If I was a restaurant owner or a retailer, the everyday possibility of having a food worker tell me that they had Hep A would scare me. As the virus is shed in an infected person’s poop for up to 30 days before she even shows symptoms, having the tools and carrying out actual handwashing limits the potential for illnesses much more than relying on not having ill staff handling food.

But, even if the infected individual was a superstar/champion handwasher, the likes of Jack Nicholson in As Good As it Gets, the business is going to take a hit.

As a safety precaution, and because post-exposure IGG shots are effective at reducing the likelihood of illness (for about a 14 day window), patrons are going to be lined up around the block waiting for an IGG shot and that doesn’t result in great press.

Just like what Sierra Grill in North York (that’s in Toronto, which is in Canada) is about to experience:

Customers who ate at Sierra Grill last Sunday are being advised to get vaccinated after an employee tested positive for Hepatitis A.
Toronto Public Health said anyone who ate at the Bayview Village restaurant on Jan. 23 may have been exposed to the virus. Public Health is holding three free vaccination clinics for anyone who ate at the Sierra Grill on that day.

Dr. Michael Finkelstein, Toronto’s associate medical officer of health was quoted as saying, assuringly, the risk of infection is low. Kind of a weird and subjective message to add when asking folks to come by to get a shot.