Judge Issues Ruling Against County Measles Emergency Order

ROCKLAND COUNTY, NY — A temporary restraining order from a Rockland judge has ended Rockland County's measles state of emergency order, according to News 12.

County Executive Ed Day issued a statement saying that the ruling by Acting state Supreme Court Judge Rolf Thorsen did not go as had been expected.

"We sought to find a new way to fight back against a disease that was eradicated almost 20 years ago and refused to sit idly by while those in Rockland were put at risk," he said in the prepared statement.

"What has not changed is our message of urgency. While the court may not agree with our action in this case, the disease continues unabated. One would think that seeing 42 exposures at a local hospital would garner the attention and judicial support it warrants and it is my view that waiting for a medical catastrophe is ill advised, particularly given the fact that we can see it coming. The uptick we predicted when we enacted our Declaration of Emergency unfortunately has come to pass with 167 cases and counting," Day said.

The county Department of Health will continue doing everything possible to stem the tide of this outbreak, he said, urging those who are still unsure about the merits of immunization to talk to their doctors.

Rockland's Health Commissioner Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert said Friday that 42 people had been exposed to the measles virus at Montefiore Nyack Hospital recently, the Journal News said, including 11 children, four women who were pregnant, seven who were born before 1957 and 20 others whose vaccination status is unknown.

Rockland declared a state of emergency March 26 prohibiting children under 18 from being in public places until the emergency expires or they receive the MMR vaccination.

The lawsuit was filed by dozens of parents Wednesday on behalf of students who had not been vaccinated at the Green Meadow Waldorf School in Chestnut Ridge, News 12 said.

The county could file papers before an April 19 court appearance, but by that time the 30-day state of emergency would only have a few days left, the Journal News said.

The suit claimed the county overstepped its authority.