COVID-19 Infection Totals, Deaths In Morristown Nursing Homes

MORRISTOWN, NJ - As the COVID-19, pandemic in nursing home and long-term care facilities continues to claim more lives, Gov. Phil Murphy's administration said testing of staff and residents for COVID-19 by May 26.

New Jersey Coronavirus Updates: Don't miss local and statewide announcements about new coronavirus precautions. Sign up for Patch alerts and daily newsletters.

Gov. Phil Murphy, speaking during a Tuesday news conference, said a "robust" coronavirus testing and contact tracing plan needed for reopening New Jersey's economy, he says. The plan includes testing all residents and staff at long-term care facilities. It will require all residents and staff at long-term care facilities to be tested no later than May 26, with follow-up testing happening no longer than one week later.

Previously, Murphy said the nursing home and long-term care industry have been "slow to adapt."

Spring Hills of Morristown has reported nine infections and two deaths since the outbreak. Morristown Post Acute Rehabilitation and Nursing Center has 69 infections and 12 deaths while CareOne at Madison Avenue has 128 infections and 27 deaths recorded.

Murphy said his administration has been leading reviews of long-term care facilities and enforcing measures to protect residents and staff. Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said her department has already curtailed visitation, enforced the notification of outbreaks and required people to wear masks.

The largest outbreak in Morris County remains at the Lincoln Park Care Center. The report shows 183 cases, up from 179, were logged there and out of those there were 56 deaths, up from 58.

Thanks for reading! Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Have a news tip you'd like to share? Or maybe you have a press release you would like to submit or a correction you'd like to request? Send an email to russ.crespolini@patch.com

Subscribe to your local Patch newsletter. You can also have them delivered to your phone screen by downloading, or by visiting the Google Play store.