Democrat Governor Orders Live Poultry Markets To Close In Multiple Counties

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered the temporary closure of all live poultry markets in New York City, Westchester, Suffolk and Nassau Counties.

The Democrat governor cited bird flu for the closures.

“The order requires those markets to sell down all inventory, complete cleaning and disinfection procedures, and remain closed for a period of five days after cleaning and disinfection. In addition, the Notice and Order further outlines quarantine and depopulation procedures for markets that have confirmed detections of HPAI,” a press release from Hochul’s office read.

“This Notice and Order follows seven detections of HPAI in markets in Queens, the Bronx, and Brooklyn during routine surveillance conducted by AGM since January 31, 2025. The State reminds farmers to follow good biosecurity measures and emphasizes that the risk to humans remains low,” it continued.

“Safeguarding public health is all about being proactive, and New York State is continuing our coordinated effort to monitor for the Avian Influenza,” Hochul said.

“My top priority will always be to keep New Yorkers safe, and I have directed our state agencies to use all available resources to ensure we are taking every measure necessary to keep the risk to the public low. We will continue to take these measured, common sense steps that will curb the spread of bird flu and ultimately protect our communities,” she added.

WATCH:

All live poultry markets in New York City and its surrounding suburbs have been ordered to shut down for a week following the discovery of just seven bird flu cases.

New York Governor Hochul has announced the temporary closure of these markets for public safety.

The affected… pic.twitter.com/pNb0aZtKmT

— Shadow of Ezra (@ShadowofEzra) February 7, 2025

Per USA TODAY:

The shutdown, to prevent the spread of the highly pathogenic avian influenza, is set to remain in effect through Feb. 14, Hochul said.

Hochul said markets must disinfect and undergo a state health inspection before they can reopen.

Despite reports of both animals and people catching bird flu across the U.S., the risk to the public remains low, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said. Experts say there’s low risk to the general public with a few exceptions.

In a statement, Dr. Michelle Morse, the acting New York City health commissioner, said the city health department is working closely with state officials to ensure live bird market staff receive essential information and, if symptoms present, that they receive the treatment they need.

“We are prepared to respond to any disease outbreak, including quickly ramping up testing and treatment, and working closely with providers and community partners to rapidly disseminate messaging,” Morse said.

#DEVELOPING: NY gov shuts down poultry markets after 7 cases of bird flu detected in NYChttps://t.co/xJsJ3TFoQl

— NBC New York (@NBCNewYork) February 7, 2025

New York Governor Kathy Hochul temporarily closed all live poultry markets in the New York City-area after seven cases of avian flu were identified by state health inspectors https://t.co/nGUnlibNs6

— Bloomberg (@business) February 7, 2025

From THE CITY:

In New York, other preparations for bird flu have begun, including at Bellevue Hospital, which is a regional hub for special pathogen preparedness. Earlier this year, the outgoing Biden administration awarded the hospital $2 million for its bird flu preparedness efforts, which will likely go toward bolstering PPE stockpiles and training efforts, Dr. Vikramjit Mukherjee, the director of the Special Pathogens Program and of Critical Care Services at Bellevue, told Healthbeat last month.

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The state has taken other preventative steps, according to Elizabeth Wolters, the deputy commissioner for the state agriculture and markets department. Those measures include testing samples of milk intended for pasteurization and instituting testing requirements for cattle imported into the state and those entering state fairs or exhibitions.

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at 100 Percent Fed Up.

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