Norovirus Sickens Hundreds In Pierce County Outbreak

UNIVERSITY PLACE, WA - The El Toro restaurant in University Place was closed Wednesday after up to 10 people were sicked by norovirus after eating there. The closure follows an investigation of an outbreak at the Tacoma El Toro, where over 200 have come down with norovirus.

The University Place El Toro will be closed for at least 24 hours for a cleaning, according to the Tacoma-Pierce Health Department.

We received two reports on Jan. 8 from customers in separate households who say they got ill after dining at the University Place location. Each report has multiple cases. We are still confirming the total and gathering information about new cases.

The customers got sick after they ate at El Toro’s University Place restaurant on Jan. 6. They experienced symptoms, which include vomiting and diarrhea, 24-36 hours after eating. Their symptoms lasted one to two days. We suspect norovirus to be the pathogen based on the symptoms.

Norovirus is an extremely contagious gastrointestinal illness. The virus can live on hard surfaces for weeks, and is easily transferred between humans. People sickened with norovirus are still contagious for several days or weeks after symptoms disappear.

Image courtesy Tacoma-Pierce Health Department