Measles Outbreak 2019: Rockland County Declares State Of Emergency Due To Measles

In the wake of another measles outbreak, Rockland County, New York, on Tuesday declared a state of emergency.

The county's state of emergency goes into effect midnight on Wednesday, March 27, and bars minors who are not vaccinated from public places. Minors will be allowed in the spaces again after the declaration expires after 30 days or if they get properly vaccinated.

The announcement came from Rockland Executive Ed Day, who told ABC-7 NY that "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."

New York legislators in March had been working to push through a law that would allow teens to get vaccinated without parental consent.

Rockland has 151 confirmed cases of measles. The county has a population of roughly 330,000.

The question is whether or not parents will adhere to this or fight the state of emergency. Rockland County has faced legal blowback from parents in the past, most recently in a lawsuit from 24 parents whose unvaccinated children were barred from attending Green Meadow Waldorf private school.

Anti-vaxxers have faced growing backlash amid a global surge in measles cases.

Students in Italy were told not to show up to school unless they can prove they were vaccinated, while parents risked a fine for sending their unvaccinated children to school. The law was summarized in a quote from Health Minister Giulia Grillo, who said "no vaccine, no school."