FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 9, 2019
Contact: John Lyon 845-638-5645

County Executive Ed Day and Commissioner of Health Dr. Patricia Ruppert
Announced Next Steps in Combatting Measles Outbreak

New City, NY - County Executive Ed Day and Commissioner of Health Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert announced additional steps being taken to combat the measles outbreak in Rockland County and that an appeal would be filed against last week's decision by State Supreme Court Judge Hon. Rolf M. Thorsen that restrains the County from enforcing the Executive Order, which barred anyone under 18 years of age and unvaccinated against the measles from public places for 30 days or until they received the MMR vaccination.

"Our Department of Health is finalizing the criteria for new orders from our Commissioner to keep people who may have been exposed to the measles in their homes and away from public places. This is a slight pivot from our State of Emergency, but it is a step we can take very quickly while we wait on the legal appeal. Any violation would lead to significant fines," said County Executive Day.

"These new orders are being developed to further prevent the spread of measles by requiring unvaccinated people who have been exposed to measles to remain at home and away from public places," said Commissioner of Health Dr. Ruppert. "We are working with our Law Department to ensure fairness but thoroughness in these orders, with the overarching goal, as always, of stopping the spread of this disease."

The number of confirmed cases of measles within Rockland County has risen from 151 when the State of Emergency was declared on March 26, 2019, to 168 confirmed cases as of April 8, 2019.

"Allow me to state unequivocally that I do not agree with the judge's opinion that this measles crisis does not rise to the level of an emergency. We in Rockland are facing the longest lasting current outbreak in the entire Nation and the largest outbreak in New York State in 30 years," said Day. "Given the fact that there have been Emergency Declarations for snowstorms, if this is not an emergency, what is? While we here in Rockland are trying to stay ahead of what is becoming a nationwide epidemic, we have to deal with flawed logic that gets in the way of public health."

The County Executive issued the Declaration of the State of Emergency under New York State Executive Law § 24.

Despite Judge Thorsen's ruling the Commissioner's Orders, issued in December of last year, still stand. These orders require any school with a less than 95% vaccination rate to keep unvaccinated students home. Schools must continue to comply or face fines. The Judge wrote that in respect to his ruling that the "petitioners' children" are "expressly permitted" "to return to their respective schools and to otherwise assemble in public places." This is a matter of legal dispute.

The appeal must be filed by April 19, 2019.

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