On Friday evening, the Chi-Chi's Mexican restaurant chain issued the following statement about the spread of hepatitis A in Beaver County:

"Chi-Chi's deeply regrets the recent spread of Hepatitis A in the Beaver Valley area of Pennsylvania. Over the years, our company has developed and enacted food safety programs that place the Company in the top percentile of national restaurant chains in the promotion and enforcement of the highest standards of health and hygiene. Our hearts go out to the families that have been impacted.

"Upon learning that the restaurant may have been a contributing factor to the outbreak, the Company voluntarily closed the location and retained a qualified medical expert to investigate the cause of the illness, supervise testing and medical treatment of the employees, and to confirm that the food handling and hygiene policies at the restaurant chain take every precaution against the spread food-borne illnesses. Chi-Chi's is working actively with the Pennsylvania Department of Health to ensure that the location is thoroughly sanitized and that all employees are cleared of any possible infection before returning to work. The Company's medical advisor is also working closely with the CDC to determine the source of the infection.

"The origin of this outbreak is still under investigation. We do know that several Chi-Chi's employees have become ill with Hepatitis A. We have clear and long-standing policies that prohibit employees from working while sick. Several employees may have worked not knowing that they had been infected or could pass on that infection to others.

"We sincerely apologize to all of our loyal customers and want to inform the community that Chi-Chi's will do everything within our power to make sure that our patrons continue to enjoy a healthful and rewarding dining experience and that our employees have a safe and sanitized working atmosphere. The Beaver Valley Chi-Chi's has received excellent scores on its most recent health department inspections, scoring 94 and 95 out of 100 in 2003 and 2002, respectively. We intend to fully investigate the origin of this outbreak and ensure that Chi-Chi's industry leading sanitation policies are followed to the letter at every single Chi-Chi's location."