Bethany Bump reports for the Times Union that State Department of Health spokesperson Gary Holmes said that Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin interrupted a surprise inspection at the Van Rensselaer Manor nursing home Aug. 10. McLaughlin wanted to supervise their inspection. “We don’t do that for the same reason we don’t announce we’re coming beforehand,” Holmes said. “We want to observe conditions as they are.” His obstruction led to the inspectors leaving. The federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services had requested the inspection of the Troy nursing home because of four new suspected cases of coronavirus. “I don’t want anybody roaming free throughout the building,” McLaughlin said. “You want to talk to our employees? Absolutely fine. Use a conference room.” Holmes said state health inspectors get tested weekly for COVID-19, and wear personal protective equipment while inside the facilities. “DOH surveillance teams have done more than 1,300 inspections — every single nursing home and adult care facility in the state at least once — and our teams have not encountered the type of resistance we witnessed at Van Rensselaer Manor, not once, but twice this week,” Holmes said in an email. Read more about this story in the Times Union.