The stomach bug Norovirus has struck three Tauranga resthomes in the last month forcing them to close their doors to visitors while they deal with the outbreak.

SunLive reported on Tuesday the Bethlehem Views age care facility is under isolation from visitors while the facility eliminates the suspected outbreak – reported to public health on February 19.

Bob Owens Retirement Village is one of three resthomes in Tauranga suffering a Norovirus outbreak.

Norovirus symptoms include vomiting, stomach cramps, diarrhoea and nausea. Symptoms usually occur within 48 hours of exposure to an infected person, food or environment.

Bay of Plenty DHB medical officer of health, Neil de Wet, confirms today a total of three aged care facilities in Tauranga - Bethlehem Views, Bob Owens Retirement Village and Radius Matua - are dealing with a suspected outbreak.

It is understood Bob Owens Retirement Village, run by Ryman Healthcare Ltd, is currently recovering from a gastro outbreak with no new patients or incidents.

Radius Matua is still reporting cases a week after it discovered the outbreak and reported it to BOPDHB.

Neil is unable to confirm whether the cases are linked, but says the outbreak at all three occurred in a small timeframe.

'Sometimes it's obvious how it spreads but I don't think we have any clear indication of if it has spread between them,” says Neil.

'Often the explanation is simply that it's a virus that is seen in the community and so when it's occurring in the community, often like it occurs in someone's home, it occurs in the resthome.”

Test results are yet to come back for all three facilities. The virus typically lasts in individuals for two to three days.

Radius Matua facility manager Lia Tennant says the village first reported the outbreak to the Ministry of Health on February 21 and have been in 'semi-lockdown” ever since.

Only close family members are being allowed in to visit and strict hygiene and hand washing protocols are undertaken.

'We have just got some in our rest home and a couple in our hospital,” says Lia.

'Hand washing is the key; good, good hand washing.”

Bethlehem Views management confirmed the facility is closed to visitors and contractors, while staff work hard to clean the facility using a bleach-based product.

'All residents are being isolated in the hope this will be bought to a swift conclusion,” says management.

A Ryman Healthcare Ltd spokesperson says Bob Owens Village has had a gastro bug in recent weeks but is through the infection period now with no new cases being reported.

'We put infection control measures in place as soon as we were aware of the issue,” says the spokesperson.

'Staff and residents diligently followed these protocols and it is thanks to their efforts that cases were kept to a minimum.”

To avoid the virus, it is recommended people hand wash with soap and water directly after going to the toilet and before preparing food as it helps to stop the spread of infection. Symptoms can be relieved by drinking plenty of fluids until free of all symptoms for a minimum of 24 hours.