Question

1. you have been sick with diarrhea. what answer would be accepted by the health department?

a) you are feeling better, so now you can go back to working with food.
b) the diarrhea has been gone for almost two days, so now you can go back to working with food.
c) the diarrhea has been gone for 8 hours, so it is okay that you go back to working with food.
d) the diarrhea has not gone, but the restaurant is under staffed and your help is needed, so it is okay that you go back to working with food.

Explanation:

To determine the acceptable answer, we refer to health department guidelines for food handlers. Diarrhea is a symptom that can indicate a contagious illness, and food handlers must be symptom - free (specifically, diarrhea - free) for a certain period before returning to work with food. Typically, a period of at least 24 - 48 hours (about 2 days) without diarrhea is required to ensure the risk of spreading illness through food is minimized.

• Option a: Just “feeling better” is too vague and does not meet the specific time - based criteria of the health department.
• Option b: If the diarrhea has been gone for almost two days, this aligns with the typical time frame (24 - 48 hours) that health departments recommend for a food handler to be symptom - free before returning to work with food.
• Option c: 8 hours is too short a time. The illness - causing agent may still be present in the body, and there is a high risk of contaminating food.
• Option d: Even if the restaurant is understaffed, working with food while still having diarrhea is a serious health code violation as it can lead to food - borne illness outbreaks.

Answer:

b) The diarrhea has been gone for almost two days, so now you can go back to working with food.