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COVID-19 Digest: June 11

COVID-19 Digest: June 11

June 11, 2020 • Estimated Reading Time: 11 minutes

COVID-19 Digest

Thursday, June 11, 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: Five NY regions set for Phase III tomorrow; EU is lifting restrictions, but coordination is lacking; localities now have decision power on pool and playground openings; Apple’s Cupertino HQ will welcome some employees back next week.Confirmed Cases:

New York State: 380,892 (+736)
New York City: 208,517 (+399)
Statewide Fatalities: 24,442 (+36)

General Updates:

With more and more consecutive days of decreasing case counts and fatalities, Gov. Cuomo said that now the most important metric to watch is the daily testing rate. The state is still conducting about 50,000 tests per day, and yesterday, just 1.7 percent of those conducted in NYC came back positive. (Bloomberg Law)
Five New York regions — the Finger Lakes, Mohawk Valley, Southern Tier, North Country and Central New York — are entering Phase III tomorrow, opening indoor dining, nail salons, and other services. (NBC New York)
Infection rates are increasing in 21 states, even as many of them pushed ahead with reopening plans, and the total national case tally surpassed the two million mark. (MarketWatch)
The New York Attorney General has enlisted former US Attorney General Loretta Lynch to help probe violent clashes between the NYPD and George Floyd protesters. (New York Post) And the good news: since the citywide curfew was lifted, there have been no additional arrests of protestors. (New York Post)

One good read: Fleeing NYC amid coronavirus leaves defectors with ‘survivor’s guilt’ (New York Post)

Survey

Yesterday's results: This week, subway ridership topped 800,000 for the first time since March. When do you think you’ll take your next subway ride?

14.9%: This month
21.3%: Not until later this summer
29.7%: Not until the fall
34.2%: Not until 2021

Today’s poll: After lockdowns in prime travel season, companies like Airbnb and others in the travel industry are starting to see a surge in demand as people opt for local holiday escapes. Are you planning to travel or take a vacation later this summer?

*|SURVEY: Yes, but I'm planning on a staycation|*
*|SURVEY: Yes, but I'm staying within the tristate region|*
*|SURVEY: Yes, I'm traveling outside the tristate region|*
*|SURVEY: No|*

Find the poll results from all previous editions of this newsletter here. If you have a question you’d like to ask the broader community in this newsletter, send us your ideas and we’ll try to include them!

What You Need to Know

A Patchwork Reopening:

Countries across Europe were among the earliest to lift restrictions and reopen economies, and as many of them prepare to open their borders on Monday, officials across the continent are in a race to cobble together myriad measures to prevent a second outbreak.
But the varied process between countries, cities, and even neighborhoods has created a patchwork of ever-changing rules as Europeans juggle input from central governments, local authorities, and health regulators. (Wall Street Journal) For example:
- In the UK, households are allowed to mix in “support bubbles,” but only outdoors in parks or private gardens. (The Telegraph)
- Belgium has a “social bubble” rule that limits the number of friends that can visit you during a certain period of time. (The Guardian)
- Italy’s 100-page guide of rules says that, in restaurants, customers must wear a mask when standing but not while sitting down. Space on the sand on some of the country’s beaches must be booked in advance.
Making things more confusing is a new European Union request urging countries to open up their borders too and allow for more free travel beginning next week. (U.S. News & World Report)
The countries are equally eager to revive tourism across the continent, but the coming tourist season has prompted them to make one of two choices: to reopen widely or take a more tailored approach. (New York Times) But a maze of corridors, bubbles, and bilateral agreements could ultimately just create more confusion for the end consumer.
- For Americans, European travel will likely continue to remain off limits this summer, with a few expectations. There’s no restriction for Americans traveling to Portugal, and travel to Britain, Ireland, and Belarus is allowed with a two-week quarantine.

What to Know: Reopening:

The Department of Education sent an eight-point checklist of health and safety criteria for reopening to school administrators, but the details are still being debated. (Wall Street Journal)
Gov. Cuomo said today the state is allowing localities to open public pools and playgrounds at their discretion, but they should use their judgement to exercise caution while following state guidance. (Newsday)
Sarah Feinberg, interim president of NYC Transit, was on The Brian Lehrer Show this morning and talked about how the MTA is keeping workers and riders safe in Phase I of reopening. (WNYC)