Demonstrators Ask New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy To Act Faster On Loosening Nursing Home Visitation Restrictions
TRENTON, N.J. (CBSNewYork) -- The pandemic is still keeping some residents in New Jersey from seeing and hugging their loved ones living in nursing homes.
As CBS2's Dave Carlin reports, some staged a demonstration Friday to get Gov. Phil Murphy to act faster to get them inside for visits.
"COVID is no longer going to kill a vaccinated resident, but isolation can," said Bill Borelle, founder of FACE For Seniors.
FACE stands for Family Advocate Care Experience.
Borelle organized a rally in Trenton aimed at getting the governor to open up visitation at nursing homes.
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"She has declined immensely," Glen Rock resident Jennifer Park said.
Park spoke about her mother, Ruth Myhre, who is at a skilled nursing facility in Lakewood Township, where rules still deny the up-close and meaningful visits.
"We've seen her just through this window and on the phone," she said.
To them, New Jersey appears to be stalled, even though on Wednesday, the Biden administration published more lenient federal guidelines for visits.
"Follow these new recommendations from our federal government," Borelle said.
Earlier this week, Murphy said there is a roadblock. Of those who work in care facilities in New Jersey, only half have been vaccinated, and the total number of outbreaks in the facilities stands at 273.
The state health department is said to be reviewing the federal guidance.
Diane Snyder, of Hillsborough, was joined by her sister Kathleen Snyder LaFave to talk about their mother, Sandra Snyder.
"She is being kept from seeing her children and her grandchildren and hugging them," Diane Snyder said.
"I have two little kids who used to play Candyland with Grammy," Snyder LaFave said. "She lived for those visits, lived for them, and now we put our hands up against glass."
They say time is running out, and Murphy needs to act fast.
Friday's demonstration ended with a plea to all politicians that they realize loved ones are not just social visitors, they are essential caregivers.
