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Elizabeth Mayor Chris Bollwage has offered two vacant convents, as well as a sports arena, for some of the healthy residents to relocate to safety and out of potential exposure.
More than 20 percent of patients at the Grove Street center’s 102 beds have died from the complications of the virus, Bollwage said. While 58 residents remain at the facility, 12 have already tested positive along with eight staff members. Four are awaiting test results.
Bollwage asked the attorney general to investigate each of the 22 deaths at the facility since March after multiple residents’ family members said they were never notified that their loved ones were sick or hospitalized.
More than half of statewide nursing homes have been infected with the virus, and their residents account for 10 percent of its fatalities, officials said.
The New Jersey Veterans Home in Paramus has also reported deaths of more than 35 residents.
Upwards of 100 staff members and residents alike have already been tested positive or are presumed to have the virus, prompting assistance from at least 40 National Guard medics, reports say.
"The Department of Health is working on a statewide plan to assist nursing homes experiencing large outbreaks and also shortages of staff and equipment," the state's health department said.
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