A local restaurant has shut its doors for a deep cleaning, and shared a health survey, after an unknown illness was reported by customers on social media, according to the restaurant's social media accounts.
C&D Bar & Grill and Rocks Lounge, located on the 6400 block of York Road, U.S. Route 30 in Berwick Township, announced Wednesday that the restaurant would close for a "deep cleaning of our entire restaurant to help prevent further spreading of this virus," according to a Facebook account.
"We sincerely hope this eliminates anyone else from getting sick," the post added.
On Thursday, the restaurant shared that it was working with the Pennsylvania Department of Health to "gather all necessary information as to the outbreak of the illness experienced at our establishment."
In that post, the restaurant shared a survey from the Department of Health for any customers who dined at the restaurants on or after March 9. That survey can be accessed at www.tinyurl.com/CandDfoodsurvey.
Information is requested from both sick as well as well individuals. The in-depth survey asks a variety of questions about the individual's dining experience and whether they became ill and, if so, what symptoms they experienced.
The restaurant shared that the Department of Health had noted there is not norovirus testing for food items, and that they "don’t have any specific suspect items right now."
The post added that the department told them there have been norovirus outbreaks associated with seafood, which is being investigated further.
While the cause of the illnesses has not been confirmed, news reports in December indicated that a State College restaurant experienced similar circumstances that were reportedly discovered to be a norovirus outbreak.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, norovirus is a highly contagious virus that causes vomiting and diarrhea, and is typically known as the "stomach flu," though it is not related to the flu. Individuals can catch the virus through eating contaminated food, touching contaminated surfaces, and sharing drinks or utensils with an afflicted individual, the CDC said.
The announcements by the New Oxford restaurant came after a torrent of social media comments and posts in various Facebook groups that reported allegedly becoming ill after dining at the restaurant.
Among the first of those posts was in the popular Hanover Area Watch Group around 10 a.m. Wednesday. The writer inquired if anyone else had become sick after eating at the restaurant, where the author of the post reported that her family got sick afterward and that they "all had different things and couldn’t narrow it down to one specific item."
That post sparked an onslaught of commentary, with over 330 comments within 24 hours, and led the restaurant to respond.
Around seven hours after the post, the restaurant announced it would close indefinitely for deep cleaning.
The restaurant, described as "upscale casual," has been a popular dining establishment just outside of New Oxford for the past 14 years, opening in 2011. The restaurant was later joined by its own sister restaurant, the Rocks Lounge, which is attached to the restaurant.
Harrison Jones is the Hanover reporter for The Evening Sun. Contact him at [email protected].