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COVID-19 Digest: July 30

COVID-19 Digest: July 30

July 30, 2020 • Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes

COVID-19 Digest

Thursday, July 30, 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: US reports worst GDP quarter in history; 2.7 million New Yorkers to be affected by unemployment bonus end; Americans remained barred from EU travel; Zillow allows employees to WFH indefinitely. Confirmed Cases:

New York State: 414,370 (+777)
New York City: 224,863 (+312)
Statewide Fatalities: 25,145 (+13)
Daily NYC Infection Rate: 1.0 percent (-0.1 percent)

General Updates:

The US economy reported its worst quarter on record, contracting at an annualized 32.9 percent between April and June, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. (New York Times)
The US officially recorded 150,000 coronavirus-related deaths. Concurrently, confirmed cases surpassed 4.3 million, accounting for more than a quarter of all confirmed cases worldwide. (Wall Street Journal)
As a handful of frontrunners reach final-stage clinical trials for a coronavirus vaccine, Black and Latino people account for just a small fraction of trial participants, even as they have suffered disproportionately from the spread of the virus. (Bloomberg)
The $600 unemployment benefit passed as part of the CARES Act expires tomorrow. (Business Insider) The expiration will impact 2.7 million New Yorkers. (Crain’s NY) A deal on the next federal relief package is still far off, making it likely that any extension of the benefit won’t be passed until mid-August at the earliest.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy warned that cases are on the rise again in the state, but Gov. Cuomo said today it would be virtually impossible to quarantine the state and prevent New Jersey residents from coming in and out of New York. (New York Daily News)

One good resource: A new report from the NYU Rudin Center for Transportation and Sam Schwartz Engineering analyzes how the pandemic and economic shutdown has impacted transportation and mobility systems in NYC and the surrounding region. Not surprisingly, the use of all kinds of transit have fallen precipitously. Get the findings and recommendations for a healthy recovery here.

One must read: A final essay from Congressman John Lewis, who asked it be published on the day of his funeral: Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation (New York Times)

Survey

The latest results: If HEALS Act proposals are passed into law, would they have a bearing on your personal and/or professional lives?

15.7%: Yes, it would impact my job and/or professional life
17.9%: Yes, it would impact my personal life
12.1%: Yes, it would impact both my professional and personal lives
54.3%: No, it would not have any impact

Today’s poll: As we head into August, there’s no doubt it will be a very different vacation season. Many travel plans have been upended, especially with the introduction of New York’s travel advisory that has grown to place restrictions on travelers to and from 34 states, plus DC and Puerto Rico. Are you planning to travel or take a vacation in the coming month?

*|SURVEY: Yes, but I'm planning on a staycation|*
*|SURVEY: Yes, but I'm planning on staying in the tristate area|*
*|SURVEY: Yes, I'm planning to travel outside the tristate area|*
*|SURVEY: No, I'm not planning to travel this season|*

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

What You Need to Know

What to Know: Reopening:

The EU will continue to bar American tourists from traveling to EU countries after a second review of global travel restrictions. (Bloomberg)
Time Out Market New York in DUMBO will reopen with rooftop and outdoor seating on Wednesday, August 5. (Time Out)
JetBlue is deploying ultraviolet cleaning robots at JFK Airport to clean planes in between flights. (NBC New York) Emirates is hoping to get people flying again by offering to cover medical treatment, hotel quarantine, and even passenger funerals if they catch the virus while traveling. (BBC News)
A new, high-tech collection of travel tools are hoping to get more people traveling, including “smart” health cards, temperature-reading glasses, and more. (New York Times)