MURFREESBORO – After three days and thousands of dollars in lost business, eating establishments inside the town of Murfreesboro will re-open their doors on Tuesday.

Acting under state regulations, the operational permits held by those establishments were pulled late Friday afternoon by the Hertford County Public Health Authority (HCPHA) after several rounds of testing performed on the town’s public water system revealed E. coli/fecal coliform bacteria. That move by the HCPHA was a direct result of the NC Division of Environmental Health’s definition of an “imminent hazard” that could lead to “a threat of serious adverse health effects.”

Monday’s news that the town’s water supply is free of E. coli/fecal coliform bacteria means Murfreesboro’s eateries will have their permits restored and can open for business.

An environmental specialist with HCPHA made their rounds at the town’s restaurants on Monday afternoon, advising those business owners of a checklist of items that now must be performed prior to re-opening. It was advised by HCPHA to complete that checklist Monday night. Those chores include:

Flush all pipes/faucets for at least five minutes.

Equipment with water line connections such as post-mix beverage machines, spray misters, coffee or tea urns, ice machines, glass washers, dishwashers, and other equipment with water connections must be flushed, cleaned and sanitized in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions.

Run water softeners through a regeneration cycle.

Flush drinking fountains; run continuously for five minutes.

Water filter cartridges should be replaced and canisters sanitized.

Sanitize the ice machine.

Additionally, all restaurant cooking, serving and customer utensils are to be thoroughly cleaned.