Is Woburn's Chipotle Safe to Eat At?

Photo via Google Earth Screenshot.

WOBURN, MA — Numerous public health incidents have arisen at Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurants in recent months, most recently the Tuesday closing of a Billerica location due to an employee contracting norovirus.

Area residents want to know: Is it safe to eat at Chipotle?

Woburn Health Inspector Meghan Doherty told Patch that Woburn's 112 Commerce Way Chipotle location has not had any health-related incidents that the Board of Health is aware of, and that the board is working with the restaurant to ensure that it remains that way.

"We are doing our due diligence and making sure that they go through the proper steps to ensure that nothing like this happens," Doherty told Patch.

Doherty also added that Chipotle is inspected regularly, just like every other restaurant in the city.

Chipotle area manager Chris Arnold was not immediately available for comment.

There were no reports of any customers getting sick at the Billerica location Tuesday, and that the restaurant has been cleaned to the Billerica Public Health Inspector's satisfaction. The Billerica Public Health Inspector anticipates that the restaurant will be re-opened Thursday, according to the report.

140 people, nearly all of whom were Boston College students, contracted norovirus back after eating at a near-campus Chipotle restaurant back in December. The Centers for Disease Control declared an E.coli outbreak at the restaurant on February 1. The CDC linked 55 cases of E. Coli across 11 states to the restaurant, which included 21 hospitalizations in the initial outbreak.

Norovirus can cause diarrhea, fever and headaches, the CDC says. Symptoms appear 12 to 48 hours after virus exposure, and most people get better in three days, at most, according to the CDC.