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COVID-19 Digest: July 8

COVID-19 Digest: July 8

July 08, 2020 • Estimated Reading Time: 13 minutes

COVID-19 Digest

Wednesday, July 8, 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: NYC expanding broadband access for 600,000 underserved residents; city schools plan fall reopening with mix of in-person and distance learning; Governors Island reopening July 15 at limited capacity; the MTA released return-to-work guidance for its approx. 10,000 office workers. Confirmed Cases:

New York State: 398,929 (+692)
New York City: 217,777 (+289)
Statewide Fatalities: 24,944 (+11)
Daily NYC Infection Rate: 1.2 percent (+0.1 percent)

General Updates:

The number of cases nationwide has surpassed the three million mark, with half a million of those newly reported since June 26. (New York Times) This week, the US has averaged 50,000 new cases per day.
NYC, home to the country’s largest school district, announced its reopening plan for schools. The city opted for a mix of in-person and remote instruction, but the details are complicated. (New York Times) More on that below.
In an effort to further close the city’s digital divide, Mayor de Blasio announced NYC will expand internet access to 600,000 underserved New Yorkers, one-third of whom are public housing residents. (Crain’s NY)
The US has officially notified the World Health Organization it will withdraw from the agency over Pres. Trump’s criticism of its ties to China, a move critics say will further hamper the country’s fight against the pandemic. (Wall Street Journal) The exit won’t take effect until July 2021, and Vice Pres. Biden says the US would remain if he’s elected this November.
One data thing: Tech:NYC teamed up with Apteo, a no-code analytics platform, to build a dashboard of the latest data on NYC’s economic recovery and how it’s affecting the daily lives of New Yorkers. Explore the latest trends on subway and foot traffic, business reopenings, startup funding and hiring, and more. As reopening plans evolve, we’ll keep it updated with the most up to date resources.

One reminder: Summer Bridge, an initiative to connect 35,000 NYC youth to paid work and mentorship experiences with local companies in the tech industry and beyond, is enrolling employer partners through July 20. If your company is interested in hosting a cohort of students in August, get more details here and enroll to get involved here.One funny, don’t-be-this-guy read: Tough Guy Things I Can Do Because I Don’t Wear a Face Mask (The New Yorker)

Survey

The latest results: Over the holiday weekend, more than 700,000 passengers flew for the first time since the pandemic began. When do you plan to travel by plane again?

11.5%: I’ve already traveled via plane
8.8%: In the next month
15.2%: In the fall
38.7%: Not until 2021
25.8%: Not until there is a vaccine

Today’s poll: With the city making its way through Phase III, and the rest of the state in Phase IV, hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers have come out of quarantine, returned to work, and are more willing to move around the city. To accommodate, most mass transit have resumed full service. In a more reopened NYC, what is the primary way you’re now traveling?

*|SURVEY: Car|*
*|SURVEY: Subway or bus|*
*|SURVEY: Bike or scooter|*
*|SURVEY: Walking|*

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

Reopening New York's schools:

Mayor de Blasio today announced NYC’s plans for reopening schools safely in the fall, following weeks of uncertainty and frustration from parents and teachers alike. (New York Times) The city’s school district serves 1.1 million students.
Here’s what the plan proposes:
- Students will learn five days a week, but the Mayor says a partial reopening that blends in-person and remote instruction is the only way to accommodate students in school buildings while also maintaining social distancing measures.
- Students will be placed into staggered in-person schedules of two to three days per week and learn from home the remaining days.
- Optimal class sizes will be 9 to 12 students to accommodate safety measures (typical class size in NYC schools can hover around 30 students). The smaller, more spread out classes mean school buildings will make use of cafeterias, auditoriums, gyms, and other larger spaces. Building entrance and exit layouts will also be reworked.
- Students and teachers will be required to wear face coverings, but will not be punished if they don’t.
- It will be up to schools to create clear schedules in August giving parents exact calendars for when their children should attend in person.
Dept. of Education Chancellor Richard Carranza cited a “three cohort model,” especially for NYC schools that are co-located in the same building or where overcrowding is already an issue, in which only 33 percent of a student population can be at school at once. This means most kids would receive in-person instruction two days a week, rotating into a three-day in-person week every few weeks. (NY1)
To add another layer: as announced last week, families will also be able to opt out of in-person learning for full-time remote learning. The deadline for that decision will be August 7, though if they do opt out, they’ll be able to opt back in to in-person learning on a quarterly basis. (Chalkbeat)
As if the city’s plan isn’t complicated enough, Gov. Cuomo today announced that those plans must be approved by the state to take effect:
- The city’s plan comes ahead of any state guidance on the matter, which will be released on Monday, July 13.
- The state’s 700 school districts, as well as all charter and private schools, must submit their plans for state review by July 31.
- Final decisions on those plans will come the first week of August. There is not yet any decision on if the state will take a patchwork approach — approving some districts’ plans while denying others — or issue a more global decision all districts will be subject to.
To make matters even worse, this all comes as Pres. Trump stepped up calls for in-person reopenings nationwide, slamming the CDC’s updated guidelines on schools and threatening to withhold funding to local governments that don’t do so. (Washington Post)
It goes without saying: this doesn’t make things much clearer — for anyone — but will also have enormous ripple effects for child care, working parents, and more. We’ll have more on that tomorrow.

What to Know: Reopening:

Beginning July 10, malls will be permitted to reopen in Phase IV regions so long as they have enhanced HVAC filtration systems and measures in place. (Times Union) The systems must increase the use of outdoor air, reduce air recirculation, run for longer intervals, and have frequent filter checks.
Governors Island will reopen on July 15 with limited capacity. (Gothamist) Advanced tickets are required for entry and can be reserved starting July 10 at 10am. Ferry service to the island will be limited and visitors must depart the island on their assigned return ferry time. Get more details here.
In New Jersey, Gov. Murphy will mandate wearing masks outdoors for people in public places as data shows the virus again spreading in the state. (POLITICO)
Today Long Island became the last remaining region, except NYC, to enter Phase IV. (Newsday)