WHEELING, W. Va. -- Just one week after visitation restrictions were lifted at two Wheeling nursing homes, the Good Shepherd nursing home has been cordoned off after a suspected norovirus outbreak.

Officials said nine residents fell ill Sunday. Workers immediately contacted the Wheeling-Ohio County Health Department, restricted visitors throughout the entire building, and cleaned the facility with bleach.

If norovirus is confirmed, the Good Shepherd nursing home would be the third facility with an outbreak in less than a month.

Dr. William Mercer of the health department said norovirus can strike 30 to 50 percent of the population within days. Good Shepherd has 192 residents, which would mean between 58 and 96 people could fall ill. So far, only 16 people have experienced symptoms.

Mercer said the nursing home is taking precautions by closing the entire facility. Previously, Peterson Rehabilitation and Wheeling Hospital's Continuous care restricted visitation only on the floors where people were sick. More than 100 people were sickened during that outbreak.

"Restricting the whole building, I think, this is a lesson learned," Mercer said. "That might be a new guideline that we recommend to the rest of the country."

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-Renee Cardelli & John Paul, NEWS9