outbreak, with 181 cases reported since October, according to the city Department of Health. The outbreak began when an unvaccinated resident became infected while visiting Israel and returned with the disease. It has mostly affected observant Jewish neighborhoods. Statewide, there have been at least 345 cases of measles reported since October.

This year, 314 cases have been reported nationwide, according to the CDC.
Health officials in Rockland County, New York, declare a state of emergency due to an ongoing measles outbreak. The county is prohibiting unvaccinated children under the age of 18 from public areas for 30 days.