COVID-19 Digest: March 17

COVID-19 Digest: March 17

March 17, 2020 • Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes

COVID-19 Digest

Tuesday, March 17, 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: NYS proposes paid sick leave legislation; de Blasio contemplates a shelter in place order, Cuomo pushes back; the state liquor authority announces emergency guidelines allowing restaurants to sell cocktails to-go (for which we are grateful!); tips for ordering food. 

Confirmed Cases: 

  • New York State: 1374 (+424)

  • New York City: 644 (+187)

  • Statewide Fatalities: 12 (+5)

General Updates:

  • Following a similar move in SF, NYC is exploring the possibility of issuing a “shelter in place” order within the next 48 hours. Such an order would likely require state approval, which senior Cuomo administration officials quickly made clear. (New York Times; Tweet)

  • NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson writes on how we can support workers, essential services, and businesses during the COVID-19 crisis. (Full post)

  • The High Line is now closed. (Gothamist) City recreation centers and nature centers are as well, but parks remain open. (NYC Parks)

  • Sibling rivalry at its best; this just might be the smile you need today. Gov. Cuomo goes on his brother’s CNN show and argues about who is mom’s favorite son. (New York Magazine)

  • New York is poised to pass a bill guaranteeing job protection and pay for New Yorkers who have been quarantined as a result of COVID-19; a company’s size and net income will determine the amount of paid sick leave it must provide, which may be on top of existing legal requirements. You can find details about the bill from the governor’s office. (WSJ)

What You Need to Know

NEW EMPLOYER UPDATES (for the full list, see our resource guide):

  • Casper: HQ team is mandatory WFH, and all North American retails stores are closed beginning today through March 27th.

  • CredSimple: mandatory WFH as of this week.

  • Hello Alfred: mandatory WFH for NYC HQ; limited field operations are continuing with protective accommodations made. 

  • Localize.city: all employees globally required to WFH until further notice.

  • Myriad360: mandatory WFH except for the Integration Center, which is on a staggered work schedule.

  • Pollfish: mandatory WFH in all offices until further notice.

  • Salesforce: now instituting a “hard close” of offices in North America and EMEA through at least April 15; strongly encouraging all employees globally to WFH.

  • Samsung NEXT: requiring all NYC employees to WFH and has closed the office until at least March 31st.

  • theSkimm: mandatory WFH, being assessed on an ongoing basis.

  • Transfix: moved to mandatory WFH this week; employees need approval to enter the office.

  • 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:

  • Grasshopper Bank: a resource guide for founders and investors on raising capital in this time, lowering burn, alternative funding sources, and more.

  • Hello Alfred: released a set of operational guidelines for protecting its teams while also continuing to support their residents and building partners.

  • Skopos Labs: a resource hub for tracking federal policymaking related to COVID-19, compiling legislative and regulatory activity from over 200 federal agencies.

  • Read: On Sunday, 600,000 people downloaded Zoom, “where we work, go to school, and party these days.” (New York Times)

  • Reminder: Tech:NYC’s COVID-19 resource guide is available here.

 

EVENTS:

  • New CDC guidance: recommends that organizers postpone or cancel events of 50+ individuals for the next eight weeks. (Details) And the White House discourages any gathering with 10+ people. (Axios)

  • March 18: Webinar: Managing Your Team In Times of Uncertainty. (Details)

  • March 18: Virtual: Building a Wellness Startup, featuring executives from Thrive Global, meditation.live, Bravely, and Session Together. (Details)

  • March 19: Webinar: The Resilient Enterprise: Leading Through Uncertainty and Complexity (Details)

  • March 19: Webinar: How Engineering Teams Can Thrive With or Without the Office. (Details)

  • March 19: Virtual: Women Startups & Entrepreneurs Night. (Details)

  • March 24: Virtual: Healthtech, the FDA, and What Startups Need to Know. (Details)

  • March 26: Tech:NYC Virtual Book Club: Golden Gates with Conor Doughterty. (RSVP for login instructions)

POLICY UPDATES:

  • The New York State Liquor Authority announced emergency guidance for the sale and distribution of alcohol. The guidance now allows restaurants to sell alcohol for off-premise consumption. (Eater)

  • Both houses of the New York State Legislature are scheduled to be back in session tomorrow. (Twitter; Twitter)

  • The NYS Attorney General and Governor have temporarily suspended the collection of debts owed directly to New York State, i.e. fees to state agencies, debt to state schools, etc. (Press Release)

SCHOOLS: 

  • Regional enrichment centers: NYCDOE will open approximately 100 sites across all five boroughs beginning March 23rd for children in grades 3K – 12 who need somewhere to be while parents work essential jobs. (Tweet)

  • NYC public schools: students can continue to pick up free grab-and-go breakfast and lunch outside the main entrance of any school building (not just the one they attend) from 7:30am – 1:30pm. (Tweet)

RESTAURANTS:

We’re getting lots of questions about how to make WFH more comfortable and how to support local restaurants. To that end, we’ve compiled a couple of resources being created by NYC companies. Let us know if you hear of more!

  • delivery.com Office: A food ordering solution that supports local businesses. delivery.com Office provides employees flexible credits to order from local restaurants while working from home, or gift cards for use during the entire remote period. Businesses have the option to receive all orders in one invoice at the end of the month and if your employees currently use Concur SAP for business expenses, delivery.com has an integration with that platform as well. For those interested email: [email protected]. 

  • Resy:  the reservation platform has created a list (which they will be continually updating) of local spots that are offering delivery or takeout options. Some are simply offering pickup on site, ordered via phone or text, while others are using third-party delivery services. This is one way to help support your neighborhood businesses.

  • Slice: A NYC-based company that powers independent pizzerias to take online orders on their own website, is offering $3 off for first time customers and WFH employees. Orders must be placed on Slice's app, which can be downloaded in the app store or from slicelife.com. Code: WFHPIZZA.

Additionally, in an effort to sustain operations and support families working from home, many restaurants are offering the option to pick up family style meals. And, of course, you can also consider reimbursement for restaurant gift cards and a myriad of other options. Notable: As of December 2019 there were 324,500 people employed at restaurants & bars here in NYC. More than 100,000 people in Brooklyn and Queens worked at restaurants and bars in 2019. Immigrants account for a disproportionate share of the city's restaurant workers. 92% of dishwashers, 80% of cooks, 76% of food prep workers, 61% of waiters/waitresses, and 34% of bartenders in NYC are foreign born. (h/t Center for an Urban Future)Reminder: to tip your delivery drivers & riders a little extra – if it’s in the budget – as they continue to supply the city, families, elderly, and others who rely on assistance.

When In Doubt

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