Murphy to release state prisoners

Governor Phil Murphy announced this morning that he is ordering the release of low risk inmates in New Jersey’s State Prison system in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Murphy said the pandemic has impacted corrections personnel as well as inmates.

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A Role for Retired Officers as Pandemic Depletes Police Departments

State Police have said that some 10% of police officers in NJ are either self-quarantining or ill with COVID-19 on any given day; retired officers can now be hired back to help

By Kimberlee Bongard, NJSpotlight

With more than 3,000 New Jersey police either testing positive for COVID-19 or in quarantine, some police departments have been having trouble putting enough officers out to enforce stay-at-home and other orders, which people continue to violate.

State police have been reporting that as much as 10% of New Jersey’s total complement of officers are either ill with the disease or in quarantine on any given day. A State Police spokesman said that on Thursday, 623 officers had tested positive for COVID-19 and 2,712 were self-quarantining, representing nearly 10% of the state’s 34,000 police officers.

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Murphy’s April 10 COVID-19 briefing, 10:30 a.m.

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N.J. hospitals should be able to handle peak surge of coronavirus patients expected this weekend, officials say

New Jersey hospitals have been able to double the number of “critical care” beds from nearly 2,000 to 4,000 in recent weeks, state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said Thursday, adding that the state projectsthe peak number of coronavirus patients who need hospital care could hit as early as Saturday.

In the past month, New Jersey’s 71 acute-care hospitals responded to the Persichilli’s urgent call for help by adding about 60 percent more beds to the existing 23,000 beds in the state by commandeering space wherever they could find it, Kerry McKean Kelly, spokeswoman for the New Jersey Hos… Read the rest of this entry »

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Golden: Our veterans deserve better

Monmouth County Sheriff Shaun Golden is upset about the care that military veterans are getting and and the attention that the media is giving to the plight of inmates in State and County prisons compared to the sparse coverage the media is giving convalescing vets in state run homes.

“This is shameful,” Golden said of reports that the high rate of mortality at New Jersey’s veterans homes since the COVID-19 pandemic broke. “We hear more about our inmates than our veterans. Everyday I receive calls from reporters on the status of inmates and there is blanket coverage on those in the jail, yet there’s sparse coverage on our veterans.”

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N.J.’s 3 veterans homes have 58 residents with coronavirus, 14 deaths. Combat medics sent to help.

New Jersey’s veterans memorial homes have also been “severely impacted” by the still-growing coronavirus outbreak, the state’s top health official said Wednesday.

The state has three living facilities for military veterans — in Paramus, Edison, and Vineland. As of Thursday afternoon, 58 residents have tested positive for COVID-19 and 14 have died from it, state Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli said.

The Paramus home has been hit particularly hard, with 40 confirmed cases, five residents hospitalized, and 10 deaths from COVID-19, Persichilli said.She added that the homes have had “staffing is… Read the rest of this entry »

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Doctors are making life-and-death choices over coronavirus patients – it could have long-term consequences for them

Neil Shortland, University of Massachusetts Lowell

As the coronavirus spreads and demand for medical gear far outstrips the supplies, doctors in the U.S. may have to choose who among their patients lives and who dies. Doctors in Italy have already been forced to make such moral choices.

In a recent article in The New York Times, six doctors at five of the major city hospitals said they were worried they would soon have to make painful decisions regarding who should come off lifesaving ventilators.

In addition to the moral anguish of this decision, they also outlined their concern about potential lawsuits or criminal charges if they went against the wishes of a patient or family.

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Laid-off Employees Scramble for New Health Coverage in COVID-19 Pandemic

State officials, nonprofit leaders offer advice on where to turn as, with businesses shutting down, thousands lose insurance along with jobs

By Jon Hurdle, NJSpotlight

Many thousands of New Jerseyans have lost their employer-paid health insurance as businesses across the state have closed their doors in the COVID-19 pandemic, and now employees are scrambling for coverage through Obamacare or Medicaid.

State officials and nonprofit leaders offered advice on Wednesday on how to sign up for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or Medicaid, and on where to turn if you are among the estimated 500,000 people who were uninsured even before the coronavirus hit.

Some 70% of New Jersey employees get their health insurance through their employer, and so loss of a job often means loss of health coverage, said Maura Collinsgru, health care program director for New Jersey Citizen Action, a liberal advocacy group that provides direct services to low- and moderate- income people.

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Coronavirus updates: New rules for N.J. stores; at least 1,504 deaths reported. What you need to know. (April 8, 2020)

Gov. Phil Murphy on Wednesday announced new restrictions aiming at curbing the spread of the coronavirusin New Jersey, ordering all employees and shoppers at the businesses allowed to stay open to wear face coverings.

Businesses must also limit the number of customers allowed inside stores to a max of 50% of their capacity. The governor previously ordered a widespread shut down of businesses in the state, among other sweeping measures to combat the contagious pathogen. Some stores, including supermarkets, were deemed as essential and permitted to keep open.
Also on Wednesday, officials announced t… Read the rest of this entry »

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Freehold company is disinfecting emergency vehicles for free

All American Restoration, a Freehold based mold remediation and environmental cleanup company, is using its science and technology to keep Monmouth County first responders safe from COVID-19.

Last weekend the the company disinfected police cars and ambulances in Red Bank, Little Silver and Hazlet, in an effort to prevent first responders from being infected by the corona virus via surface transfer in their vehicles.

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