Mamaroneck Diner Could Reopen Tuesday: UPDATE

MAMARONECK, NY — Mamaroneck Diner and Pizza could be open for dinner Tuesday. The Westchester County Department of Health has confirmed that people who ate at or worked at the diner last week tested positive for Norovirus, a highly contagious stomach bug that causes severe vomiting and diarrhea.

The health department said the management and staff of the diner have cooperated with the department over the past several days to make sure that every precaution was taken to prevent the spread of the virus.

The diner voluntarily closed Friday, May 11 and has followed the health department’s recommendations, which included discarding any open food, single-service food containers that might have been contaminated and food that would not require cooking.

Mamaroneck Diner also brought in an outside firm to thoroughly clean the restaurant with Norovirus-eradicating products.

According to the county, public health nurses worked over the weekend through Monday interviewing diner employees and have excluded from work any staff who were ill or had recently been ill.

It is up to the diner’s management to determine when to reopen, the health department said.

Health department officials plan to be present when the diner reopens to assure that those who report to work are healthy.

Inspectors from the health department have been on site and will continue this week, reviewing sanitary procedures.

Medical experts said that anyone who experiences nausea, vomiting or diarrhea should stay home, should limit their contact with others to avoid spreading the virus and should not handle food for others while ill. People who feel ill might want to contact their physicians.

Anyone who works in healthcare, childcare or food preparation should stay home from work until 72 hours after symptoms resolve.

The health department said there is no treatment other than to make sure to drink plenty of fluids; the illness must just run its course.

Most people usually recover in a couple of days, medical experts said.

Original article:

MAMARONECK, NY — Mamaroneck Diner and Pizza closed Friday and remains so Monday due to an outbreak of a highly contagious virus, likely the Norovirus. Owners of the diner posted on its Facebook page that they shut down out of caution in order to clean the eatery completely.

“As we cannot be sure that it has started from inside the diner, we are taking every precaution and care necessary to ensure the health and safety of our diner, employees and patrons,” the post read.

The diner was slated to reopen Monday, but is still closed, the Journal News said. Employees of the diner have to be symptom-free of the apparent Norovirus for 72 hours before they can be allowed to come back to work, but not enough staff have reached that milestone.

The diner’s owners said they contracted with professionals to come and inspect the establishment for any viruses.

“With hundreds of people coming in and out, it is nearly impossible to know where this virus could have started,” the owner said.

While of the people commenting on the Facebook post were appreciative of the diner’s efforts, others were not so sanguine.

One woman said, “How ‘admirable’ is it that the diner closed down to rectify a serious health issue that it caused in the first place and should unquestionably do so anyway? A sick employee probably came to work when he had no business being there in the first place!”

Photo caption: Google Maps.