Rockland bans public measles exposed

NEW CITY – Rockland County officials announced this morning a "Communicable Disease and Exposure Exclusion Order" that requires anyone with measles to stay at home, and those exposed to stay outside the public spaces of the county.

Those who do not comply are liable to a fine of $ 2,000 per day.

The new offensive was unveiled by county officials, Ed Day and Patricia Schnabel Ruppert, health commissioner, the same day the county announced that 186 measles cases had been confirmed since the beginning of the outbreak in October. Ruppert also said he was convinced that there were more cases than the county can not verify.

In addition, Ruppert announced during a press conference today that all students from two postal codes – 10952 and 10977 – had to stay home if they could not document that they had received a MMR vaccine or show immunity against diseases covered by shooting, including: measles, mumps and rubella. Exceptions will be made for students enjoying a medical or religious exemption.

These postal codes include the greater Spring Valley / Monsey area. Cases were concentrated in the Orthodox and Hassidic communities of the Monsey and Spring Valley area.

The ban on students will be enforced even in schools where more than 95% of students are vaccinated, a difference from a previous ban.

Ruppert said she was receiving every Friday a list of unvaccinated children from the 16 schools in the targeted area, and that the first-order exclusion was hand-delivered Friday to the parents of the children. ;a child.

While the order is targeting a specific part of the community, Ruppert pointed out that the small size of Rockland made the outbreak a threat to the countywide scale. "We are all a community in Rockland County," she said.

33 cases in 3 weeks

The new details come on the heels of last week's announcement that county officials were developing criteria to identify unvaccinated people who may have been exposed to the highly infectious disease and keep them at home.

"We have seen 33 new cases since we announced the state of emergency canceled for three weeks," said Mr Day. "In short, we were ahead of this crisis." Day said the next Passover holiday had put the county on alert, and said the concerns of local Jewish leaders were similar.

According to Day, five cases resulted in hospitalizations in intensive care units, including one infant. He also said that a premature birth was caused by measles.

"To be told that we should wait until someone dies because of this disease is absolutely inconceivable," he said.

MOLDS: Rockland develops plan to keep unvaccinated people at home

MEASLES: Judge confirms stoppage of Rockland Emergency Order

MOLDS: Visitors to Woodbury Common may have been exposed to measles

MEASLES 2019: What to Know About Verifying Your Immunization Records, Immunity

The steps outlined this morning represent a pivot for the Day administration after Justice Rolph Thorsen of the state Supreme Court ended the state of emergency that prohibited non vaccinated to go to indoor public places, including schools and places of worship.

Thorsen's decision, which called for a lawsuit by a group of parents whose students attended the Green Meadow Waldorf School in Chestnut Ridge, was upheld by a judge of the Court of Appeal last week and will appear before the court. a panel of four judges later this week.

County Attorney Thomas Humbach said the county had already submitted paperwork for the April 18 appeal of the division's decision in favor of the freezing of the court's order. An earlier emergency of Day Day. The county also appeals directly to the Thorsen order.

The Emergency Order Day, issued on March 26, was intended to deal with a measles outbreak that began in October when seven Israeli travelers visited the county.

The total number of cases and exposure sites continued to increase despite a dynamic outreach effort and some vaccination centers. Ruppert refused to specify the number of active measles cases.

Measles cost $ 2 million?

According to Mr. Day, the measles outbreak could cost Rockland $ 2 million, due to expenses related to the administration of its monitoring and prevention programs, associated health care costs and the country's ability to attract business and tourism.

The epidemic has reached its 29th week – the longest and longest in the nation in the state of New York for 30 years, he said.

"To say that we go beyond the flies in the face of facts, history and especially common sense," said Day.

He added: "We will make a new strategy with every opportunity, no matter what we are presented.We can not afford to wait and wait until a court is found."

Twitter: @Bee_bob

Read or share this story: https://www.lohud.com/story/news/local/rockland/2019/04/16/rockland-bans-measles-exposed-public/3482383002/