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COVID-19 Digest: August 13

COVID-19 Digest: August 13

August 13, 2020 • Estimated Reading Time: 11 minutes

COVID-19 Digest

Thursday, August 13, 2020As NYC’s reopening and recovery efforts continue, the digest will focus on the resources that help you make decisions about your businesses and your lives as New Yorkers.Below and in our resource guide, you’ll find the latest information on government resources for businesses, city and state reopening measures, and return-to-office preparedness plans. If this can be useful to your colleagues and network, encourage them to sign up here.Reminder: Tech:NYC is observing Summer Fridays this month. We’ll be back on Monday!

The Latest in New York

The latest: Nationwide cases are falling but so are testing efforts; Mayor de Blasio reaffirms Sept. 10 reopening of in-person learning, despite increased pushback; NJ follows NY’s lead and plans in-person learning next month; the Tech:NYC team shares things that bring us joy.Confirmed Cases:

New York State: 423,440 (+737)
New York City: 229,167 (+438)
Statewide Fatalities: 25,228 (+10)
Daily NYC Infection Rate: 1.0 percent (+0.2 percent)

General Updates:

Coronavirus cases are falling, but don’t get too comfortable — so is testing. (Axios) Nationally, the number of tests performed each day is about 17 percent lower than it was at the end of July. (Axios) The reduction is helping to clear away delays in getting results back, but the proportion of tests coming back positive is still high — normally an indication we should be doing more testing.
In vaccine news: experts say that the new vaccines may provide only temporary protection — “more like the annual influenza jab than, say, the knockout polio and measles vaccines.” (Bloomberg)
Unless federal aid for local governments comes through in the next stimulus package, Mayor de Blasio said NYC will be forced to move forward with plans to lay off 22,000 city employees on Oct. 1. (POLITICO)
Millions of Americans who normally vote in person will turn to early voting or mail-in ballots this fall. (Axios) Here’s a guide on when and how to do so in all 50 states.

One good read: I’ll Still Take Manhattan (New York Daily News)

Survey

The latest results: What have you noticed since Gov. Cuomo issued a mask mandate in mid-April?

44.1%: I am seeing more mask compliance now
27.6%: I am seeing less mask compliance now
28.3%: I am seeing the same mask compliance now

Today’s poll: When people abruptly stopped commuting after New York’s mid-March PAUSE order, it affected more than subway ridership and street traffic: podcasts lost 20 percent of their listeners. But as people slowly return to their offices, so too are podcast listeners coming back, with a 13 percent increase week-over-week. Over the course of the pandemic, how have your podcast listening habits changed?

*|SURVEY: I have listened to podcasts more often|*
*|SURVEY: I have listened to podcasts less often|*
*|SURVEY: I have listened to podcasts the same amount|*
*|SURVEY: I never listened to podcasts|*

Find the poll results from all previous editions of this newsletter here.

What You Need to Know

What to Know: Reopening:

Mayor de Blasio is sticking to his plan to reopen schools with in-person instruction beginning Sept. 10, despite principal and teacher union groups calling for a delay. The groups are asking for a slower, phased return in late Sept. (NY1) The New York Nurses Association is also asking local officials across the state for a similar delay. (NY State of Politics) But one bright spot: the mayor also announced that every school building will have a certified nurse onsite for the start of the school year. (NBC New York)
New Jersey announced it will follow New York’s lead and allow private, public K-12, and higher education schools to reopen for in-person instruction beginning in September. (Axios) But individual school districts will get to decide and will be allowed to opt for an all-remote start if they choose. (New York Times)
Because of New York’s travel advisory for those coming from high-case states, 67,000 out-of-state college students will be required to quarantine for two weeks before returning to campuses in New York. (The Journal News)
JFK Airport’s busiest terminal is testing thermal imaging technology to screen passengers departing from NYC for signs of COVID-19. (Wall Street Journal)