Rockland County Executive Ed Day is announcing a new plan to deal with the measles outbreak, banning people infected with the disease from public places.
"It is unacceptable to sit back and do nothing as more of our residents fall ill to this deadly disease and court decisions aside, we will never do that,” Day said.
Last month, Day announced that anyone not vaccinated would be banned from public spaces. However, last week a State Supreme Court judge blocked that executive order.Day said the county is moving forward with an appeal.
"In 2017, measles killed 110,000 people worldwide, mostly children under the age of 5. And while we have thankfully not seen a death here in Rockland we have seen multiple hospitalizations, including an infant and even a premature birth caused by measles,” Day said.
Parents will be held responsible if their children violate the order.Violators could be fined $2,000 per day.
"Many students, even in schools that have now achieved the required 95% vaccination rate, have not yet been immunized. This has to change," Health Commissioner Patricia Schnabel Ruppert said.
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