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COVID-19 Digest: August 20

COVID-19 Digest: August 20

August 20, 2020 • Estimated Reading Time: 11 minutes

COVID-19 Digest

Thursday, August 20, 2020One programming note: in addition to Summer Friday tomorrow, the digest is taking a short break next week. We’ll be back the following Monday — stay safe!As 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: 1.5 million antibody tests confirm where the virus hit hardest; all New York voters can request absentee ballots over COVID-19 concerns; more NYC museums announce reopening dates; Salesforce and Lyft extend WFH to summer 2021.Confirmed Cases:

New York State: 427,803 (+601)
New York City: 231,288 (+273)
Statewide Fatalities: 25,275 (+5)
Daily NYC Infection Rate: 0.8 percent (no change)

General Updates:

NYC officials have released the results of more than 1.46 million coronavirus antibody tests, the largest number to date. (New York Times) The results reinforce data that low-income communities have been hit the hardest by the virus — in Corona, Queens, more than 50 percent of people tested were found to have antibodies — and are likely to renew conversations about whether some NYC neighborhoods may be nearing herd immunity.
Even as they were integral to the city’s pandemic response, several hundred of NYC’s emergency medical technicians and paramedics may be laid off amid citywide budget cuts. (POLITICO)
A tally of over 7,000 people at 14 spots across the city recorded the face-covering status of New Yorkers. (New York Times) Among the takeaways: those ignoring the mask rule are nearly twice as likely to be a man than a woman, and people in Flushing do not mess around.
As states across the US tackle their initial wave of coronavirus infections, New York’s curve has flattened, but that means it is facing a different kind of crisis: how to handle COVID-19 survivors with long term symptoms. (New York Post)
The rolling average of new daily cases has more than doubled since the end of July in Europe’s five largest countries, threatening a new surge across the continent. (Wall Street Journal)
Gov. Cuomo signed legislation today to allow all New York voters to request an absentee ballot due to COVID-related concerns. (NY1) Voters can begin requesting ballots today, and all ballots postmarked on or before Election Day and received within seven days after Election Day must be counted.

One good read: What you say when you stay (New York Daily News)

Survey

The latest results: As NYC records its lowest positive testing rate since the pandemic began, how does that affect your risk assessment?

58.8%: I feel less risk going out now than before
40.0%: I feel the same risk going out now than before
1.3%: I feel more risk going out now than before

Today’s poll: It’s 75 days until Election Day, and anxiety around voting looms large, as false information about mail-in voting and a struggling US Postal Service threatens the millions of ballots that will be submitted by mail due to COVID-19. Last night, several officials urged all of us to make a plan now and vote as early as possible. What’s your plan?

*|SURVEY: I plan to vote in-person during early voting|*
*|SURVEY: I plan to vote in-person on Election Day|*
*|SURVEY: I plan to vote via absentee ballot / vote-by-mail|*
*|SURVEY: I have not decided|*

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

What You Need to Know

What to Know: Reopening:

Restaurant and nightlife groups are calling on New York to release a plan for the return of indoor dining in NYC — or to explain why it has been allowed elsewhere in the state, but not in the city. (Gothamist)
The Brooklyn Museum and El Museo del Barrio will reopen to the public on Sept. 12. (New York Times) Admission at both museums will be pay-what-you-wish, and the Brooklyn Museum is encouraging visitors to buy timed-entry tickets online in advance.
According to FlatRate Moving, the number of moves it has done has increased more than 46 percent between March 15 and August 15, compared with the same period last year. (New York Times) The number of those moving outside of New York City is up 50 percent.
Buffalo Public Schools will become one of the first school districts in the state opting to begin the academic year fully remote, despite being permitted to reopen for in-person instruction. (Buffalo News) The district will reevaluate the decision and whether to transition to a hybrid model four to six weeks after the first day of school.