City Billiards' owner Michael Allen said the recent case of possible exposure to hepatitis A at his restaurant was an "isolated" incident, and they are doing everything in their power to adhere to health guidelines.

"At this time the situation has been handled exactly the way the Department of Health and Environmental Control has expressed to us to handle it, which is to adhere to our normal operations," Allen said. "...They have no issues with how we operate our restaurant, they explicitly told us to continue our normal restaurant operations."

Allen pointed out City Billiards has an "A" health rating from the Department of Health and Environmental Control, and that no faults were found during inspections.

"I would like to make sure that everyone understands that we are following all DHEC procedures and protocols and always have," Allen said. "...We do everything we can to ensure food safety."

Allen said the employee responsible for the incident only worked at the restaurant for about two weeks.

The possible exposure to the virus at City Billiards comes shortly after Aiken Brewing Company announced one of their employees had also been infected. DHEC has stated there is no evidence the two cases are linked at this time.

+2 No connection between hepatitis A exposure at Aiken restaurants, DHEC official says A DHEC official said there is no evidence that currently links possible recent exposures to hepatitis A at two Aiken restaurants.

Eight other cases of hepatitis A have been documented in Aiken since December 2018, leading DHEC to declare an outbreak in the county.

"I'm very hopeful that we will be OK," Allen said. "It is a trickle effect at this point right now. We have a lot of support from our good friends and customers. Then again, there are some people who are cautious at this time."

Allen said the restaurant will recover, even if it takes time.

"What this is impacting more than the business… are the lives of the individuals that work here, especially the waitresses here that depend on tips and whatnot," Allen said. "…That's what hurts the worst."

DHEC declares hepatitis A outbreak after possible exposure at second Aiken restaurant For the second time in as many weeks, DHEC is warning of the possible exposure to the hepatitis A virus at an Aiken restaurant.

In light of the recent outbreak, other downtown restaurants have also been taking preventative measures to shield their employees from the virus.

"We urged them (our employees) to get the shot, to get the vaccination," said What's Cookin' Downtown General Manager Mac Poplin.

Poplin said he and management shuttled employees to and from the DHEC clinic to ensure they got the shots. All employees at the restaurant have been vaccinated at this time.

Mellow Mushroom is also encouraging employees to get the vaccine by covering shifts for any that request time off to visit the clinic, according to Assistant Manager Charlie Bruneage.

"As much as we are able to, we're taking precautions to make sure everyone is safe," Bruneage said.

The Aiken Downtown Development Association released a statement following the outbreak.

"We at Aiken Downtown Development Association are encouraging our community and our visitors to educate themselves on this matter in its entirety and to continue to support our downtown," reads the statement. "Although there have been two instances of hepatitis A found in restaurant employees, this is not a food-related outbreak."

The statement reiterates DHEC facts and information on hepatitis A, including that cooking food kills the virus.

"The actions being taken by the City of Aiken and DHEC are with your interests in mind in order to keep our community safe and healthy," the statement continues. "These precautions and the information provided are to educate citizens and should not be interpreted as a deterrent from the restaurants whose employees have been affected. Appropriate measures have been taken at each restaurant in line with DHEC protocol to ensure your safety."

For more information, or to schedule an appointment to receive a free vaccination, call 855-472-3432. Michael Allen at City Billiards is also available to answer questions about the restaurant at 803-649-7362.