Danbury Restaurant Given 'All Clear' Following Virus Outbreak

DANBURY, CT — The restaurant most closely associated with the outbreak of norovirus in the city has been given a clean bill of health.

"We voluntarily shut down. We were not forced to shut down," said Jamie Barbarie, manager at Barbarie’s Black Angus Grill in Danbury, perceived as ground zero for the outbreak. The restaurant shut down Thursday afternoon.

"We cleaned the restaurant from top to bottom. The Department of Health came in the following day, did a walk through and gave us the 'all clear' to go ahead, and we opened up at 4 o'clock on Friday afternoon."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that norovirus is highly contagious, and can be spread direct contact with an infected person, touching contaminated surfaces then putting your unwashed hands in your mouth, or consuming contaminated food or water.

Although the majority of people affected in the outbreak had eaten at the popular steakhouse recently, there were others who had not. Neither was there any confirmation that food was actually the source of the sickness.

"The state concluded that there was no evidence of bad food" necessarily being the culprit, said Taylor O'Brien, a spokesperson for the Mayor's Office.

The most common symptoms of norovirus are diarrhea, vomiting, nausea and stomach pain. Other symptoms may include fever, headache and body aches. Norovirus is often confused with the flu, but the viruses are unrelated.

Since the story broke last week, Barbarie's has had their entire staff —including dishwashers, servers, bus personnel and managers -- certified and re-certified with a food safety course.

A person usually develops symptoms of norovirus within 12 to 48 hours after being exposed, according to the CDC. Most people with the illness get better within 1 to 3 days. There is no cure for the virus, and those afflicted are advised to drink plenty of water to avoid dehydration while the disease runs its course.

"We are open for business," Barbarie said. "The circumstances are unfortunate, but we are doing everything in our power to rectify the situation.

Photo provided.