Ironically some nursing homes that have actually quarantined staff and locked down totally have seen a drop in deaths from all causes. The very elderly are vulnerable to all sorts of infections, and they have never been healthier than without their near & dear relatives and their runny-nosed kids slobbering all over them, not to mention staff bringing infections to work.

So it's not strictly about how nursing homes are run with minimal staffing, though that's surely in the mix: it's also about bad procedures and a lack of awareness around the health needs of the elderly and infirm.