NJ reveals independent report on COVID response

TRENTON, N.J. (PIX11) — After 15 months and 910 pages, the independent report on New Jersey's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic is complete.

Gov. Phil Murphy first announced the report in November 2022.

"When we examine the questions of why we were not better prepared for this pandemic, the answer lies in comparison with our experience with 9/11," said Paul Zoubek of Montgomery, McCracken, Walker & Rhoads, an independent law firm based in New Jersey that compiled the report.

"As the 9/11 commission established, there were total failures in intelligence that caught us off guard and unprepared. I submit the same thing happened here," Zoubek said.

The report said New Jersey—like the United States—was initially unprepared for the virus's quick spread.

"They were following the Ebola game plan," said Zoubek. "Which is they were looking at manifests of planes coming into the Port Authority airports, identifying symptomatic individuals, and quarantining those individuals."

The report said that while state leaders took swift action, the virus had already spread, and many carrying the virus were asymptomatic. 

Around 33,000 New Jerseyans lost their lives due to COVID-19.

The report calls for increased resilience in the state's long-term care facilities and nursing homes, increased investment in health equity to protect underserved communities, and an updated pandemic playbook.

"There needs to - hopefully through the work that we've done and the very talented people at OEM and DOH -  there can be an updating of the pandemic flu plan that we had talked about that was 2015, but it cannot sit on a shelf," said Zoubek.

Murphy released a statement, saying in part:

I am proud that New Jersey is the only state in the nation to have completed this type of independent and comprehensive review. 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. I know New Jersey will be better off because of this review, and my administration looks forward to working with the Legislature on its recommendations.