The NYC Health Department announced Monday that it has closed Yeshiva of Central Queens for failing to comply with an Order of the Health Commissioner in response to the current measles outbreak.
The Health Department said on May 9 it had ordered the Yeshiva (located at 147-37 70th Road in Flushing) to prevent unvaccinated students from attending class for 21 days, following a known measles exposure at the school.
Yeshiva of Central Queens (YCQ) will not be allowed to reopen until the Health Department reviews and approves a submitted corrective action plan that addresses the lapses in complying with the ban on unvaccinated students.
YCQ is the 9th school closed in the city during the current outbreak, though the first one not located in Brooklyn. The previous 8 schools, most of them Yeshivas in Williamsburg, have been authorized to reopen under Health Department monitoring after submitting a corrective action plan that was approved by the Department.
It comes as the city struggles to contain the nation’s worst measles outbreak in a generation. Health officials announced that the tally of infections kept climbing last week, hitting a new high of 498.
More than three-quarters of the cases, 399, are in the ultra-Orthodox community of Williamsburg, Brooklyn where vaccination rates are below normal.
In addition to closing schools, the city announced it has now issued summons to 98 individuals for being non-compliant with the city’s Emergency Order on mandatory vaccinations. Any person receiving the summons is entitled to a hearing, and if the hearing officer upholds the summons, a $1,000 penalty will be imposed. Failing to appear at the hearing or respond to the summons will result in a $2,000 fine.
Additionally, U.S. health officials announced Monday that this year’s count of measles cases nationwide has reached 839, the most since 1994, when 963 were reported for the entire year. (There are still more than 7 months in 2019.)
https://www.instagram.com/p/BxbcrCeg4Rc/
In all, 23 states have reported cases this year. The vast majority of illnesses have been in New York — most of them among unvaccinated people in Orthodox Jewish communities. That pattern continued last week, with most of the 75 new cases coming from New York State.
Measles was once common in the U.S. but gradually became rare after vaccination campaigns that started in the 1960s.
“In order to prevent outbreaks in new areas of the City we need parents to get their children vaccinated and schools to exclude children who are not up to date with the measles vaccine. We continue to urge unvaccinated New Yorkers to get vaccinated against measles as soon as possible,” said NYC Health Commissioner Dr. Oxiris Barbot.
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18 Responses
ycq is a coed school. I guess the anti-vaxxers aren’t only from the “Hasidic” or orthodox community. Hashem please heal these people from their mental illness.
thank you anti vaxers for endangering society,
All of you that are anti-vaxxers:
Please think of what you are doing. This could set back anti-semitism to the levels of the early 1900’s. They will be able to claim that we are poisoning their cities. Do you to be thrown out of planes, trains, buses and public places on a regular bases? They will not say that they hate Jews. They will point to the public danger posed by the Jewish minority of anti-vaxxers.
Think before you act!
Don’t worry about that too much…the anti semites are also anti vaxxers and think vaccines are a jewish conspiracy
Wow I think we should make massive protest fro not letting up keep our schools open it’s almost like the new guide lines for Jewish schools
To anti -free you may be correct an anti semite is an anti semite however in every article that mentions how many cases of measles there are inevitably they write “mostly in the Hasidic or Orthodox communities.” This gives the impression that we are all anti-vaxxers.
Ah yid,
Ycq is a modern orthodox school
“The Yeshiva is fully cooperating with the Department of Health’s audit of the Yeshiva’s records. We are not aware of any Yeshiva student being exposed to the measles virus. Rather, the Department of Health’s audit of the Yeshiva was triggered by a single individual, who is an outside vendor of the Yeshiva and who was present on Yeshiva’s premises after apparently being exposed to the measles virus. Because the Yeshiva has no concrete evidence regarding any student being exposed, the Department of Health’s decision to temporarily close the Yeshiva appears to be merely precautionary. At this juncture, the Department of Health has reviewed a substantial majority of Yeshiva’s approximately one thousand (1,000) active student records to ensure that all active students are properly vaccinated. According to the Department of Health inspectors, the records of fewer than ten (10) students remain to be audited. The Yeshiva has proof of vaccination for all other active students. ”
From Yeshiva of Central Queens followup letter to parents.
The yeshiva is closed because an audit is in progress not because of unvaccinated students. As of yesterday, over 99% of the students’ records were reviewed and found compliant. Keep in mind that herd immunity is reached at between 83% and 94% of a population.
With the Queens exposure, the DOH learned that they need to ask about prayer schedules as well as wedding attendance etc. The DOH learned that this index individual davened in five different shuls in Queens.
they should list the names of the antivaxers, including roshei yeshiva
I guess it happens in modern schools as well.
The Chasid, you are clearly part of the problem.
We all vaccinate here in Wmsbg. Maybe a minute of a percent doesnt and unfortunately the vulnerable contract the virus. I know of a 15 yr old with 2 vaccines contracted the measles. Now this also goes into the “statistics” of Wmsbg people not vaccinating their children.
It is unfair to label “Wmsbg” when there are maybe a handful of idiotic anti vaaxers that unfortunately bring it on to the young that are not immune and many pregnant women that have no immune and there’s nothing for us to do.
THE WILLIAMSBURG ULTRA ORTHODOX PEOPLE VACCINATE THEIR CHILDREN.
Dullradiance they had a few unvaxxed students. They shouldn’t have been accepted so it is a good thing that school had to close so that doesn’t happen again
I heard of another MO school in queens that accepts unvaxxed kids because of a “crunchy” parent. When i first heard the news, i thought it would be about that school but I guess this school has its own problems as well
This is the text of Yeshiva of Central Queens’ notice to parents from their website. I suggest that Yeshiva World update their headline to say something like “NYC Health Dept Closes Yeshiva of Central Queens for Recordkeeping Issues”.
Tuesday, May 14, 2019
We wanted to clarify the Yeshiva’s statement from yesterday regarding the Yeshiva’s closure by the New York City Department of Health.There is no measles outbreak at the Yeshiva, nor is there any documented case of any Yeshiva student, teacher or employee contracting measles in the last several weeks. Rather, this process began because of an outside service provider who apparently was exposed to measles in the prior 2 weeks before coming to the Yeshiva, and has not been in the building since May 2. As a result, the Department of Health audited the Yeshiva’s records of vaccination.
Based on the audit, at this point, there are only 6 students who have prior legal exemptions, and we have identified an additional 2 students have not yet produced to the Yeshiva valid proof of immunity. The 6 students with legal exemptions have not been allowed into the school for 21 days starting last week, and the two newly identified students will not be allowed into the school for the next 21 days, at which point they will have to produce proof of immunity. The Yeshiva is working closely with the Department of Health to clear up this records issue and we are optimistic that once remaining paperwork is approved, the Yeshiva should be able to open in the next day or two.
Please note that our UPK program has been approved by the Board of Health to open today and is open, as is Yeshiva Education for Special Students.
We completely understand the need for clear and open communication and will endeavor to provide timely updates as possible.
Thank you for your patience and understanding. We are thankful that everyone is healthy and safe and hope this issue is resolved swiftly.
I wish someone started a place where we can tell names of our antivaxers neighbors, then when it comes to shiduchim I can say, I realize your parents are anti vax and I want to hear the plans
Would a public school be closed?