- Tech:NYC Newsletter
- Posts
- COVID-19 Digest: July 16
COVID-19 Digest: July 16
COVID-19 Digest: July 16
COVID-19 Digest
Thursday, July 16, 2020As NYC begins reopening, 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: Cuomo cracks down on crowded bars, issues three strike rule; indoor venues like malls and museums will not reopen on Monday in NYC Phase IV; High Line reopens with ticketed entry; read how Adafruit pivoted its manufacturing to make PPE in our latest Company to Watch.Confirmed Cases:
New York State: 404,775 (+769)
New York City: 220,367 (+385)
Statewide Fatalities: 25,014 (+14)
Daily NYC Infection Rate: 1.2 percent (-0.1 percent)
General Updates:
The state found that as many as 5,000 establishments in downstate New York were found not complying with social distancing measures. (Spectrum News) Any establishment that accrues three or more violations will be required to close. (CNBC)
Gov. Cuomo will announce a final decision tomorrow on whether NYC can move into Phase IV on Monday as planned. (NBC New York)
1.3 million workers filed new unemployment claims last week, bringing the total to 17.4 million workers who are continually claiming unemployment insurance. (Washington Post)
Coronavirus data on the CDC website was removed after the Trump Administration shifted information control to the Dept. of Health and Human Services. (CNBC) This rapid shift in how health professionals report coronavirus data comes as hospitals in hotspots nationwide are struggling with the rapid influx of patients. (Wall Street Journal)
One opportunity: The Transit Tech Lab’s COVID-19 Response Challenge is calling for technology solutions to help to make New York's public transportation system safer, healthier and more responsive to customer and workforce needs. Find more details about areas of interest here, sign up for the info session on July 27 here, and apply by July 30 here.One good read: All These Stories About People Fleeing Cities Are Total Nonsense (Curbed NY)
Survey
The latest results: When do you think a vaccine will be widely available?
5.8%: Before the end of 2020
40.8%: The first half of 2021
44.7%: The second half of 2021
7.3%: In 2022 or later
1.5%: Never
Today’s poll: The full Tech:NYC team is reuniting in-person this afternoon for its first (masked, outdoor, socially distanced) gathering since the outbreak began. We’re very excited to see each other outside of tiny boxes on our screens! How long has it been since you’ve seen any colleagues in-person?
*|SURVEY: In the last week|*
*|SURVEY: In the last month|*
*|SURVEY: In the last quarter or longer|*
*|SURVEY: I haven't seen them in-person since our office closed|*
Reminder: If you haven’t already, please help us get to know you better by completing our quick audience survey here. Find the poll results from all previous editions of this newsletter here.
What You Need to Know
What to Know: Reopening:
In an effort to curb sidewalk and street mingling, bars and restaurants must now only serve alcohol to patrons who also order food to-go. The order applies statewide. (Reuters) Walk-up bar service will also be prohibited; only service to seated guests in outdoor dining spaces will be permitted.
The High Line reopens today with ticketed entry. Some — like Jonathan Bowles of the Center for an Urban Future — believe it might help New Yorkers support local businesses across neighborhoods while tourism is essentially nonexistent. (NPR)
Indoor venues will not be included in NYC’s expected Phase IV reopening on Monday. (NBC New York) Malls, museums, and other similar venues will not be permitted to reopen, and no state timeline for those businesses has been announced.
The Met Museum, however, said it plans to reopen to visitors on August 29. (Gothamist) The museum will be open five days a week, Thursdays through Mondays. It will open at 25 percent capacity, and face masks are required.
Related reading:
Hazmat Suits for Air Travel Are Here (Bloomberg)
New York Day-Care Centers Show How Hard It Is to Reopen (Wall Street Journal)
In the Same Towns, Private Schools Are Reopening While Public Schools Are Not (New York Times)
What to Know: Return-to-Office:
Most Americans believe their jobs will never return to normal (New York Post)
Most office air conditioning systems don’t protect against the coronavirus. In some cases, they can actually facilitate spread. (USA Today)
Getting Your Dog Ready for Your Office Return (Bloomberg)
A security analyst on how leaders can get better at planning for risk (Altered)
One Company to Watch:
ADAFRUIT INDUSTRIES
What does your company do?
Adafruit founder and CEO Limor Fried: Adafruit is an open-source educational electronics manufacturing company right here in SoHo, NYC!Back in early March, when the outbreak hit New York, almost all of the state’s businesses were ordered to close. Adafruit wasn’t one of them. How were you able to stay open, and what have you been working on through the pandemic?
LF: The Mayor's Office and the NYC Economic Development Corporation contacted us to ask if we could help make PPE. They needed face shields, and fast! During the COVID-19 outbreak, Adafruit Industries operated as an essential service and manufacturing business under the state’s Executive Order 202.6 to define what constitutes an “essential business,” making PPE and medical device components.Are you still manufacturing PPE today — now four months later? How much is being produced every day? Is it all staying local or are you also shipping PPE out beyond New York?
LF: Thankfully, the need for face shields eventually tapered off. However, the demand for sensors, parts for medical equipment and devices has not. The orders are not as urgent as they were in April when we were hand-delivering components for fast-track FDA clearance testing, but we're still making and shipping critical components. We're well-stocked with PPE and shipping it all over the US now.Read the full interview here.
Request: please let us know as your return-to-office policies are developed and what considerations your companies are taking for developing them. Sharing this information is helpful to companies and employees across the NYC ecosystem and can be kept anonymous.
Reminder: Tech:NYC’s resource guide is now available here and contains a comprehensive list of return-to-office plans published in previous digests.
Recruit: A tech talent and job opportunities board from Tech:NYC and AlleyCorp compiles NYC tech workers looking for new roles and NYC-based tech companies hiring open positions. To contribute to the board, click here.
Events:
July 17: Virtual: The 5G Revolution and Its Impact on Telehealth and Education, with Rep. Grace Meng, Center for Connected Health Policy executive director Mei Kwong, and others. Hosted by Axios. (Details)
July 17: Virtual: Career Lunch Series, with Tesla Product Manager Brittany Keith. Hosted by thelighthouse. (Details)
July 18: Virtual: Brunchwork at Home, with Atlee Clark, Shopify Director of Partner Platform. Hosted by bruchwork. Use code TECHNY30 for 30% off. (Details)
July 21: Virtual: The New Normal: Cybersecurity in a Remote Environment, with Orrick and ClearOps. Hosted by Data Future Lab. (Details)
July 23: Virtual: Tech 25: What is the Future of Tech in NYC?, with Capsule, Foursquare, Grasshopper Bank, Via, and Sprinklr. Hosted by Crain’s New York Business. (Details)
July 23: Virtual: Digital New York Summit, with Tech:NYC’s Julie Samuels, Assembly Member Clyde Vandel, Deputy CTO Josh Breitbart, and more. Hosted by City & State. (Details)
When In Doubt
Check these sources for verified information from government agencies and public health authorities:
Was this digest forwarded to you? Sign up to receive it directly here.