Chipotle stock falls after <i>E. coli</i> cases cause restaurant closures

Shares of Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. were down Monday after 22 E. coli cases linked to the burrito chain’s restaurants led to the voluntary temporary closure of 43 of its Pacific Northwest eateries.

Nineteen cases of E. coli illness linked to Chipotle restaurants were reported in Washington and three additional cases were reported in Oregon, according to a statement Saturday from the Washington State Department of Health.

In a statement, Chipotle said these numbers include people that ate at eight of its restaurants in those areas.

There have been no deaths, but seven Washington patients and one Oregon patient have been hospitalized, the department said.

Chipotle stock dipped $12.78, or 2%, to $627.44 in midday trading.

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Chipotle said it “immediately” closed all of its restaurants in Washington and in the Portland, Ore., area after being notified by health department officials, “even though the vast majority of these restaurants have no reported problems.”

The company said it was working with health department officials to determine the cause of the issue.

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