Gig Harbor restaurant cleared to reopen after suspected norovirus outbreak

The Hub in Gig Harbor reopened Tuesday (Aug. 7) after a one-day closure for a suspected norovirus outbreak that sickened 12.

The Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department closed the restaurant Monday after diners from separate households reported norovirus-like symptoms after dining at an event July 26 at the restaurant, 1208 26th Ave. NW. Initial health department reports on Monday said four diners reported illness. Tuesday, that number increased to 12.

“We spent the day yesterday cleaning the restaurant head to toe,” co-owner Pat Nagle said by phone Tuesday. He also co-owns Hub restaurants in Tacoma and South Hill and the Harmon Taproom and Harmon Brewery in downtown Tacoma.

“We’re not sure what the source was,” he said. “It was one event on the 26th and we narrowed it down to that event. We don’t know where the source came from, whether it came from outside the restaurant or not.”

“Our customers are our top priority and we took this situation very seriously,” he added in a press release. “From the information provided to us we understand that norovirus is spread through human contact with other sick humans. This unfortunate incident affected one party that came in to dine in our restaurant.”

The health department is still investigating a source.

“Two employees said they were ill with norovirus-like symptoms around the time customers were exposed,” the department said. “They worked July 26, but it’s unclear if they were ill at the time but they could have been contagious.”

Employees discarded food products and sanitized the restaurant, per health department guidelines. The agency cleared the restaurant to resume operating after inspecting it Tuesday.

This is the third suspected norovirus outbreak this year. In January, more than 500 people experiencing norovirus-like symptoms were linked to two El Toro restaurants. In April, about 38 customers reported norovirus symptoms after eating at Foley’s on the Green in Tacoma.

Anyone who ate at the The Hub and became ill is asked to call the health department at 253-798-4712 or email food@tpchd.org.

Symptoms for norovirus include vomiting and diarrhea and can last a few days. Norovirus is extremely contagious and can be spread through person-to-person contact or through contaminated food. The virus is a prolific pathogen that can live on surfaces for up to two weeks. Additionally, those who are ill can remain contagious after symptoms disappear.

This story was originally published August 7, 2018 at 3:00 PM.