Will South Jersey Ban Unvaccinated Minors in Public Places?

Rockland County, New York has recently placed a ban on unvaccinated children in public places. This comes after another measles outbreak. New Jersey is no stranger to measles, with now two outbreaks in Lakewood.

Fox 8 reported on the situation in Rockland County including an excerpt from a press release from county officials, "Effective at the stroke of midnight, Wednesday, March 27, anyone who is under 18 years of age and unvaccinated against the measles will be barred from public places until this declaration expires in 30 days or until they receive the MMR vaccination." Could we see a similar situation in South Jersey?

Luckily, a measles outbreak has not made its way to South Jersey. However within our state's borders, Lakewood has seen two outbreaks. Banning people based on vaccinations is not a new notion. Many countries require proof of specific vaccinations before they allow travelers entry.

The current ban in New York will take effect in, "...[P]ublic spaces [including] schools, stores, places of worship and public transit..."  Fox 8 also reported, "Earlier this month, a federal judge denied parents’ request to let 44 unvaccinated children return to the Waldorf School in Rockland County."

The manner in which the ban will be enforced was somewhat vague with press release stating, "Police will not ask for vaccination documentation, but they will enforce the rules if violations are determined."

The debate over vaccinations has grown on social media lately, with people becoming quite polarized. Both sides believing their point of view is the only way to look at the situation. This year the World Health Organization named anti-vaxxers in their list of the top ten threats to global health.

If the outbreak in Lakewood makes its way to other New Jersey towns and down to South Jersey could we see town/county/state wide bans on minors who are not vaccinated?

Sources: Fox 8, Vaccines.gov, CDC.gov