Measles outbreak in New York county leads to officials banning unvaccinated kids from public places

A state of emergency has been declared in New York's Rockland County due to a measles outbreak, and starting at midnight on Wednesday, unvaccinated children will be prohibited from public spaces for 30 days.

This applies to anyone 18 and under who is not vaccinated; if a child receives an MMR vaccination, they will no longer be under the ban. While authorities will not stop children to ask if they are vaccinated, parents will be held accountable if found in violation of the declaration, with their cases referred to the district attorney, ABC 7 New York reports. Rockland County has a large Orthodox Jewish community, but there is no religious exemption to the ban; health officials said local rabbis have been encouraging their members to get vaccinated.

There have been 153 confirmed cases of the virus in the county, and county executive Ed Day said health officials who have investigated the outbreak have been told by infected people to leave their homes. "This type of response is unacceptable and irresponsible," he said. "It endangers the health and well-being of others and displays a shocking lack of responsibility and concern for others in our community."

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