• Morgantown, W.Va., nursing home workers see fear, support from community.

Reports of discrimination against health care workers at Sundale Nursing Home in Morgantown, W.Va. — the site of a major COVID-19 outbreak — prompted rebukes from officials at the nursing home and the Monongalia County Health Department over the weekend.

But now the workers are seeing an outpouring of support as donations of food and supplies roll in.

The department cited reports that Sundale employees had been turned away at local gas stations, on rideshailing apps and taxis, and for food delivery to the nursing home. The department also said the spouse of one employee had been sent home from work, and another employee’s spouse “had disinfectant wipes thrown at him at work.”

“People should not be fearful to the point of unrealistic fears of the disease,” Monongalia County health officer Dr. Lee Smith said in a press release. “Not wanting to go to work because the spouse of someone works inan environment where there is COVID-19 is not realistic.”

Sundale admissions director Donna Tennant said the reports of stigma in the community began around March 24, after the first cases at Sundale were publicly reported.

“They didn’t want our staff anywhere near them or their businesses,” Ms. Tennant said. She also noted that “there’s a lot of fear out there,” especially due to stories from harder-hit parts of the country like New York.

Since the initial incidents, the community has shifted to a more curious, less fearful footing, while still keeping its distance from Sundale employees and asking them whether they had been tested, Ms. Tennant said. This change in attitude improved morale among employees, she added.

Officials from Sundale reported no new cases of the novel coronavirus at a news conference Monday afternoon, leaving the facility with 21 cases among residents of the nursing home and eight among staff.

Seventeen of the residents testing positive are being treated at the nursing home, while three are being treated at Ruby Memorial Hospital and one at Mon Health Medical Center. Two residents, according to Ms. Tennant, are in intensive care units but are stable, and the staff testing positive are all isolated at home.

During the news conference, Sundale medical director Dr. Carl Shrader outlined a number of additional precautions the facility is taking to manage the outbreak, including the taking of all residents’ temperatures every four hours, a regular handwashing regimen and the daily cleaning of resident rooms.

Officials also addressed the reports of discrimination, saying they had heard of no new incidents and emphasizing the support Sundale has received.

“Our community has just stepped forward, and they have been so generous to us, bringing in food and supplies and making sure that even the staff that are taking care of those folks have things that they need around the clock,” Ms. Tennant said.

Examples of donations include meals from local restaurants, medical supplies from local hospitals, notes of support for the staff and toiletries for staff living in hotels instead of at home. Additionally, some homemade masks were donated, which she said staff would put on over the more clinical-looking N95 masks to appear less imposing to residents.

“Living in Morgantown, I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else,” Ms. Tennant said.

West Virginia reported its first death due to coronavirus on Sunday afternoon, an 88-year-old woman in Marion County. West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice said at a Monday afternoon news conference that there are now 126 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in West Virginia.

Mr. Justice also announced several new measures to control the spread of coronavirus in West Virginia, including the closure of state park campgrounds and a mandatory 14-day quarantine for travelers from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Louisiana, Italy and China.