No confirmed Texas cases of E. coli or norovirus connected to Chipotle

Tough times for Chipotle: Following the disastrous E. coli outbreak that spread across nine states and sickened more than 50 people, the burrito chain is now facing a norovirus outbreak at a Boston store that has made 120 people sick.

The ingredient that sickened people has not been identified, but Chipotle said whatever the likely culprit was is out of its restaurants.

Originally, 30 Boston College students complained of gastrointestinal symptoms after eating at a local restaurant, which CNBC.com reported on Wednesday.

“The Health Services staff remains hopeful that the norovirus will be contained in light of their efforts to inform students of guidelines to avoid spreading the illness”, Dunn said in a statement.

Shares of Chipotle bounced back on Thursday after its founder, co-CEO Steve Ells, apologized to all customers who fell ill after eating in its restaurants and promised to enforce strict new food-safety practices.

A sign showing that the Chipotle Mexican Grill Boston location is closed on December 8, 2015. Chipotle temporarily closed a restaurant where the students said they ate and says it believes the illnesses are an isolated case of norovirus separate from the E. coli outbreak. All seventeen King County Chipotle restaurants met criteria to reopen their doors on November 10. Chipotle closed the restaurant voluntarily and says the company is committed to becoming an industry leader for food safety.

“When we re-open, the [Boston] restaurant will be completely sanitized, and every single employee will have been tested and assured that they do not have norovirus”, Ells said.

“The procedures we’re putting in place to eat are so above industry norms that we are going to be the safest place to eat”, Ells told NBC’s Today host Matt Lauer.

This illness, distinct from norovirus, is caused by consuming food contaminated with E. coli bacteria, leading to symptoms that include diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Chris Arnold, a Chipotle spokesman, also said an employee coming in sick was in violation of the company’s policies.

So far, the show of humility appears to be working: After the apology on Thursday, Chipotle’s stock price, which had dropped 19 percent this year, jumped more than 5 percent, Reuters reported.

We may be at a higher risk for food-borne illness outbreaks than some competitors due to our use of fresh produce and meats rather than frozen, and our reliance on employees cooking with traditional methods rather than automation.