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I have some bad news for Chipotle lovers in Oregon and Washington – Chipotle has voluntarily closed 43 restaurants after at least 22 cases of E. coli were discovered and linked to our fave burrito haven.
Thankfully no one has died from the outbreak, but at least eight people have been hospitalized according to a release from the Washington State Department of Health. The bacterium has been tied to six locations in the area, but the chain chose to close 43 as a safety precaution.
Although it’s not clear what specific food item may have been contaminated and they’re still working to figure out what strand of E. coli they have, but Chipotle spokesman Chris Arnold said in a statement that the chain is working with the health department to get to the root of the cause.
This isn’t the first time Chipotle has had a health scare linked to them. Last summer, over 60 people in Minnesota were sickened by a salmonella outbreak tied to tomatoes after eating at Chipotle. This August, an outbreak of norovirus sickened 80 customers and 13 employees at a Chipotle in California.
If you ate at a Chipotle in the region this month and are experiencing watery and/or bloody diarrhea and abdominal cramps, see your health care provider.
Hopefully this will all be cleared up soon. Until then, stick to homemade peanut butter. Oh wait…
Update – 12/4/15
CNN reports that the E. coli outbreak at Chipotle is now linked to nine states.
US States Affected By Chipotle E. Coli Outbreak:
– California
– Illinois
– Maryland
– Minnesota
– New York
– Ohio
– Oregon
– Pennsylvania
– Washington
[Story via]
