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COVID-19 Digest: August 19

COVID-19 Digest: August 19

August 19, 2020 • Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes

COVID-19 Digest

Wednesday, August 19, 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.

The Latest in New York

The latest: NYC marks lowest positive test rate since pandemic began; New York leads the nation in testing; one in five college students intend to defer or unenroll; NYC’s teachers union pushes alternate school reopening plan.Confirmed Cases:

New York State: 427,202 (+631)
New York City: 231,015 (+273)
Statewide Fatalities: 25,270 (+6)
Daily NYC Infection Rate: 0.8 percent (-0.3 percent)

General Updates:

Some good news: NYC’s citywide percentage of positive tests is 0.24 percent, the lowest it has been since the start of the pandemic. (The Hill) Statewide, there have now been 12 consecutive days of a positivity rate below one percent.
The number of daily coronavirus tests being conducted in the US is only 52 percent of the level necessary to mitigate the spread of the virus. (New York Times) Only ten states are testing at a sufficient level, with New York topping the list with testing rates more than six times the recommended target.
The number of apartments available for rent in NYC soared to its highest levels in more than a decade, with vacancies in more than 67,000 units. (New York Times) The surge in supply has also forced rents to drop 10 percent from a year ago.
Gov. Cuomo is expected to sign legislation to expand absentee ballot eligibility for the general election in November. (NY1) It will expand the definition of “illness” to include those concerned about voting in person due to COVID-19 and would prefer to mail their ballot.
With last night’s virtual roll call of 57 states and territories, Joe Biden was officially nominated for president of the United States. (New York Times) Tonight at the DNC, Sen. Kamala Harris will officially accept the nomination for vice president. Here’s how to tune in.

One good read: Harlem is the Song of Summer (New York Magazine)

Survey

The latest results: How did you digest the opening two hours of the 2020 Convention?

37.3%: I watched it live
20.7%: I watched select clips online
17.3%: I only read summaries
24.7%: I did not watch or read anything about it

Today’s poll: Once a global epicenter of COVID-19, NYC has largely contained the spread of the virus, now boasting some of the lowest infection rates in the country. While the continuously low numbers have allowed much of the city’s reopening plans to proceed, many residents are still maintaining quarantine measures as risk factors evolve. As NYC records its lowest positive testing rate since the pandemic began, how does that affect your risk assessment?

*|SURVEY: I feel less risk going out now than before|*
*|SURVEY: I feel the same risk going out now than before|*
*|SURVEY: I feel more risk going out now than before|*

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

What You Need to Know

What to Know: Reopening:

As the pandemic pushes more universities to remote learning, 22 percent of college students across all grades are planning to defer or otherwise not enroll this fall, according to a new poll. (Axios) Most say they plan to work full-time in the interim.
Almost all of the 66 Catholic schools in Brooklyn and Queens will begin the fall semester with full-time, in-person instruction. (New York Post)
NYC’s teachers union, the United Federation of Teachers, released its own set of reopening guidelines for city schools. The plan calls for better ventilation systems, accessible PPE, and coronavirus antibody tests for every adult and student prior to the start of the school year. If a school building fails to meet their requirements, the UFT says it should revert to remote-only instruction. (NBC New York)