Virginia Chipotle Norovirus Outbreak Caused By Sick Employee; More Than 135 Infected

(Updated 9:50 a.m. Wednesday) STERLING, VA — Chipotle officials said the cause of a norovirus outbreak at a Sterling, Virginia, location was a sick employee that came to work, the Washington Business Journal reported. The Loudoun County Health Department also confirmed a second case of norovirus for a person that ate at the location of the embattled restaurant chain. The health department said more than 135 people got sick after eating at the restaurant. The location closed for a day Tuesday, July 18 after reports surfaced of customers experiencing vomiting, diarrhea and vomiting after eating Chipotle.

Before the latest incident, Chipotle had been recovering from the fallout over outbreaks of E. coli were found across the U.S. in 2015. According to the CDC, 60 cases and 22 hospitalizations were reported across 14 states. Chipotle said it was not able to link the E. coli breakout to a specific item, since many of the foods are cooked together.

And it's not the first time Chipotle has been linked to a norovirus breakout. In 2015, the virus broke out in California, while more than 140 people fell ill in December at a Boston location. After these incidents, stores closed for a day in February 2016 for employees to discuss food safety. Again the restaurants will hold safety training to ensure employees are following company policy.

The restaurant reopened Wednesday after a full cleaning, but the health department confirmed a case of the norovirus. It is a common virus that can be transmitted from person to person or food or water that has been infected, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The virus can also be spread by touching contaminated surfaces. Company investigations found managers were not following protocol on handling sick employees.

The CDC says those infected show symptoms 12 to 48 hours after exposure to norovirus. The infected customers ate at Chipotle from July 13 to 16.

Dr. David Goodfriend, director of the county's health department, said last week he didn't believe the food supply was a concern, but open containers were discarded.

“Based on symptoms reported and these preliminary laboratory results, the cause of the outbreak is believed to be norovirus, though the specific source of the norovirus has not yet been identified,” said Goodfriend in a statement Monday. “The Health Department is not aware of any customers becoming ill since the reopening of the facility last Wednesday.”

Chipotle officials said the illnesses are isolated to the restaurant in Sterling, but the incident has affected company stocks. CNNMoney said that Chipotle's share price dropped 4 percent on Tuesday after the news surfaced. The Business Journal reports that sales fell 5.5 percent since the outbreak came to light.

Days after, the company took another financial hit when a customer caught footage of rodents falling from the ceiling at a Dallas Chipotle. A company spokesman called the incident isolated and said it was being addressed, according to CNBC.

Image via Miosotis jade/Wikimedia Commons