Seven teens on a school trip from Virginia were hospitalized after showing signs of illness that may be caused by the dreaded norovirus. FDNY confirmed that the seven people, who are all in their "early teens," were visiting NYC from out of town; they were at The Majestic Theatre in Times Square seeing a matinee performance of "The Phantom Of The Opera" when they became sick. The teens, who complained of nausea, vomiting and dizziness, were transported to St. Luke's Hospital around 3:40 p.m. this afternoon.
An FDNY spokesperson noted that it is "possibly the norovirus," but some of the teens were feeling better by the time they were transported to the hospital. In case you've (wisely) blocked out details of what the norovirus exactly is, it is the highly contagious illness that caused mass vomiting and diarrhea on a few cruise ships in recent months. It seems that the norovirus is causing serious hell down in Virginia, with at least one school being shuttered due to a suspected outbreak spreading to 230 students and faculty members.
In other words, it is entirely possible that some Virginian teens may have unwittingly unleashed the norovirus upon Times Square...or perhaps the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber is what did them in. Or it's just a coincidence that multiple kids got sick on a school trip. Either way, we should almost certainly quarantine and encase Time Square in a dome to be safe.
