Students of Boston College, including players of the men’s basketball team, fell ill after dining at a Chipotle Mexican Grill restaurant in Cleveland Circle.
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The number of Boston College students who got sick after eating at a Brighton Chipotle has now risen to 80.
Norovirus and E. coli have similar symptoms – diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea and fever.
They are now being tested for E. coli and norovirus, as both cause symptoms describe by the students. They have all been tested for E. Coli and norovirus, Dunn said, adding that test results won’t be available for at least two days.
In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission Friday, Chipotle said sales have been “extremely volatile” since early November when it closed restaurants in OR and Washington after the first cases were reported in those states.
“There are no reports of illness from any other restaurants, and the pattern here looks like norovirus isolated to one restaurant”, spokesman Chris Arnold told Reuters on Tuesday.
Rather, it’s norovirus – a highly contagious virus spread by an infected person.
The restaurant chain has closed 43 restaurants around Portland and Seattle, when many who became ill all reported eating at 11 common restaurants.
Since the investigation regarding this outbreak is now underway, officials from the Massachusetts Public Health Department and the Boston Public Health Department did not speculate on the cause. But he noted the E. coli cases are “all the more damaging” for Chipotle because of its “Food With Integrity” slogan.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said the outbreak has sickened 52 people in nine states. There has only been one case of the illness reported in Pennsylvania.
Meanwhile, the company still has no answers about the cause of the E. coli outbreak, although it has identified some high-risk items, such as tomatoes and cilantro, and has changed how it washes and prepares those items, Chipotle Chief Executive Steve Ells said at the AllianceBernstein conference. Employees at Chipotle would also undergo fresh training.
On its part, the restaurant authorities have confirmed to adopting stricter safety measures for their food products.
The recent outbreaks have the company re-evaluating its local produce program and its supplier standards. “What we are sure of is that our commitment to using the very best ingredients we can remains as strong as ever”.
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Damn, Chipotle! Can’t you just be safe again?!
