All dwell chook markets in New York Metropolis and in a number of close by counties should shut quickly in hopes of curbing the unfold of chook flu, which was detected at among the markets previously 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 dwell markets in New York Metropolis and in Westchester, Nassau and Suffolk Counties. Seven circumstances of chook flu had been detected at markets in Queens, the Bronx and Brooklyn.

Markets with confirmed circumstances should eliminate their stock, whereas these the place chook 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 a minimum of 5 days.

“Safeguarding public well being is all about being proactive,” Governor Hochul mentioned 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.

In response to the avian flu circumstances in New York, operators of dwell chook markets in New Jersey have been requested to voluntarily clear and disinfect their markets and gear as soon as their present inventory is gone and to then shut for 3 to 4 days earlier than reopening with dwell birds, a state Agriculture Division spokesman mentioned on Friday.

State officers have additionally requested New Jersey corporations that distribute to dwell chook markets to scrub and disinfect their operations, the spokesman, Jeff Wolfe, mentioned. Comply with-up testing of dwell markets and distributors will likely be performed, he added.

There have been no avian flu circumstances in poultry, together with at dwell markets and in yard flocks, in New Jersey final 12 months and there haven’t been any up to now this 12 months, in response to the Agriculture Division.

H5N1, a type of chook flu, has affected greater than 156 million industrial, yard and wild birds in the USA since 2022. As chook flu has unfold throughout the globe, public well being specialists have turn out to be more and more involved about dwell animal markets.

There have been round 70 dwell animal markets in New York Metropolis as of final 12 months, a few of which have been close to colleges and residential buildings. Most of them butcher and promote chickens, geese and quails, 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, mentioned in a press release on Friday that chook flu didn’t current a right away risk to public well being and that there have been no recognized circumstances of chook flu in New Yorkers. Individuals who recurrently work together with livestock and wild birds ought to put on private protecting gear when involved with them, he added.

Michelle Morse, the performing commissioner of the town’s Well being Division, mentioned in a press release on Friday that the danger would enhance if the virus developed the flexibility to transmit between individuals. The division was working with the state to ensure that individuals who work at dwell markets are knowledgeable and obtain therapy 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 severe hazard to the general public these markets maintain, it isn’t sufficient to merely shut them down for one week,” mentioned Edita Birnkrant, the chief director of New Yorkers for Clear, Livable and Secure Streets, an animal rights group that has documented what it describes because the “horrific situations” at dwell markets for a number of years.

Ms. Birnkrant mentioned that when the markets reopen, they are going to nonetheless obtain hundreds of birds and different animals which can be sick with chook flu and different illnesses.

Linda Rosenthal, a Democratic member of the State Meeting from Manhattan, mentioned that the markets ought 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 might create a process 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 situations, grime buildup, blood far and wide,” she mentioned.

“I don’t assume in 5 days something could be resolved,” she mentioned.

New York State inspectors closed seven institutions for 5 days on common after they have been hit by chook flu — not all have 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 mentioned 100,000 geese needed to be killed after chook flu was detected there.

Apoorva Mandavilli and Tracey Tully contributed reporting.