As of Wednesday midnight, people who are unvaccinated and are under 18 will be banned from public areas in Rockland County, New York.
The county has now banned unvaccinated kids from public areas like shopping centers, schools, and churches.
The Rockland County declared a state emergency, which allowed them to ban those kids who are unvaccinated from the public area for 30 days or until they get a shot of the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella vaccine.
Ed Day, the County Executive said, “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.”
The Rockland County recorded 153 cases of measles recently.
Ed Day added, “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 wellbeing of others and displays a shocking lack of responsibility and concern for others in our community.
Ed said, “This is an opportunity for everyone in their community to do the right thing. 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.”
But how could someone know if a teenager that passes by is vaccinated or not, many residents of the county raised questions like “Will unvaccinated teenagers wear a badge that will indicate that they are unvaccinated?”
Recently, Italy announced a ban on kids being allowed to school if they did not get the necessary shots.
The new law means that parents of those children who send their kids to schools while they are unvaccinated will get a fine of up to $564 or €500.
The new ban was introduced after the number of measles cases was increasing, officials from Italy said that the vaccination rates have greatly improved after the ban and the fine was brought into law.