“Children are hereby permitted to return to their respective schools forthwith and otherwise to assemble in public places,” Judge Rolf Thorsen wrote in his Friday decision. The controversial ban, announced by a spokesman for Rockland County Executive Ed Day, was an effort to address an outbreak in Rockland County, where 167 confirmed cases of measles had been reported as of Friday. Unvaccinated minors, official said, would not be permitted in enclosed places like churches, schools and shopping centers. The measles outbreaks — and the increasingly aggressive public health response to them — have also prompted a spike in activity among anti-vaccine activists. After Rockland County’s ban, anti-vaccination activists likened the public health measures to the Nazi persecution of Jews that included forcing them to wear yellow stars.

Source: Washington Post April 06, 2019 17:37 UTC