Applebee’s restaurant on East Sunset Drive in Bellingham, Wash., was cleared to reopen Friday, Feb. 14, after completing more stringent measures to combat a suspected norovirus outbreak.

“They’ve taken all the steps that we’ve asked them to take,” said Tom Kunesh, supervisor for the Whatcom County Health Department’s Food and Living Environment Program.

Sixteen employees have reported becoming ill – most of them on Feb. 6 and. 7.

The health department has received about 70 complaints from people who said they were sickened after eating at Applebee’s.