Mass Outbreak at Nursing Facility in New Jersey, USA... 17 Bodies Found

Unprotected Infection Spread in Elderly Care Facilities Vulnerable to Infection
Governor Orders Immediate Inspection of All Facilities

Health officials are transferring patients at a long-term care facility in New Jersey where 17 bodies were found.
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy New York=Correspondent Baek Jong-min] Seventeen bodies were found at a nursing home in New Jersey, the state with the second highest number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. after New York. U.S. media are focusing on this incident as the government prepares to reopen the economy, believing that the COVID-19 infection has peaked.

On the 16th (local time), according to U.S. media including The New York Times (NYT) and CNN, 17 bodies were recently discovered in a morgue within a nursing home located in Andover, northern New Jersey.

Police who visited the scene after receiving an anonymous tip found these bodies stacked in body bags in a morgue that can only accommodate four bodies.

According to the NYT, this facility, which can house up to 700 people, has recorded 68 deaths so far, with 26 of the deceased confirmed to have COVID-19. Public broadcaster NPR reported that 100 people at this facility tested positive for COVID-19.

NPR also reported that families of the deceased were informed that their relatives were ill after being admitted to the facility but were not notified of their deaths.

U.S. long-term care facilities had banned outside visitors after a large outbreak and deaths occurred at a facility in Washington state, but this incident confirms that the fear of the virus has not subsided. Especially, the fact that the situation at this facility might not have been known externally if not for the tip reveals a gap in COVID-19 prevention measures.

Regarding this incident, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy said at a press conference held that day, "I cannot help but be outraged that bodies were piled up in a temporary morgue," and ordered the state attorney general to assess the conditions of nursing homes across New Jersey.

According to Johns Hopkins University, as of that day, New Jersey has reported 75,317 COVID-19 cases and 3,156 deaths.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.