A cook has been diagnosed with a Norovirus infection. Under the Food Code, the manager must:
a.Keep the cook on the line but require single-use gloves and a face mask
b.Reassign the cook to washing the clean dishes and glassware
c.Let the cook prep food but hand plating to another employee
d.Exclude the cook from the establishment until cleared per the Code
Explanation
A food employee diagnosed with Norovirus, one of the Big 6, must be excluded from the food establishment and may return only when cleared under the Food Code, typically after being symptom-free for at least 24 to 48 hours and with regulatory approval. Because the diagnosis itself triggers exclusion, every half-measure that keeps the person in the operation fails: gloves and a mask do not stop the fecal-oral route, clean dishes and glassware are food-contact items a sick worker may not handle, and handing off plating still leaves the cook touching food.
Law Reference: FDA Food Code §2-201.12Practice all 500 questions free — no signup required.
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