A new plan is being put in place to allow people to once again visit their loved ones at long-term care facilities across New Jersey.

 

Gov. Phil Murphy and Health Commissioner Judy Persichilli explained a plan Monday during the state’s press conference to gradually reopen New Jersey's nursing homes and long-term care facilities. The plan includes a phased reopening and weekly COVID-19 testing.

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The state is also committing $155 million in state and federal funds to help facilitate the plan.

"We recognize and appreciate that contact with family, friends, and fellow residents is essential for the emotional well-being of nursing home residents," says Persichilli.

The first phase for nursing homes is to choose an essential caregiver. That person will get to visit once a week for two hours as long as the resident has tested negative or recovered from coronavirus.

The governor also announced New Jersey’s COVID-19 trends are going in the right direction after rising slightly for about a week. Murphy says the rate of transmission, which measures how many people one infected person spreads the virus to, fell below 1 to 0.98, down from about 1.5 at the start of last week.