All stay fowl markets in New York Metropolis and in a number of close by counties should shut briefly in hopes of curbing the unfold of fowl flu, which was detected at a few of the markets prior to now week, Gov. Kathy Hochul introduced on Friday.
The order, which got here from the state’s Division of Agriculture and Markets, impacts the roughly 80 stay markets in New York Metropolis and in Westchester, Nassau and Suffolk Counties. Seven instances of fowl flu had been detected at markets in Queens, the Bronx and Brooklyn.
Markets with confirmed instances should eliminate their stock, whereas these the place fowl flu has not been detected have three days to both promote or get rid of all their stock. All markets should then be cleaned and disinfected earlier than closing for at the least 5 days.
“Safeguarding public well being is all about being proactive,” Governor Hochul stated in a press release, including that she would “proceed to take these measured, common sense steps” to attempt to cease the unfold of the virus.
H5N1, a type of fowl flu, has affected greater than 156 million industrial, yard and wild birds in the USA since 2022. As fowl flu has unfold throughout the globe, public well being specialists have change into more and more involved about stay animal markets.
There have been round 70 stay animal markets in New York Metropolis as of final 12 months, a few of which had been close to colleges and residential buildings. Most of them butcher and promote chickens, duck and quail, whereas round 1 / 4 additionally slaughter bigger animals like sheep, goats, cows and pigs. They promote each to native eating places and to most of the people.
James McDonald, the state well being commissioner, stated in a press release on Friday that fowl flu didn’t current an instantaneous menace to public well being and that there have been no identified instances of fowl flu in New Yorkers. Individuals who commonly work together with livestock and wild birds ought to put on private protecting tools when in touch with them, he added.
Michelle Morse, the performing commissioner of town’s Well being Division, stated in a press release on Friday that the danger would enhance if the virus developed the power to transmit between individuals. The division was working with the state to be sure that individuals who work at stay markets are knowledgeable and obtain remedy in the event that they develop signs.
Nonetheless, some believed the state’s order on Friday didn’t go far sufficient.
“Whereas I’m glad that lastly the governor is waking as much as what a critical hazard to the general public these markets maintain, it isn’t sufficient to merely shut them down for one week,” stated Edita Birnkrant, the manager director of New Yorkers for Clear, Livable and Protected Streets, an animal rights group that has documented what it describes because the “horrific circumstances” at stay markets for a number of years.
Ms. Birnkrant stated that when the markets reopen, they may nonetheless obtain hundreds of birds and different animals which can be sick with fowl flu and different illnesses.
Linda Rosenthal, a Democratic member of the State Meeting from Manhattan, stated that the markets needs to be closed for the foreseeable future and that it was a mistake to permit a few of them to promote their birds for 3 extra days earlier than cleansing and shutting.
Since 2019, she has repeatedly launched a invoice that will create a job power to review the markets’ security to find out whether or not they need to proceed to function.
“We’ve been following all of the violations and inspections of those markets, they usually constantly are given violations by the Division of Agriculture and Markets for filthy circumstances, grime buildup, blood in every single place,” she stated.
“I don’t assume in 5 days something will be resolved,” she stated.
New York State inspectors closed seven institutions for 5 days on common after they had been hit by fowl flu — not all had been H5N1 — in 2022 and 2023, however allowed them to reopen after cleansing and disinfection.
Final month, the proprietor of a duck farm on Lengthy Island stated 100,000 geese needed to be killed after fowl flu was detected there.
Apoorva Mandavilli contributed reporting.
