A refugee shelter in downtown Toronto is reporting four cases of COVID-19, a problem the organization managing the facility said extends to other shelters in the city.

Homes First Society said it was first notified about the cases at Willowdale Welcome Centre on Thursday and the organization is waiting to hear back on multiple other tests. The facility currently houses more than 200 people.

“People are very frightened, these are things that don’t make us comfortable,” said Patricia Mueller, CEO of Homes First Society, which operates other shelters in Toronto for people who are homeless or struggling with addiction.

“This is all new ground for our staff in terms of trying to educate about physical distancing.”

Mueller said staff have erected plexiglass shields at counters and have shuffled residents to different shelters to space out occupants, but it can be difficult to get people to take physical distancing rules seriously.

She added that other shelters her organization manages have also seen COVID-19 cases.

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In some of the organization’s shelters for people with addictions, she said staff can’t leave out hand sanitizer because residents will consume it.

Mueller said staff and residents have all been given personal protective equipment like surgical masks, but she said the organization will likely run out of supplies in two or three weeks.

“We are, in the shelter sector, forgotten about when it comes to personal protective equipment,” said Mueller.

“We have had some donations and for that I’m eternally grateful, but we haven’t become the cause celebre of any movie star or any famous hockey player yet.”

Still, Mueller said she is not aware of any staff having walked out or refused work out of fear of the coronavirus.