Measles State Of Emergency — Right Or Wrong? [POLL]

Rockland County's state of emergency because of the measles outbreak has been in effect since midnight Wednesday. As of Friday, the outbreak was up to 157 confirmed cases, higher than when the emergency was declared.

County officials said they have tracked where contagious people have traveled and come up with a new list of public places where people were exposed to the virus. See that list here.

At a Friday press conference, County Executive Ed Day re-emphasized that the emergency declaration's goal was not to arrest those parents who have not vaccinated their children — though an arrest would be a misdemeanor and carries a possible fine and a jail sentence.

"The goal here is to get as many people immunized as possible," Day said. "We want people to enjoy the upcoming holy days, both Christian and Jewish faiths."

He said there have been no patrols and no arrests.

"It is not, it will not be the purpose of what we're doing," Day said.

The emergency declaration bars anyone who is under 18 years of age and unvaccinated against the measles from public places until the declaration expires in 30 days or until they receive the MMR vaccination. Public places include restaurants, shopping areas, offices and schools.

School officials have been working with the county health department by notifying parents and guardians of children who are unvaccinated, and none were permitted to attend classes.

On Thursday, the anti-vaccination group Pro-Informed Consent organized a sit-in at the Palisades Center mall in West Nyack. Media reports said there were as many people who showed up for the rally as there were from news organizations.

Saturday morning, Rockland officials released a statement of support for the emergency declaration from New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, who is running for the Democratic presidential nomination.

"I strongly support the steps Rockland County is taking to combat the horrible measles outbreak that is threatening the health of their community," Gillibrand said in the prepared statement.

"This outbreak is particularly dangerous to the most vulnerable among us, including infants who are not yet old enough to receive a vaccine, pregnant women and those with weakened immune systems due to cancer or other underlying health issues," she said. "We should be doing everything we can to end this public health crisis and educate New Yorkers about the importance of vaccines."

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