“Our staff were really shocked, severely shocked,” said Masaaki Yamada, the hospital’s administration chief, explaining that the affected workers had not necessarily been in close contact with infected patients.

“Some even said they were afraid to go home, and afraid of being seen by their neighbors,” he said. “They got family members to put the garbage out for them. Some said they would go to work when it was dark and come home when it was dark again.”

The hospital received anonymous phone calls telling employees to die or threatening to burn the place down.

Nearly nine months after the coronavirus first arrived in Japan, “korona sabetsu” (coronavirus discrimination) is proving almost as hard to eradicate as the virus itself.

Japan does not release the names of covid-19 patients out of respect for their privacy, but often identifies where clusters of infections have occurred. Hospitals, elderly care centers and universities have faced abuse on social media and by phone after outbreaks occurred, with staff …continued .
[Source: Washington Post]