Norovirus sickens up to 200; Harvard club closed again

Don’t them Harvard boys know nothin’?

Never reopen a place until you’re sure the norovirus has been taken care of and all employees are healthy.

Following reports of a small norovirus outbreak linked to the Harvard Faculty Club last week, the Boston Globe reports this morning that as many as 200 people may have been affected by a norovirus outbreak, forcing the restaurant and lodge to close for a second time.

The club, which closed last week because of concerns about the virus, shut down again Tuesday as about 100 people reported becoming ill after eating at the club between Easter brunch Sunday and Tuesday morning.

To be fair, everyone is saying the right things, but noro outbreaks are often far more serious and insidious than people realize.

Louise Rice, director of public nursing for the city, explained Harvard voluntarily closed the club when the first wave of illnesses was reported last week, and the club brought in an outside cleaning crew to scrub the building down, The city inspected the club, and Rice said the building was “spotless.’’

The city also screened full- and part-time employees at the club, about 100 of them, before it reopened Sunday, she said.

But by Tuesday morning, Harvard notified the city that a number of people had reported becoming ill after eating at the club between Easter Brunch and Tuesday morning.

There seems to be some sort of disconnect between words and actions.

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About Douglas Powell

A former professor of food safety and the publisher of barfblog.com, Powell is passionate about food, has five daughters, and is an OK goaltender in pickup hockey. Download Doug’s CV here. Dr. Douglas Powell editor, barfblog.com retired professor, food safety 3/289 Annerley Rd Annerley, Queensland 4103 dpowell29@gmail.com 61478222221 I am based in Brisbane, Australia, 15 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time