COVID-19 Digest: April 17

COVID-19 Digest: April 17

April 17, 2020 • Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes

COVID-19 Digest

Friday, April 17, 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: NYC testing skewed toward higher-income neighborhoods; park and public property protocol; Gov. Cuomo to order labs to prioritize testing; tips for enjoying the outdoors safely. Confirmed Cases: 

  • New York State: 229,642 (+7,358)

  • New York City: 127,352 (+4,206) 

  • Statewide Fatalities: 12,822 (+630)

General Updates:

  • During today’s daily briefing, Gov. Cuomo addressed Pres. Trump — who live-tweeted that the governor should spend “less time ‘complaining'” — saying the state’s request for ventilators and PPE from the federal government was based on projections by the president’s own staff. (New York Times)

  • According to an analysis by the New York Post of data released by the NYC Dept. of Health, more than two-thirds of the 30 ZIP codes with the highest per-capita rates of testing were found to be whiter or wealthier than than the city’s average population. (New York Post)

  • The number of newly admitted patients remains at around 2,000 per day, but the total number of hospitalizations continues to fall. ICU admissions and intubations are marginally down today as well. (Twitter) This is true both statewide and in New York City. (New York Post)

  • An iconic centerpiece of New York City’s quotidien cultural environment, Shakespeare in the Park, has cancelled its summer season. (Twitter)

  • One note of thanks: after we put out a call for tech device donations for students in need, our friends at Revivn reached out and generously donated 30 laptops to students at Metropolitan College of New York! Thank you!  

Reminder: the statewide order requiring everyone to wear a mask or face-covering in situations where social distancing is not possible (e.g., grocery stores, subway trains, ride-hail vehicles, crowded streets) goes into effect at 8:00 PM tonight.Read: (and listen!) An Instagram challenge brings out the sound of an unflappable city: How Does A New Yawker Tawk? (New York Times)

Survey

Yesterday’s results: When was the last time you travelled via public transit?

  • 1.0%: In the last week

  • 0.0%: More than a week ago

  • 5.1%: In the last month

  • 93.8%: More than a month ago

Today’s poll: Several city officials are calling on the city to open up city streets to pedestrians to allow more space for social distancing. Would you spend more time outside and use the street space if it became available?

  • *|SURVEY: Yes|*

  • *|SURVEY: No|*

What You Need to Know

Parks and greenspace:

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, here’s an update on how the pandemic is affecting NYC parks and public spaces: 

  • Due to reports of overcrowded parks and lack of space for social distancing, Speaker Corey Johnson and Council Member Carlina Rivera introduced legislation to open city streets to pedestrians and cyclists. (NYC Council)

  • While Central Park has continued providing vital outdoor space for New Yorkers, it’s also providing space for treating COVID-19 patients. Central Park’s East Meadow has been transformed into a field hospital treating more than 60 COVID-19 patients. (New York Times) New York Harbor is also doing double duty. (CNN)

  • Especially now, outdoor space is more than an amenity, but to put it in context, not all parks are made the same: in Woodside, Queens — which lies within the radius of the virus’s epicenter — 45 percent of parks haven’t received a major renovation since 1993. Overall, Queens has six parks that haven’t been renovated in over 100 years, and 31 in over 50 years. (CityLab)

  • It can be challenging to find greenspace that isn’t too crowded, but here’s one suggestion: Green-Wood Cemetery is an impressive arboretum of 7,000+ trees and has committed to keeping its gates open for people who need some fresh air. (Curbed)

  • As a precaution, the High Line is closed and has canceled all programming through at least April 30th. (High Line)

  • All NYC public pools will be closed for the season due to the pandemic. (New York Daily News) Mayor de Blasio stated that NYC beaches will not be open by the usual start date of Memorial Day, but that he does not want to make a determination for the entire summer as of yet. (New York Post)

  • City parks remain open, where socially distanced solo exercise is permitted, but team sports and similar gatherings are not. Playgrounds and dog runs are also closed. (NYC Parks)  

WORKPLACE TOOLS:

  • BKD: a resource guide for COVID-19 related tax and accounting questions, filtered by industry.

  • INK: downloadable briefs to inform media strategy for several tech industries, updated weekly.

  • Spotify: a hub of go-to sources for COVID-19 news and information, including Gov. Cuomo’s daily briefings in podcast form. 

  • 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.

POLICY:

  • Gov. Cuomo will issue an order directing all New York labs, public and private, to coordinate with the Dept. of Health to prioritize diagnostic testing as part of the effort to restart the state’s economy. (Twitter)

  • The closure of offices and move to work-from-home has created new cybersecurity challenges for many businesses. With this in mind, the New York State Department of Financial Services issued new cybersecurity guidance for regulated entities during the COVID-19 pandemic. (NYSDFS)

  • Open Society Foundations is providing $20 million to create an Immigrant Emergency Relief Program in partnership with New York City government to provide direct, one-time payments to up to 20,000 immigrant families who are excluded from the federal relief program, including undocumented people. (New York Times)

EVENTS:

  • April 21: Webinar: Ask an Expert: Coping with Unexpected Staffing Changes. Hosted by Justworks. (Details)

  • April 22: Virtual: Ethical Algorithm Design, with Michael Kearns. Hosted by Betaworks Studios. (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)

  • April 24: Virtual: COVID-19 Data Hack, with AppliedXL, The Boston Globe, and STAT News. Hosted by Newlab. (Details)

  • April 25: Virtual: brunchwork at home, with Foursquare co-founder and chairman Dennis Crowley. Hosted by brunchworks. Use code TECHNYC30 for 30% off. (Details) 

Getting outdoors responsibly:

  • What outdoor activities are safe to do during the coronavirus outbreak? (USA Today)

  • Here are some answers to questions about outdoor exercise you didn’t think to ask. (New York Times)

  • A few pointers on how to run safely amid coronavirus concerns. (Runner’s World)

  • Kids need to be able to play outside. Here are some tips for how to do it safely. (Fatherly)

  • Here are some rules for using the sidewalk during the coronavirus. (New York Times) 

Here’s a snap from our team’s happy hour last night. We hope everyone has a chance to take a breather and enjoy a moment with friends and family as we enter the weekend. To all essential workers and medical staff working around the clock to keep the rest of us safe, fed and supplied, we cheers you!

When In Doubt

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