By Caity CoyneStaff writer

An elderly Marion County wom-an’s death was the first West Virgin-ia connected to COVID-19, state health officials said Sunday in a news release.

“I ask all West Virginians to join Cathy and I in praying for the fam-ily, friends, and loved ones of this individual,” Gov. Jim Justice said in an emailed statement. “It is truly a sad day in West Virginia.”

The West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources veri-fied the case through the Marion County Health Department and United Hospital Center, the release said. The woman was 88. She was not identified.

“We extend our sincere condolenc-

es to this family,” Bill J. Crouch, cabinet secretary of DHHR, said in the statement.

As of Sunday evening, 124 West Virginians have tested positive for COVID-19 and 2,984 tested negative,

according to DHHR. Negative tests returned from commercial lab ser-vices such as LabCorp are not in-cluded in that count.

Sundale Nursing Home, in Mor-gantown, is being called “ground zero” for the coronavirus in West Virginia. There, at least 28 residents and staffers at the facility have test-ed positive for the virus, according to previous DHHR reports.

On Friday, DHHR erroneously reported that a Sundale resident died from COVID-19. The man is alive, and the mistake spurred from a miscommunication between the nursing home and DHHR.

In Kanawha County, two more employees from the Judicial Annex Building tested positive Sunday for

R E A D B R E A K I N G

N E W S O N L I N E

WEBSITE: wvgazettemail.com

TWITTER: @wvgazettemail

FACEBOOK: facebook.com/charlestongazettemail

Subscriptions: 304-348-4800

I N S I D E Detailed index on 2A

Classified 7B

Comics 3B

Crosswords 6B, 7B

Editorial 4A

Horoscope 3B

Living 4B

Sports 1B

Television 5B

Vintage WV 2A

Weather 5A

The nice weather is putting

a spring in our steps.

Charley West says ...

Gazette-MailCharleston

A PULITZER PRIZE-WINNING NEWSPAPER

G O T A T I P ?

304-348-5100

C L A S S I F I E D

304-348-4848

FINAL EDITION | $1.00 MONDAY, MARCH 30, 2020 MOSTLY SUNNY 66 | 40 DETAILS, 5A

By Brittany Shammas, Kim Bellware, Lateshia Beachum, Miriam Berger and Felicia SonmezThe Washington Post

Officials on the White House coronavirus task force warned on Sunday that “every metro area should assume they could have an outbreak equivalent to New York” and doubted the country could reopen businesses and ease so-cial-distancing restrictions by Eas-ter, as the president has suggested.

There are more than 2,200 coronavirus-related deaths and 130,000 confirmed cases in the

United States.House Speaker Nancy Pelosi,

D-Calif., sharply criticized Presi-dent Donald Trump’s handling of the pandemic, arguing that his actions have resulted in the loss of American lives.

Vice President Mike Pence said the White House task force would soon bring its recommendations to Trump on whether to ease social distancing and reopen the econo-my.

A top Italian health official said that he believes the country is at

Task force official says every metro area should prepare for outbreak like NY’s

C O R O N A V I R U S

n U.S. sanctions hinder Iran as coro-navirus explodes 2A

n Moscow orders residents to stay home as virus spreads 2A

n Linen firm loses orders, starts making medical masks 4B

n Gaming boom

hides struggle to cre-ate new hits amid isolation 5B

n Nigerian fashion tackles coronavirus with glitter, rhine-stone 5B

n Experts converge on plans for how to ease coronavirus re-strictions safely 4B

n Coronavirus crip-ples federal prison in Louisiana 6B

INSIDE:

By Caity CoyneStaff writer

AS WARM weather descended on Charleston, dozens of locals descended on Kanawha Boule-

vard, where vehicle traffic was blocked to allow more space between walkers, bikers and runners.

Zeke Allen and Rusty Henry, both of Charleston, took to walking laps both days while the weather held.

“We walk every day anyway,” Allen said. “This is nice. There’s more room — we’re definitely six feet apart now.”

Charleston Mayor Amy Shuler Goodwin announced the boulevard’s closure in a Friday news release. Goodwin said she hoped opening the street would allow people to safely get out of their homes, where many have been holed away to help slow the spread of COVID-19.

“It is important to engage in safe physical activity during this pandem-ic,” Goodwin said. “Currently, there isn’t enough space on the boulevard to push a stroller or run with a friend or keep within the [U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] guidelines for social distancing. With the weather being nice this weekend, we felt it important to give folks a place they could safely enjoy.”

People walked in wide paths around one another. Some raced bi-cycles from Brooks Street to Court Street, the entirety of the closed stretch. Kassie Riggs and Dylan Whit-field took their dogs out to get a little extra running space.

“We’ve definitely been trying to get out. Yesterday we went out to the forest,” Whitfield said, holding 3-year-old bloodhound mix Jackson on a leash. “It’s nice to have the extra space today, though. It’s such a beau-tiful day, too, we couldn’t stay in.”

Riggs is a medical student at West Virginia University. Before COVID-19, she was working at Charleston Area Medical Center. Now, she said, all the med students like her have been sent

out while staff deals with the pan-demic. She’s missing clinical hours because she’s unable to be at the hospital. She said she’s using what time she can to get more studying done. It’s still difficult, she said, to watch the health care workers she knows in dangerous situations.

‘It helps with the sanity’Charlestonians take advantage of closed road to exercise, enjoy nice weather

By K. Oanh Ha and Michael SmithThe Washington Post

Passengers on “death ship” plead for rescue as virus strikes

For passengers on a Holland America Line cruise ship, a fun-filled voyage on the luxury liner is quickly turning into a nightmare with deteriorating conditions on board and fears of a full-blown coronavirus outbreak after four travelers died and two others were infected.

“We are stuck on this death ship,” said Yadira Garza, who is on board with her newly-wed husband. “We are freaked out and terrified that we will be infected too. It’s just a matter of time if we stay on the ship.”

Passengers on the Zaandam, cur-rently off the coast of Panama, say they are desperate to get off the liner after Chile wouldn’t allow the vessel to dock. The company also said all ports on the ship’s route have also refused entry. Guests and

Passengers on ‘death ship’ plead for rescue

CHRIS DORST | Gazette-Mail photos

ABOVE: Cyclists ride on Kanawha Boulevard on Saturday, which was closed to traffic between Brooks Street and Court Street over the weekend.

RIGHT: Dawn Holland (left) and Diane Edwards, both of Charleston, walk along Kanawha Boulevard on Saturday.

By Joe SeverinoStaff writer

A Marion County woman is suing the City of Fairmont claiming a po-liceman was driving more than twice the speed limit when he crashed his marked pickup into her husband’s SUV, killing him.

Driven by Fairmont Police Officer Jakob Streyle, the police truck was traveling at least 73 mph when it smashed into Steven Santini’s Sub-aru Forester, Santini’s wife, Emily Calhoun Santini, alleges in a lawsuit.

Steven Santini was attempting to make a left turn onto Country Club Road in Fairmont on July 10, 2019, when the 2016 Dodge Ram pickup T-boned his driver’s side door, flip-ping the vehicle on its side before it crashed into a telephone pole and gas pipeline, according to the com-plaint.

Lawsuit alleges officer involved in deadly crash was speeding

MARION COUNTY

SEE LAWSUIT, 7A

SEE OUTBREAK, 7A

SEE SHIP, 7A

SEE BOULEVARD, 7A

“It is important to engage

in safe physical activity

during this pandemic. . . .

With the weather being nice

this weekend, we felt it im-

portant to give folks a place

they could safely enjoy.”

AMY GOODWINCharleston mayor

W.Va. sees first death from COVID-19

SEE W.VA., 7A