All live bird markets in New York City and in different close counties must temporarily close in the hope of curbing the spread of avian influence, which was detected in some markets last week, announced the governor Kathy hochul on Friday.
The order, coming from the Department of Agriculture and State Markets, affects the approximately 80 live markets in New York City and in the counties of Westchester, Nassau and Suffolk. Seven cases of bird influence had been detected in the Queens markets, the Bronx and Brooklyn.
Markets with confirmed cases must get rid of their inventory, while those in which avian influence has not been detected have three days to sell or dispose of all their inventory. All markets must therefore be cleaned and disinfected before closing for at least five days.
“The safeguarding of public health concerns being proactive,” said governor Hochul in a declaration, adding that “he would continue to take these measured and common sense steps” to try to stop the spread of the virus.
In response to cases of avian influenza in New York, the operators of the live bird markets in New Jersey was asked to voluntarily clean and disinfect their markets and equipment once their current stock has disappeared and then close for three or four Days before reopening with Live Birds, a spokesperson for the State Agriculture Department said on Friday.
State officials also asked New Jersey companies that distribute live bird markets to clean and disinfect their operations, said the spokesperson, Jeff Wolfe. Live market and distributors will be conducted.
There have been no cases of avian influence in poultry, even in live markets and in the flocks of the courtyard, in New Jersey last year and there have been no one this year, according to the Department of Agriculture.
H5N1, a form of bird influence, has affected over 156 million commercial birds, courtyard and wild in the United States since 2022. Since the influence of birds has spread all over the world, public health experts have always been More worried about live animal markets.
There were about 70 live animal markets in New York City since last year, some of which were close to schools and residential buildings. Most of their slaughters and sells chickens, ducks and quails, while about a quarter massacres even larger animals such as sheep, goats, cows and pigs. They sell both to local restaurants and to the general public.
James McDonald, the state’s health commissioner, declared in a declaration on Friday that avian influence did not represent an immediate threat to public health and that there were no known cases of influence of birds in New York. People who regularly interact with cattle and wild birds should wear personal protection equipment when they are in contact with them, he added.
On Friday Michelle Morse, the interim commissioner of the city’s health department, declared in a declaration that the risk would increase if the virus developed the ability to transmit between people. The department was working with the state to make sure that people who work in live markets are informed and receive treatments if they develop symptoms.
However, some believed that the order of the state had not gone far enough on Friday.
“While I’m glad that the governor is finally waking up with what they maintain a serious danger for the public, it is not enough to close them for a week,” Bernkrant, executive director of New Yorkers for Clean, lived, liveable and safe roads, a group for animal rights that documented those that describes how the “horrible conditions” in live markets for several years.
Mrs. Birnkrant said that when the markets reopen, they will still receive thousands of birds and other animals that are sick of bird’s influence and other ailments.
Linda Rosenthal, a democratic member of the Manhattan State Assembly, said that the markets should be closed for the near future and that it was an error allowing some of them to sell their birds for another three days before cleaning e close.
Since 2019, he repeatedly introduced an invoice that would create a task force to study market safety to determine if they should continue to work.
“We followed all the violations and inspections of these markets and have constantly gave violations from the Department of Agriculture and Markets for dirty conditions, accumulation of dirt, blood throughout the place,” he said.
“I don’t think in five days something can be solved,” he said.
The inspectors of the State of New York closed seven factories for five days on average after they were affected by the avian influence – not all were H5N1 – in 2022 and 2023, but they allowed them to reopen after cleaning and disinfection.
Last month, the owner of a duck farm in Long Island said that 100,000 ducks had to be killed after avian influence was detected there.
Aporva Mandavilli AND Tracey tully Contributed relationships.