COVID-19 Digest: March 10

COVID-19 Digest: March 10

March 10, 2020 • Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes

COVID-19 Digest

Tuesday, March 10, 2020Tech:NYC’s COVID-19 resource guide is available here. It’s updated daily with the latest info from across the NYC tech sector.Email us at [email protected] with anything you’d like to see included in an upcoming email or with other feedback. Please share this with your networks and encourage your colleagues to sign up here.

The Latest in New York

The latest: Gov. Cuomo deploys the National Guard; we roundup workplace tools; and how to talk to your kids about COVID-19.Confirmed Cases: 

  • New York State: 173

  • New York City: 36

General Updates:

  • NJ declared a state of emergency and announced its first COVID-19 death. (New York Post; CNBC)

  • NYC gives notice that businesses with fewer than 100 employees that are negatively impacted by COVID-19 could be eligible for an interest-free loan up to $75,000. (Crain’s) The City also has a survey online for small businesses to fill out as it formulates its assistance programs, which you can find here.

  • Gov. Cuomo deployed the National Guard to New Rochelle, which is home to 108 COVID-19 cases out of the 173 confirmed statewide. The state also created a 1-mile “containment center” there. (CNBC) The NYT reported on the first known NY case from New Rochelle, and what we can learn from it. (New York Times)

  • Former Mayor Mike Bloomberg today announced the Coronavirus Local Response Initiative, which will provide cities with coaching, technical assistance, and information. (Axios)

What You Need to Know

EMPLOYER UPDATES:

  • Airbnb: asking all employees to work from home.

  • Amper: encouraging employees to work from home until further notice.

  • Asana: preparing all employees to work from home.

  • Bitly: offices remain open; providing the option to work from home; postponing or canceling non-essential business travel; and prohibiting outside visitors at Bitly offices. 

  • Cross River Bank: asking employees to work from home and cancelling or postponing upcoming events.

  • Digital Currency Group: allowing employees to work from home if they wish to do so.

  • Frame.io: mandatory work from home beginning Thursday, March 12.

  • Fundera: asking all employees to work remotely beginning Wednesday, March 11.

  • Glitch: asking all employees to work from home.

  • Google: restricting external visitors to the NYC office and asking employees to work from home.

  • Grammarly: requiring New York, SF, and Vancouver employees to work from home; encouraging Kyiv employees to work from home.

  • Harry’s: giving option to work from home and prohibiting outside visitors.

  • Nautilus Labs: giving option to work from home through the end of March; encouraging employees to work from home if employee’s school district closes; mandatory work from home for anyone feeling ill; mandatory work from home for anyone who has traveled to a high-risk area and/or potentially exposed to a confirmed case; mandatory work from home for all employees if NYC DOE closes schools.

  • Oden Technologies: giving option to work from home, limiting visitors to essential personnel (no on-site interviews) and limiting travel to essential only.

  • Oso: requiring all employees to work from home until further notice.

  • Postmates: creating fund to cover couriers’ doctors appointments and medical expenses.

  • THINX: asking employees in high-risk areas or considered a part of a vulnerable population to work from home.

  • Unqork: asking all employees to work from home and all interviews are being rescheduled to occur virtually.

  • Request: please let us know if you are instituting mandatory, optional, or other work-from-home policies. Sharing this information is helpful to companies and employees across the NYC ecosystem and can be kept anonymous. 

WORKPLACE TOOLS:

EVENTS:

  • March 19: Digital NY Summit: currently proceeding as planned (Website)

  • March 31: 2020 CS Fair: currently proceeding as planned (Website)

  • March 31: Columbia University Data Science Day: currently proceeding as planned (Website)

  • Postponed: Speaker Corey Johnson’s State of the City speech (Statement)

  • Postponed: ABNY’s Get Out the Count 2020 Census benefit (Website)

  • Rescheduled: NYS Department of Financial Services’ Financial Innovation and Inclusion Symposium is now on October 16 (Website)

  • Postponed: Personal Democracy Forum 2020

  • Postponed: Data & Society: pausing all public-inclusive events through the end of March (Website)

POLICY UPDATES:

  • New York State Budget Changes: The NYS Legislature and Governor are in the process of negotiating the state budget, and there has already been concern about a $6 billion shortfall. Earlier today, in light of COVID-19 and fears of an economic downturn, Gov. Cuomo sent an urgent request to the state comptroller to reconduct revenue projections and economic growth forecasts.

TESTING:

  • Like with many things, data is king. An interesting story on New York’s “disease detectives,” who are “epidemiologists who come from a variety of different fields, from biostatistics to veterinary medicine.” (WSJ) 

SCHOOLS: 

  • Barnard: classes were suspended today and will shift to remote for the remainder of the week. (University notice)

  • Columbia: classes will be taught virtually for the remainder of the week, and will continue to be taught remotely the week after spring break. (University notice) 

  • Juilliard: in-person classes and activities are suspended through March 29. (University notice)

  • The New School: classes will be taught remotely beginning Wednesday. (University notice)

  • New York Institute of Technology (NYIT): In-person classes will be suspended from Wednesday, March 11, through Friday, March 13. Classes will resume Monday, March 23. (University notice)

  • NYU: all classes will be conducted remotely starting Wednesday. Spring Break will commence as planned the following week, and classes will remain remote the week of March 23/27. (University notice)

  • Additional closures, including high schools and other NYS counties. (NBC) 

TALKING TO YOUR KIDS ABOUT COVID-19:

  • How to talk to your kids about Coronavirus (PBS) (featuring Daniel Tiger!)

  • Talking to children about COVID-19 (NASP)

  • Talking to kids about the Coronavirus (Child Mind Institute)

  • Just for kids: a comic exploring the new Coronavirus (NPR)

  • Coronavirus (Brainpop)

When In Doubt

Check these sources for verified information from government agencies and public health authorities: