February 4, 2021

Morris County Republican Committee Chairwoman Laura Ali is calling on local Democrat state legislators to demand that Gov. Murphy conduct an investigation into the state policies that led to thousands of Covid-19 related deaths in nursing homes.

Ali said State Sen. Richard Cody – a former governor – and Assembly representatives Mila Jasey and John McKeon – all Democrats representing Legislative District 27 – have an obligation to their constituents to use their political influence to force Democratic Gov Murphy to investigate the Coivid-19 nursing home fiasco and to release accurate numbers on nursing home infections and deaths due to virus.

“The Murphy administration must conduct a deep and transparent investigation into the state policies that led to thousands of deaths in nursing homes,” said Ali.

“We know the New York state policy of putting infected people into nursing homes was a disaster, the scope of which is only beginning to come to light,” said Ali. “We also know that Gov. Murphy’s Covid-19 edicts were in lockstep of New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.”

The lack of transparency on Covid-19 policy coming from the Murphy administration is troubling and so is the failure of legislative Democrats to demand answers from the administration, said Ali.

“The governor isn’t listening to Republicans who are calling for accountability on the way the state handled the coronavirus spread in nursing homes. Perhaps he will listen to leaders in his own party,” added Ali.

Governor Murphy has repeatedly blocked release of information on the state’s response to Covid-19 in nursing homes. Instead of taking responsibility for the state’s nursing home fiasco, the governor blamed the nursing home industry for not being prepared, said Ali.

“The governor has played the blame game throughout the pandemic. He blamed Washington agencies; he blamed the former president. What he didn’t do was take responsibility for the way his administration handled COVID-19 infection for our most vulnerable residents,” she added.

“There are thousands of families who lost loved ones in nursing home due to Covid-19 and thousands more nursing facility staff who here infected. Those people want answers about how the state handled the coronavirus, and they have not received any answers. It’s time the legislators who are leaders in the Democratic party demanded an investigation to provide the answers.”

What little information exists on the infection and death toll in nursing homes from Covid-19 can be found on sparse state website that offers not context or totals and does not explain how the information was obtained.

https://www.state.nj.us/health/healthfacilities/documents/LTC_Facilities_Outbreaks_List.pdf
According to the site, as of January 29, 2021: 206 nursing home residents in Essex County are reported having COVID-19; 225 nursing home staff are reported having the coronavirus and 17 residents died as a result of the virus. No staff died.

The numbers for Morris County are more disturbing, showing: 373 nursing home residents reported having COVID-19; 795 staff have been infected and 23 resident deaths as a result of the coronavirus. There were no staff deaths reported.