Measles Outbreak: Rockland Cases Rise Once Again

NEW CITY, NY — The number of confirmed reported measles cases in Rockland County continues to climb. The county health department announced Friday that there are now 201 confirmed cases of measles in the county, up one from Thursday.

The county declared a second state of emergency Thursday after the original one, which was halted by a restraining order, expired.

The second state of emergency went into effect at midnight Friday and will remain in effect until 11:59 p.m. Saturday, May 25.

The orders include any person diagnosed with measles or exposed to a person diagnosed with measles must be excluded from indoor and outdoor places of public assembly in Rockland County for up to 21 days.

Failure to comply can result in a $2,000 fine per violation per day, the county said.

Read the entire emergency declaration here.

Officials have said they are worried that the outbreak will have spread even further during Passover, which ends Saturday. The outbreak in Rockland, as in Brooklyn and Queens, is centered in Ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities.

Unvaccinated children continue to be the most vulnerable population — four out of five people who have been infected with the virus since the outbreak started in October, health officials said.

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