Independent review says New Jersey was grossly unprepared for COVID-19 pandemic
TRENTON, N.J. -- New Jersey and the rest of the U.S. were unprepared for the COVID-19 pandemic, according to an independent report released Monday.
More than 33,000 people died from COVID in New Jersey. The report suggests lives were lost because of a lack of preparation.
"We collectively failed as a nation and as a state to be adequately prepared," said attorney Paul Zoubek.
Zoubek, a former federal prosecutor, was tasked with figuring out what went wrong and what was done well before and during the pandemic.
The 910-page report faults planning, communication and decision making in Trenton and Washington. It found state and federal governments had grossly insufficient supplies of personal protective equipment for health care workers, for example.
"The cupboard was bare," said Zoubek.
The report concluded officials did get some things right after the initial wave that devastated New Jersey.
"Some of the aggressive steps taken by New Jersey through closures and a massive vaccination effort resulted in New Jersey moving to a much lower death rate compared to other states. But the aggressive closures had a devastating and unprecedented impact on our economy," said Zoubek.
According to Zoubek, state leaders should have pushed local school districts to reopen by the fall of 2020.
Investigators also agreed with a scathing federal report that found nursing homes, including state-run veterans homes, were grossly mismanaged.
Regina Constantino's father died in the Menlo Park Veterans Home. Her mother died six months later.
"It's very sad that the Menlo Park Veterans Home could not take care of our veterans who served in our military and deserved better care. This should never, ever happen again," said Regina Constantino.
Gov. Phil Murphy said in a statement, "The report both highlights numerous examples of New Jersey's strong leadership during the crisis, and identifies gaps in preparedness and structural deficiencies that must be addressed."
The report includes hundreds of recommendations for New Jersey officials moving forward. It's meant to serve as a playbook so the state is better prepared for the next health crisis.
We asked Murphy for an interview about the report, but did not hear back.