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Vol. 4 – No. 33 ♦
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May 2, 2020 – May 8, 2020
THE QUIETEST OF QUARANTINES
‘Very Dire Situation’ Due to Coronavirus Described at Facility Housing Residents with Intensive Needs Worker Contends Inadequate Facilities, PPE Issues and ‘Cross Contamination’ Have Caused Spread of Deadly COVID-19 at New Lisbon Developmental Center By Douglas D. Melegari Staff Writer
For Families Mourning the Loss of a Loved One, a State Directive Placing an Emergency Ban on Open-Casket Viewings May Come as a Shock By Bill Bonvie Staff Writer
MEDFORD—One of the cruelest aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the way that close relatives of its victims have been denied the right to say good-bye to them in beleaguered hospital or nursinghome settings that are restricted to all but overburdened healthcare personnel. Henceforth, however, at least for the duration of the crisis, it won’t even be possible for bereaved families in the Garden State to view their loved ones for one last time, whether or not their deaths are a result of the Novel Coronavirus that has killed thousands of residents over the past few weeks. That new prohibition can be found in a provision of an eight-page edict regarding the handling of bodies—Executive Directive No. 20-010—issued by the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) after being signed by its commissioner, Judith Persichilli, on April 22. Its exact wording instructs that “(l) icensed mortuary practitioners, under the direction of a registered mortuary, shall not permit in-person viewings, visitations or ceremonies with an open casket containing the decedent, regardless of the decedent’s cause of death.” But unlike other orders issued by the administration of Democratic Governor Phil Murphy in an attempt to reduce the toll of the outbreak in New Jersey, which has recorded the nation’s second highest number of Coronavirus fatalities, this one has not been highly publicized. Instead, it
was simply forwarded by the New Jersey State Funeral Directors Association, Inc. (NJSFDA) to its members throughout the state. Some of them, however—but by no means all—are questioning the necessity for having their traditional manner of serving the public at times of loss disrupted to this extent, especially after already complying with a previous order from the governor to limit funeral ceremonies to no more than 10 people, including mourners, clergy and staff. “I have not seen any scientific information that (Persichilli) has presented that leads me to believe that there is any cause for alarm in having an open-casket viewing for an individual who died from any cause not related to the COVID -19,” was how one local mortician, David E. Stow of the Bradley & Stow Funeral Home in Medford, put it when contacted by this reporter. While Stow acknowledged he was required by law to abide by the edict and acknowledged that the commissioner has the authority to issue it under executive privilege during a state of emergency, he said he didn’t believe “she is acting in a fair and compassionate way” toward families that are grieving for members whose deaths are unrelated to the pandemic. He added that he hoped to find out “what the NJSFDA is doing on our behalf to express our regrets over her decision.” An even stronger objection to the directive was sounded in an April 24 Facebook posting by Anthony E. Primo, III, the owner-manager of the Constantino-
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Primo Funeral Home in neighboring Berlin, Camden County, in informing patrons of his having received it on the previous day. “This is sad, awful and unfortunate for all families who are dealing with the loss of a loved one in this harrowing time,” Primo’s message asserted. “This goes against who we are and what we do, it is not what we have been taught or how we have served families during our careers. ... We are now denying the family any way to officially say goodbye and have the closure they will desperately need.” The posting also urged members of the public to reach out to the governor and “let him know that this is too much” and to “help us stand up for these families and everyone going through a loss.” In a phone interview this past Tuesday, Primo emphasized that he did not intend his message to be in any way malicious, but rather “to let people know about what is transpiring, and that they do have a voice” in such decisions. “This isn’t a situation where you can rewind somebody’s death,” he pointed out. “You get only one chance to do this right, and I think as a funeral home, we need to do the best job we can for the client families that we serve, while trying to keep everyone safe as well.” In regard to the latter point, Primo stressed that he was not advocating open viewings of those whose deaths were due to Coronavirus, which might indeed pose a health hazard. See QUIETEST/ Page 4
WOODLAND—An employee of the New Lisbon Developmental Center, who contacted this newspaper on April 21 to sound the alarm about alleged events unfolding at the state-run facility due to an outbreak of Novel Coronavirus, described it is as a “very dire situation between both the individuals and staff all the way around” at the center, adding that she “just wanted to cry because she could lose her job” for talking to the news media, but that what is happening “has to be said” because “they need help.” The Pine Barrens Tribune reported last week that the New Lisbon Developmental Center in Woodland Township has the highest number of COVID-19 resident cases among five state-run developmental facilities; and that the number of resident and staff cases associated with the New Lisbon Developmental Center spiked from 16 cases on April 16 when a letter was sent to families, to 75 cases on April 20. Thomas Hester, a spokesman for the New Jersey Department of Human Services (NJDHS), had told this newspaper last week that he was unable to provide any color as to how the virus became so significant among residents at the New Lisbon facility. However, the employee, who requested anonymity for this story, contended that the reasons for the concentration of community s p r e a d at t he c e nt e r i nclu de “c r o s s contamination,” PPE issues, inadequate facilities being used to quarantine ill residents and the inability for many non-verbal residents to communicate that they are feeling ill. The NJDHS, after this newspaper’s published report last week detailed how there was a discrepancy between the COVID-19 statistics that the Burlington County Health Department had been releasing for Woodland Township, and the state COVID-19 statistics, which the county contended was the result of residents at the facility not having a Woodland address of record, replaced the word “residents” with “clients” on its weekly statistics report issued Monday. Additionally, the Burlington County Health Department released a statement late last .
See HOUSING/ Page 5
INDEX Here’s My Card............ 14
Local News.................... 2 Marketplace................. 15
Worship Guide............. 13
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