All live bird markets in New York City and in several nearby counties must close temporarily in hopes of curbing the spread of bird flu, which was detected at some of the markets in the past week, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Friday.
The order, which came from the state’s Department of Agriculture and Markets, affects the roughly 80 live markets in New York City and in Westchester, Nassau and Suffolk Counties. Seven cases of bird flu had been detected at markets in Queens, the Bronx and Brooklyn.
Markets with confirmed cases must get rid of their inventory, while those where bird flu has not been detected have three days to either sell or dispose of all their inventory. All markets must then be cleaned and disinfected before closing for at least five days.
“Safeguarding public health is all about being proactive,” Governor Hochul said in a statement, adding that she would “continue to take these measured, common-sense steps” to try to stop the spread of the virus.
H5N1, a form of bird flu, has affected more than 156 million commercial, backyard and wild birds in the United States since 2022. As bird flu has spread across the globe, public health experts have become increasingly concerned about live animal markets.
There were around 70 live animal markets in New York City as of last year, some of which were near schools and residential buildings. Most of them butcher and sell chickens, duck and quail, while around a quarter also slaughter larger animals like sheep, goats, cows and pigs. They sell both to local restaurants and to the general public.
James McDonald, the state health commissioner, said in a statement on Friday that bird flu did not present an immediate threat to public health and that there were no known cases of bird flu in New Yorkers. People who regularly interact with livestock and wild birds should wear personal protective equipment when in contact with them, he added.
Michelle Morse, the acting commissioner of the city’s Health Department, said in a statement on Friday 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 at live markets are informed and receive treatment if they develop symptoms.
Still, some believed the state’s order on Friday did not go far enough.
“While I am glad that finally the governor is waking up to what a serious hazard to the public these markets hold, it is not enough to merely shut them down for one week,” said Edita Birnkrant, the executive director of New Yorkers for Clean, Livable and Safe Streets, an animal rights group that has documented what it describes as the “horrific conditions” at live markets for several years.
Ms. Birnkrant said that when the markets reopen, they will still receive thousands of birds and other animals that are sick with bird flu and other ailments.
Linda Rosenthal, a Democratic member of the State Assembly from Manhattan, said that the markets should be closed for the foreseeable future and that it was a mistake to allow some of them to sell their birds for three more days before cleaning and closing.
Since 2019, she has repeatedly introduced a bill that would create a task force to study the markets’ safety to determine whether they should continue to operate.
“We’ve been following all the violations and inspections of these markets, and they consistently are given violations by the Department of Agriculture and Markets for filthy conditions, grime buildup, blood all over the place,” she said.
“I don’t think in five days anything can be resolved,” she said.
New York State inspectors closed seven establishments for five days on average after they were hit by bird flu — not all were H5N1 — in 2022 and 2023, but allowed them to reopen after cleaning and disinfection.
Last month, the owner of a duck farm on Long Island said 100,000 ducks had to be killed after bird flu was detected there.
Apoorva Mandavilli contributed reporting.
