COVID-19 Digest: April 16

COVID-19 Digest: April 16

April 16, 2020 • Estimated Reading Time: 12 minutes

COVID-19 Digest

Thursday, April 16, 2020Please share this with your networks and encourage your colleagues to sign up here. If there are other topics or resources that would be helpful in future editions of this digest, please let us know here.One note: we’re revamping Tech:NYC’s COVID-19 resource guide to include more updated and organized tools. We look forward to bringing it to you in a new form next week.

The Latest in New York

The latest: New York on PAUSE extended to mid-May; small business loan money is all used up; the MTA is hurting badly; tech & tonic – our happy hour concoctions.  Confirmed Cases: 

  • New York State: 222,284 (+8,505)

  • New York City: 123,145 (+4,844)

  • Statewide Fatalities: 12,192 (+606)

General Updates:

  • In coordination with other states in the region, Gov. Cuomo extended the “New York on PAUSE” shutdown order through May 15. The decision applies to schools in addition to non-essential businesses. (CNBC)

  • As a part of Gov. Cuomo’s recent executive order, face masks or coverings will be mandatory on all MTA transit beginning tomorrow at 8pm. (New York Post) The rule also extends to riders using private carriers and for-hire vehicles like Uber and Lyft. (Twitter)

  • In under two weeks since the stimulus package was approved, the $349 billion earmarked for small business loans has been exhausted while new relief proposals remain in congressional stalemate. (Axios)

  • Roughly 30 people congregated outside the State Capitol building in Albany to protest stay-at-home orders, following similar protests in Michigan and North Carolina yesterday. (Fox Business)

  • Today is another milestone in declining hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and intubations, as well as the lowest day-over-day fatality count in ten days. (Twitter) The rate of viral spread is also down to less than one new infection for every existing one. (Bloomberg)

Survey

Yesterday’s results: Yesterday was Tax Day, but due to COVID-19, the filing deadline has been extended to July 15, for both federal and New York state taxes. What is the status of your filing?

  • 46.4%: I filed by the original deadline.

  • 53.6%: I have not filed yet.

Today’s poll: As we approach the one-month mark of New York’s PAUSE order — while many of us have been WFH for even longer — mass transit systems have cut 25 percent of their service and ridership is down 92 percent. When was the last time you travelled via public transit?

  • *|SURVEY: In the last week|*

  • *|SURVEY: More than a week ago|*

  • *|SURVEY: In the last month|*

  • *|SURVEY: More than a month ago|*

What You Need to Know

Mass transit woes:

Every day this week we’re featuring a different government service and providing resources for you to learn about the changes underway due to the pandemic. For today, we’re rounding up the toll public transit has taken due to the pandemic:

  • Earlier today, the MTA issued an emergency request for $3.9 billion in federal aid. As a part of this request, the MTA also released new analysis detailing the full, expected impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the system—a whopping $8.5 billion loss. The analysis shows a worsening drop in toll and farebox revenue, and large unplanned growth in costs to ensure customer and employee health. (MTA) 

  • Subway ridership is down a staggering 92 percent due to the pandemic. (Brooklyn Daily Eagle) While this is a good sign that New Yorkers are following stay-at-home orders, it will have a significant financial toll on the MTA.

  • The MTA has already secured $4 billion in relief funding from the federal CARES Act package. (New York Times) But executives have warned the agency will need more. (New York Post)

  • Thousands of calls are coming in to the internal employee hotline, forcing the agency to hire 200 additional operators to respond to coronavirus concerns of subway and bus workers. (THE CITY) 

  • More than 50 public transit employees have died from COVID-19 and related complications, and the MTA has agreed to give their families a $500,000 benefit each. (New York Post)

  • Metro-North, Long Island Rail Road, and NYC Ferry service are all running on limited schedules, and biking is the only way of getting around that has seen a surge in activity, with a 67 percent uptick in Citi Bike use. (Curbed)

  • For subways and busses, the MTA is running its essential service plan, with service on most lines changed or limited. Updates to service are posted here. (MTA) 

WORKPLACE TOOLS:

  • Miso: an Ask Me Anything Q&A engine drawn from the latest research papers on COVID-19.

  • PowerToFly: launched a mentorship program for women looking to grow their tech careers during this time. 

  • Volunteer request: Braven, a nonprofit that empowers first-generation, underrepresented college students towards college graduation and a strong first job, is looking for one-time volunteers to serve as virtual Mock Interviewers to conduct 1:1 interviews with CUNY Lehman College students. The time commitment is 2.5 hrs, including training. Learn more and sign up here, and reach out with questions here.

  • Request: please let us know as your work-from-home policies are extended or what plans your companies have as they are reassessed. Sharing this information is helpful to companies and employees across the NYC ecosystem and can be kept anonymous.

  • Read: A story of generosity: Michael Che of SNL Wants to Pay Rent for 160 NYC Families (New York Times)

POLICY:

  • The New York State Dept. of Labor reported the largest drop in private sector jobs since 2009 as the state’s unemployment rate rose to 4.5 percent. (NY State of Politics) Jobless claims currently stand at 1.2 million across the state. (Crain’s NY)

  • Mayor de Blasio released his budget proposal, which includes $6 billion in budget cuts over ongoing coronavirus concerns. (New York Post)

  • The mayor also announced outdoor pools will be closed this summer, and beaches are likely to remain closed as well. (POLITICO)

  • The city will provide 11,000 free hotel rooms for people who need to self-isolate when sick but can't because they live in crowded, multigenerational homes. (Twitter)

EVENTS:

  • April 17: Virtual: Updated Information about Disaster Relief Loans, with U.S. Small Business Administration. Hosted by Greater New York Chamber of Commerce. (Details)

  • April 17: Virtual: Housing in the COVID-19 Crisis and Beyond: Challenges and Opportunities. Hosted by Rhino. (Details)

  • April 17: Virtual: Weekly Career Lunch Series, with Slack. Hosted by thelighthouse. (Details)

  • April 17: Virtual: Learn NYC Open Data Workshop, hosted by BetaNYC. (Details)

  • April 23: Virtual: The Power of Mentoring During Times of Crisis. Hosted by PowerToFly. (Details)

  • April 23: Virtual: Flex Office in a Post COVID-19 World, with Industrious, Convene, and Knotel. Hosted by Savills. (Details)

Happy hour:Today’s digest is coming to you a bit early because Tech:NYC has a team happy hour on the books. Here’s a peek at our provisions of choice:

  • Julie: A dry dirty vodka martini, with Hangar One vodka, extra dirty, extra olives. Served ice cold and up. A classic and really the only drink one needs in life.

  • Sarah: Leon & Son just sent me a box of three wines from the cellars of/supporting New York restaurants unable to serve customers during this time. They’re all roses, and I’m inclined to open one from the Agrafa Mountain Range, which is in the southwest corner of Greece. Apparently, during 400 years of Ottoman rule, this region was the only that remained autonomous; its harrowing landscape and fiercely independent spirit of locals rendered it unnavigable. Feels appropriate for this moment. Plus it is sparkling.

  • Zach: It is still Passover for a few more hours, and while I await the end of the holiday and a (solitary) pizza party, I will be drinking slivovitz. Slivovitz is an Eastern European plum brandy that is a cultural tradition for many Ashkenazi Jews, and...it tastes like jet fuel. That being said I enjoy the spirit and the tradition it embodies. Max Falkowitz at Serious Eats has rightfully noted that slivovitz represents an ethic that “we're all in this together, for better and for worse.”

  • Tyler: I’m a staunch Malbec devotee, but isolation has made some springtime rituals feel all the more important. Hence: the Aperol Spritz. It’s a classic, simple recipe, but I sub the Aperol for Campari, its sister apéritif, and it’s equally great with either an olive or orange slice as garnish.

  • Bryan: I love a classic old fashioned but wanted to add a new spin to it by infusing it with another beloved drink, shaded yabukita houjicha from 29B, my favorite local tea shop. Houjicha is a unique Japanese green tea that’s roasted over charcoal and it’s caramel-like nutty flavor is a wonderful pair with my Iwai Japanese whisky. 

Our friends at Bergamo’s, the new lounge and bar at Company, are lending a hand: send them the ingredients you have on hand, and they’ll share back a delicious cocktail/mocktails recipe for you to make. If you have a happy hour tonight, send pics of what you make and we’ll share our favorites in tomorrow’s digest!

When In Doubt

Check these sources for verified information from government agencies and public health authorities: