San Francisco

BART Riders, Restaurant Patrons Possibly Exposed to Measles

A BART rider and restaurant patron who had the measles rode the train and dined out, possibly infecting more than 1,000 people.

The San Mateo County resident dined at La Mediterranee restaurant in Berkeley on Feb. 20, exposing hundreds of fellow diners to the infectious virus, a city health spokesman said.

The infected person visited the popular restaurant in the heart of the Elwood District on College Avenue between 6:45 p.m. and 8 p.m. Health officials said the person had not developed the rash and was unaware of the infection.

On the same day, BART officials warned that more than 1,000 riders may have been exposed to measles when an infected person rode the train last week, getting on a Richmond-bound train at Millbrae and getting off at Civic Center. The person was also described as a San Mateo resident, although privacy laws make it impossible to know if it is the same one.

La Mediterranee is a popular resauraunt in Berkeley which, according to Berkeleyside, was one of the sites where filming for the Steve Jobs movie took place less than a month ago.

Health officials say the risk to the public is low and almost negligible for immunized people.

The measles virus can live for up to two hours on a surface or in the air where the infected person coughed or sneezed. Symptoms can develop between 7 and 21 days after exposure to the virus.

There was another measles scare on BART earlier this month. Contra Costa County public health officials reported earlier this month that a LinkedIn employee diagnosed with measles rode BART trains between Lafayette and San Francisco on Feb. 4, 5 and 6, possibly exposing 25,000 passengers.

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