NC casino cleans slots every 2 hours to beat virus

(AP) — Workers are cleaning slot machines with bleach every two hours as a North Carolina casino battles a virus that has sickened nearly 250 people.

The Asheville Citizen-Times reported Friday that Harrah's Cherokee Casino and Hotel is wiping down its 3,300 slot machines with a bleach and water mix around the clock. The outbreak since Jan. 12 has caused intestinal troubles including vomiting and diarrhea.

Door knobs, escalator handrails and restrooms are being sanitized hourly.

Casino spokesman Charles Pringle says the culprit is a norovirus that is sometimes a problem on cruise ships and at schools.

State epidemiologist David Bergmire-Sweat says relatively few of the casino's 7,500 daily visitors have gotten sick.

___

Information from: The Asheville Citizen-Times.