New Jersey Republican lawmakers conducted a hearing on Gov. Phil Murphy’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, questioning his administration’s handling of the virus in nursing homes.

The committee met for the first time remotely on Friday, with testimony set to be given by doctors, nurses, nursing home operators, veterans homes residents and others.

Lawmakers focused in part on New Jersey’s March 31, 2020, health department directive requiring nursing homes not to turn away COVID-19 positive patients. The policy made headlines because of news that New York released 9,000 previously unknown virus patients into facilities under a similar policy.

A spokesperson for the Murphy administration issued a statement about the hearing, that said in part, "These so-called ‘hearings’, featuring only Republican members, are a nakedly political election-year stunt. The same legislators who are now politicizing the tragic losses in our long-term care facilities repeatedly voted against legislation that would have mandated safe staffing ratios at these same facilities -- siding with powerful industry lobbyists and against our vulnerable seniors...the Murphy Administration will continue to work with our partners in the Legislature to protect the health and safety of all New Jerseyans."