Unvaccinated Children Are Officially Banned From Public Places In New York

A county in New York is taking drastic measures in an effort to prevent a full-blown measles outbreak. The suburb has just banned all unvaccinated children from public places to prevent further infection.

Rockland County recently declared a state of emergency after the county had hundreds of cases of measles. To prevent further infection, the suburb is banning unvaccinated children from schools, places of worship, and shopping malls. This means that kids who haven’t been given the necessary shots will be banned from those areas for up to 30 days. However, the ban will be lifted as soon as the children get the MMR (measles, mumps, and rubella) vaccine.

Children must get vaccinated before being allowed in public places.

It’s a shocking decision that has been questioned by many parents. However, County Executive Ed Day insists it is necessary to stop the spread of the disease. Day released a statement regarding the ban:

“We will not sit idly by while children in our community are at risk. This is a public health crisis, and it is time to sound the alarm.”

Day also revealed that the county inspectors are met with resistance when trying to contact possibly infected individuals. Nevertheless, he continues to call on the residents to reconsider their decision not to vaccinate.

“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.

“This type of response is unacceptable and irresponsible. It endangers the health and well-being of others and displays a shocking lack of responsibility and concern for others in our community. This is an opportunity for everyone in their community to do the right thing.”

More people are choosing not to vaccinate their children, leading to measles outbreaks.

It is still unclear if the new rule will continue in Rockford County after the initially announced 30 days. However, Day continues to call on parents to vaccinate their children as preventative measures.

“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 for the children too young to be vaccinated.”

Rockford County has documented a staggering 153 cases of measles in the past few months.