A county in New York have banned unvaccinated children and teenagers from public spaces following a server measles outbreak.
Rockland County, which is around 30 miles from New York City, declared a state of emergency on Tuesday after 153 cases of measles were confirmed in less than six months.
The order bans unvaccinated minors from schools, malls, restaurants, and places of worship.
It came into effect at midnight on Tuesday [around 4am IST] and will last 30 days.
Parents who violate the order may face a fine of €444 ($500) and up to six months in jail.
County executive Ed Day said:
“We believe this to be the first such effort of this kind nationally and the circumstances we face here clearly call for that.
“Here in Rockalnd County we have entered our 26th week of the measles outbreak. This is nearly six months of investigating cases, holding clinics and giving vaccinations.
“Without [the Department of Health’s] efforts, this outbreak would have been far, far worse.
“We must not allow this outbreak to continue indefinitely or worsen again. We will not sit idly by while children in our community are at risk.”
The New York Times report that in December, Rockland County issued an order banning unvaccinated children from schools with low vaccination rates.
