25 knocked out with norovirus, Wisconsin sub shop closed

The Green Bay Press-Gazette reports that Cousins Subs, in Neenah, WI, temporarily closed about 1 p.m. Friday after city health officials pinpointed it as the source of a suspected norovirus outbreak.

Director Judy Crouch-Smolarek said the Neenah Health Department received about 25 reports of acute gastroenteritis, adding,

“We were informed about mid-day (Thursday) of a number of people suffering from GI illnesses. Due to the number of people who have fallen ill, including some employees, the restaurant has voluntarily closed. The restaurant will be thoroughly cleaned and sanitized and will re-open when they meet the necessarily requirements of the Neenah Health Department.”

Larry Weissman, vice president of marketing in Cousins’ corporate offices in Menomonee Falls, said,

“We have sent representatives from our corporate offices to Neenah to assist, and we are working with the store and the local authorities to determine what happened and how to prevent it from ever happening again.”