A food service worker at the Cave City Cracker Barrel has been diagnosed with Hepatitis A.
The diagnosis was made on Thursday and the restaurant voluntarily closed on Friday. The building was then cleaned and sanitized, as well as inspected by health officials, with no food code violations found. The popular eatery has since reopened. The Glasgow Daily Times said the restaurant was working health officials to arrange for all employees to receive a Hep A vaccine.
Barren River District Health Department officials say the risk of Cracker Barrel patrons being exposed to Hep A is low.
Cracker Barrel issued the following statement to media outlets:
“At Cracker Barrel, nothing is more important to us than the health and well-being of our guests and employees,” the release states. “We voluntarily closed our Cave City location Friday evening and took proactive steps including cleaning and sanitizing the store. We are also working in collaboration with the Barren River District Health Department to arrange for all employees to be vaccinated. We want to assure our guests and employees that our Cave City location is safe and open, and we will continue to take all steps available to deliver a safe and welcoming dining experience.”
Several restaurants around the state have had employees diagnosed with Hep A, including the Glasgow Burger King, Somerset Zaxby’s, the Bearno’s, Panera Bread and Mark’s Feed Store in Louisville, as well as a Jimmy John’s in Louisville. In mid-November, a worker at candy-maker Bauer’s, located in Lawrenceburg, was also diagnosed with Hep A.
The best practices to avoid getting Hepatitis A is to be vaccinated and use proper hand washing practices.
Health experts say symptoms of hepatitis A are fatigue, decreased appetite, stomach pain, nausea, darkened urine, pale stools and jaundice. People can become ill 15-50 days after being exposed to the virus. Anyone experiencing symptoms should seek medical attention.
By Ken Howlett, News Director
Contact Ken at ken@k105.com or 270-259-6000
