Now over ONE HUNDRED Chipotle diners claim to be suffering from food poisoning after dining at a restaurant in Virginia where one case of the norovirus has been confirmed

  • More than 100 people reported falling ill after eating at a Chipotle in Virginia 
  • The restaurant in Sterling was temporarily closed this week for cleaning 
  • Health officials said Thursday that one person tested positive for the norovirus 
  • Reports on iwaspoisoned.com claim 133 people fell ill after eating at location
  • News comes a day after three mice fell from ceiling of a Dallas Chipotle  

By VALERIE EDWARDS and MARY KEKATOS FOR DAILYMAIL.COM and ASSOCIATED PRESS

Published: | Updated:

More than 100 people reported falling ill from eating at a Chipotle in Virginia that was forced to close its doors this week and one person even tested positive for the norovirus.

Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc reopened its store in Sterling, Virginia, just days after the company shut location down for a 'thorough sanitization'.

Earlier on Thursday, 60 people had reported they fell ill after eating at that particular Chipotle, but as of late Thursday evening, that number has increased to 100. 

Eighty-nine reports were made to the website iwaspoisoned.com, indicating that 133 customers fell ill after eating at the Sterling location, according to website founder Patrick Quade.

One diner who ate at a Sterling, Virginia, Chipotle (pictured above) has tested positive for norovirus after health officials identified 60 sickened people who said they ate at the chain location

One diner who ate at a Sterling, Virginia, Chipotle (pictured above) has tested positive for norovirus after health officials identified 60 sickened people who said they ate at the chain location

Shares in Chipotle fell 4.5 per cent to close at $356.05, their lowest point since April 2013. The shares had been above $390 on Tuesday

Shares in Chipotle fell 4.5 per cent to close at $356.05, their lowest point since April 2013. The shares had been above $390 on Tuesday

However, the health department says it has only identified about 60 sickened people who said they ate at the Chipotle in question. 

But officials have not be able to determine the cause of the 60 reported illnesses.

The restaurant in Sterling was temporarily closed this week for cleaning after customers reported symptoms that Chipotle said were consistent with norovirus.

Norovirus is a leading cause of illnesses from contaminated food, and infected employees are a frequent source of the outbreaks. 

Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea and nausea. Overall, one out of six Americans get sick each year by consuming contaminated food or drinks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Loudoun County Health Department in Virginia says it is still awaiting further test results that should be available early next week.

Director David Goodfriend says that having another person test positive for norovirus would be a 'very strong indication' that the virus was behind the illnesses. 

Chipotle released a statement to the DailyMail.com saying that 'food safety is a top priority to us and we apologize for any distress this has caused'.

The company's CEO, Steve Ells, also released a separate statement apologizing for the incident. 

'We are sorry that individuals reported sickness from one of our locations,' the statement read. 

Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc has stressed the safety measures it has taken to prevent such occurrences. But its image is still fragile, and the chain has been dealing with bad publicity since Thursday after three mice (pictured) fell from the ceiling in a Dallas, Texas, location

Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc has stressed the safety measures it has taken to prevent such occurrences. But its image is still fragile, and the chain has been dealing with bad publicity since Thursday after three mice (pictured) fell from the ceiling in a Dallas, Texas, location

Video showed one rodent climbing the wall (top left) wile another appeared motionless on the floor
The third rodent quickly scampered away after hitting the floor

Diners at a Chipotle in Dallas reported the rodents fell from the ceiling as they ate their lunch on Wednesday. Video showed one rodent climbing the wall (top left) wile another appeared motionless on the floor (left). The third (right) quickly scampered away after hitting the floor 

The recent incident at the Sterling location coupled with mice falling from the ceiling in Dallas (pictured is the Chipotle in Dallas) has sent the company's shares down to their lowest since 2015 when an E coli outbreak caused nearly 120 Boston College students to fall sick

The recent incident at the Sterling location coupled with mice falling from the ceiling in Dallas (pictured is the Chipotle in Dallas) has sent the company's shares down to their lowest since 2015 when an E coli outbreak caused nearly 120 Boston College students to fall sick

'We know that maintaining the highest level of safety in all of our restaurants is our responsibility. I made a commitment on behalf of Chipotle to make our restaurants the safest place to eat, and I am confident in the programs and procedures we have implemented.' 

Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc has stressed the safety measures it has taken to prevent such occurrences or respond quickly when they do happen. 

But its image is still fragile, and the chain has been dealing with bad publicity since Thursday after three mice fell from the ceiling in a Dallas, Texas, location.

Chipotle says it was an 'extremely isolated incident', and that the mice got in the restaurant because of a structural gap in the building, which has since been fixed.

The recent incident at the Sterling location coupled with mice falling from the ceiling in Dallas has sent the company's shares down to their lowest since 2015 when an E coli outbreak caused nearly 120 Boston College students to fall sick. 

Shares in Chipotle fell 4.5 per cent to close at $356.05, their lowest point since April 2013. The shares had been above $390 on Tuesday.

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