COVID-19 Digest: March 19

COVID-19 Digest: March 19

March 19, 2020 • Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes

COVID-19 Digest

Thursday, March 19, 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.As the nature of the pandemic evolves, so too will our community’s responses and needs. If there are other topics or resources that would be helpful in future editions of this digest, please let us know here.

The Latest in New York

The latest: City looks to hotels, Javits Center for hospital space; Gov. Cuomo’s newest fans; staying active while you’re stuck at home.Confirmed Cases: 

  • New York State: 4,152 (+1,769)

  • New York City: 2,469 (1,129)

  • Statewide Fatalities: 22 (+2)

Reminder: confirmed cases will exponentially increase as New York ramps up testing. This does not necessarily mean the virus is spreading at a different rate than it previously was. 

General Updates:

  • NYC is looking to turn large hotels and the Javits Center into hospitals and is already using hotels to quarantine people. (Wall Street Journal)

  • City Hall is asking retired and private practice doctors and nurses to step up and join NYC’s medical reserve. Yesterday, on the first day, 1,000 already volunteered. (New York Post) 500 more joined up today. (Tweet)

  • Gov. Cuomo announced 90-day mortgage relief for New Yorkers and waived fees for overdrafts, ATMs, and credit cards at state chartered banks. (Press Release)

  • Cometh the hour, cometh the man? When it comes to Gov. Cuomo and his handling of the crisis, that seems to be the sentiment around New York. Three days ago Ben Smith wrote “Andrew Cuomo Is the Control Freak We Need Right Now,” then Cuomo went on The Daily to great fanfare, and today a reporter at Jezebel penned this plea: “Help, I Think I'm In Love With Andrew Cuomo???”

 

What You Need to Know

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

  • Casebook PBC: extended mandatory WFH until at least April 23rd.

  • Chartbeat: mandatory WFH for all employees.

  • Digital Ocean: mandatory WFH for all employees; all offices are closed.

  • Eden: mandatory WFH for all employees across U.S. offices.

  • Elliptic: mandatory WFH for all employees; all offices globally are closed.

  • Fluent City: mandatory WFH for all employees; all classes have been moved online.

  • Intersection: mandatory WFH for all employees; warehouses are open and those employees are out in the field.

  • Jones: mandatory WFH for all NY employees and all Tel Aviv employees.

  • Moodbit: mandatory WFH for all employees.

  • Nomad Health: mandatory WFH for all employees.

  • 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:

  • CardFlight: released new data looking at COVID-19’s impact on business sales. The data, identified trends, and tips on what to expect in consumer spending will be updated weekly.  

  • Crisis Text Line: remains operational; if you or an employee needs mental health support, text 741741 to connect with a trained Crisis Counselor.

  • Say: offering all public companies free access to Say Connect, which includes Say’s Q&A and Polls services, to help facilitate a productive dialogue between companies and shareholders when in-person contact is limited. Reach out here if you want more details.

  • Suzy:Real-time insights from real U.S. consumers about how the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting them, as well as a sentiment tracker.

  • Tech for Learners: a new resource and product hub to support those involved in education at all levels and from all communities as they scale up capabilities for online learning.

  • Read: Digital dance raves. Streaming soundbaths. Book readings by phone. True tales of quarantined socializing. (New York Times)

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

EVENTS:

  • March 20: Virtual: The Product Roundup with Betaworks Ventures partner Matt Hartman and special guests. Hosted by Betaworks Studios. (Details)

  • March 24: Virtual: How to Ace Your Remote Pitch with Yang 2020 Senior Communications Strategist Michael Hoeppner. Hosted by NYU Data Future Lab. (Details)

  • March 24 – 25: Virtual: TICTeC 2020, a civic technology conference. (Details)

  • March 24 – 26: Virtual: Industries Forum 2020: What Does the Future of Your Industry Look Like? Hosted by SAP. (Details)

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

  • March 25: Webinar: Navigating the Remote Workplace. Hosted by Eden, Donut, Electric, and Justworks. (Details)

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

POLICY UPDATES:

  • Later today, Gov. Cuomo is expected to issue an executive order mandating a further decrease — to only 25 percent — of in-office staff at non-essential businesses. (Press Release) Note: The executive order defines essential businesses, and any business not included in the definition may apply to Empire State Development for inclusion. You can email us for more info.

  • Last night, Gov. Cuomo also issued an executive order permitting corporate boards to operate remotely, temporarily eliminating existing in-person meeting requirements. (Executive Order)

  • NYC Council Speaker Corey Johnson proposed a $12B relief plan to support workers and businesses impacted by COVID-19. (Press release)

COMPANY CULTURE: Exercise and Wellness While Remote

  • Artsy: planning to roll out a wellness challenge to help folks keep up health habits, discover WFH workouts, and keep a sense of positive community.

  • Bitly: using slack channels for different areas of interest (such as #peloton, #running, #fitness, #yoga, etc.); channels are organizing group workouts as a midday break, and in lieu of commuting, employees are taking walks at the beginning/end of each day for that amount of time.

  • Brooklyn Bridge Ventures:#plankfromhome at 4pm each weekday (except for Wednesday) with Charlie O’Donnell. Sign in daily at this link.

  • Grey Horse: compiling this Google calendar of crowdsourced workout and dance classes; being updated on an ongoing basis.

  • Oscar: developing a library of classes that their employees can access, as well as some live classes that people can sign up for.

  • Salesforce: hosting daily 8am workouts via video; videos are recorded and posted to the group for those who want to access it later.

  • Suzy: providing daily Zoom meditations; employees are sharing their favorite at-home workout classes in a “suzyathome” Slack channel.

Staying active while your'e stuck at home:

  • Cosmic Kids Yoga provides yoga, mindfulness, and relaxation videos specially designed for kids aged 3+.

  • Live Streams to log on to (they’re all free!):

  • Apps we recommend: 

    • Peloton App: 90-day free trial, with a full library of classes. $12.99/month. 

    • Daily Burn: 60-day free trial, with a full library of classes. $19.95/month.

    • Aaptiv: 30-day free trial, unlimited access to all Aaptiv classes, $99.99/year or $14.99/month.

    • NEOU: 30-day free trial, a full library of workout classes. $49/year or $14.99/month.

    • Alo Moves: 14-day free trial, access to library of yoga, fitness, and meditation classes. $20/month.

    • Barre 3: 15-day free trial, access to all barre3 workouts and collections. $29/month.

Stress relief tweet of day:

When In Doubt

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