Health Department declares the Gumbo Pot safe

Earlier today, word broke that a favorite local eatery, the Gumbo Pot, had an employee who has hepatitis A.  The employee worked on Jan. 17, 18 and 22. The employee is no longer working at the Gumbo Pot, and the health department has declared the restaurant a safe place to eat.

“The health department cleared us of any type of any hepatitis A,” the Gumbo Pot posted on its Facebook page just a few minutes ago, “it was an employee that no longer works here. Everything is fine here.”

The Vicksburg Daily News spoke with Perry Boyd, the restaurant owner, and he gave us a step by step account of what happened:

• The employee in question came to work on the 17th and 18th for a short period of time – short shifts on those days.
• On the 22nd the employee showed up to work with flu-like symptoms and was sent home.
• Later, after a doctor’s visit, the employee notified the Gumbo Pot that she was diagnosed with hepatitis A.
• The Gumbo Pot then notified the health department of the infected employee.
• The Gumbo Pot followed the health department rules exactly
• The exposure risk is extremely small but has to be made known.

“The Gumbo Pot didn’t do a thing wrong,” Boyd said. “I know this could shut me down, but we have to protect our guests. We had to do the right thing,”

Those who think they may have been exposed to this case can receive a hepatitis A vaccination free of charge from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 3 and Tuesday, Feb. 4 at the Warren County Health Department, 807 Monroe St. in Vicksburg.