An apparent norovirus outbreak near a Halifax port is being blamed on a cruise ship having docked there. Shortly after the Carnival Glory docked on 9 August, two waterfront restaurants, The Bicycle Thief and Ristorante a Mano, were forced to close after staff and customers came down with symptoms resembling the norovirus.
About 200 passengers on the ship had reported feeling ill, and this has upset many business owners in Halifax because they were not informed of the outbreak. A formal inspection should have been conducted, as over three percent of about 4800 on board the ship were ill, although Health Canada said that less than three percent were sick in a statement made to CTV News. 143 passengers, in this case, would have constituted three percent, and there were a total of 215 cases.
Although cleared by health officials, the Bicycle Thief and Ristorante a Mano remained closed as of 21 August; this was a precautionary measure, according to the restaurant's owners. Residents in the area are also being more cautious about going to waterfront restaurants with the knowledge of norovirus possibly being brought in by cruise ship patrons. One resident, Gary Armitage, was quoted, “I would think twice about visiting a restaurant on the waterfront that would be frequented by the cruise ships.”
The two restaurants that closed were expected to reopen on the 22nd.
