Chipotle is sinking after customers report symptoms that are 'consistent with norovirus' (CMG)

pulse

July 18, 2017 4:20 PM

The company closed a store in Sterling, Virginia, after several customers reporting severe illness after eating at the restaurant.

Chipotle shares are down 4.60% at $373.98 on Tuesday after a restaurant was closed due to customer sickness.

The company closed a restaurant in Sterling, Virginia, after several customers reported severe illness after eating at the restaurant. The customers reported their illnesses to iwaspoisoned.com, which alerted Business Insider of the reports. Shares are down 4.36% on Tuesday.

Chipotle issued a statement saying the illness symptoms are "consistent with the norovirus." Norovirus is the most common form of foodborne illness in the US, with more than 21 million cases reported a year. The virus is often caused by an employee not properly washing their hands after using the bathroom.

This is not the first time the company has dealt with a potential norovirus outbreak at one of its stores. Nearly 120 Boston College students reported sickness in 2015 due to an outbreak at a restaurant close to the campus.

Chipotle has said they will reopen the Sterling, Virginia store after sanitizing it.

Tuesday's price drop puts Chipotle shares in the red for the year, down 0.18%.

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