New York State on Friday took emergency measures to stop the spread of avian flu following new detections of the disease, ordering all live bird markets on Long Island, New York City and Westchester to sell off inventory, sanitize and shut down for a week. 

The unusual order follows an outbreak of bird flu at an Aquebogue duck farm in January, and seven detections of the disease in markets in Queens, the Bronx and Brooklyn during “routine surveillance” since Jan. 31, according to a state notice Friday. The Aquebogue outbreak led to the euthanization of 99,000 ducks and the implementation of a 10-kilometer quarantine that remains in place, Newsday reported.

The Crescent Duck farm in Aquebogue is undergoing an intense sanitization effort overseen by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that's expected to last months as it works to revive its operations. 

In a briefing Friday morning, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the notice and order, which requires that live markets where bird flu has not been detected begin “complete cleaning and disinfection procedures." 

Through next Friday, Hochul said, "No poultry can be delivered to those live bird markets," and each "must sell down all inventory, undergo thorough cleaning and disinfection and then remain closed for at least five days." Every live bird market must then be inspected by state agricultural inspection teams before it can re-open. 

Hochul stressed that there is "no immediate public health threat," and called the measures "proactive."  

Hochul said she directed 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.”