COVID-19 Digest: May 14

COVID-19 Digest: May 14

May 14, 2020 • Estimated Reading Time: 13 minutes

COVID-19 Digest

Thursday, May 14, 2020Please share this with your networks and encourage your colleagues to sign up here. If there are other topics or resources that would be helpful in future editions of this digest, please let us know here.Tech:NYC’s resource guide includes information on government resources for businesses, new health tracking and treatment tools, and a new section with return-to-office preparedness plans and resources. It will be updated regularly.

The Latest in New York

The latest: Pres. Trump expedites $3.9 billion MTA relief; highlights from SCOTUS live premiere; no sidewalk cafe fees in City Council small biz relief bills; off-off-off Broadway, the digital resilience of theatre. Confirmed Cases: 

  • New York State: 343,051 (+2,390)

  • New York City: 188,545 (+1,295)

  • Statewide Fatalities: 22,170 (+157)

General Updates:

  • Three million more Americans filed for unemployment benefits last week, bringing the two-month tally to more than 36 million. (Axios)

  • Any New York City resident who has coronavirus symptoms is now eligible for a COVID-19 test. People who have been in close contact with a virus patient, as well as workers in nursing homes, homeless shelters, and adult care facilities are also eligible for tests regardless of symptoms. (POLITICO)

  • The New York State Dept. of Health posted online first-in-the-nation criteria for addressing the rare inflammation syndrome linked to the coronavirus being found in young children. Officials are investigating 108 cases, and 16 other states have also reported incidents of the illness. (Fox News)

  • New York State announced the latest round of projects for the COVID-19 Technology SWAT Teams, a partnership between the state and leading tech companies aiding New York’s crisis response. (NYS)

  • Central New York has met the seven metrics to begin Phase 1 reopening. Now five of ten regions statewide will restart non-essential construction, manufacturing, and some curbside retail pickup beginning tomorrow. (NY State of Politics) 

  • Traffic is up in the city as people choose to drive and hail rides over taking the subway. (NY1)

  • Pres. Trump is expediting $3.9 billion in relief funding for the MTA, with the first $500 million installment delivered today. (PIX 11)

One fun thing: For the New Yorkers who miss the city, even as they’re in it: a new hub of music and podcasts curated to celebrate NYC’s unique culture. (Spotify)One other thing: Who is Andrew Cuomo's sign-language interpreter? Meet Arkady Belozovsky, an RIT grad (Democrat & Chronicle)

Survey

Yesterday's results: When you are willing to fly again, what will it be for?

  • 8.6%: Business

  • 32.3%: To visit family

  • 32.8%: Vacation or leisure

  • 26.3%: I can’t even imagine flying right now

Today’s poll: Yesterday, the Supreme Court wrapped a two-week session of oral arguments via teleconference, and for the first time in its history, the audio was broadcast live to the public. Did you tune in for any part of it?

  • *|SURVEY: Yes|*

  • *|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

Remote SCOTUS:

  • Last week, the Supreme Court began hearing arguments via teleconference — and broadcasting the audio live — both adjustments made necessary by the pandemic for the first time in the court’s 230-year history. (AP)

  • But why stream it live? With media outlets and others unable to grab a rare seat in the chamber in person, the court needed another solution. And given how easy it is to transmit sound, there’s no longer any rationale for barring the public from tuning in too. (The Atlantic)

  • The justices have heard arguments in eight cases over the two-week period. (CBS News) Here are a few highlights:

    • U.S. Patent and Trademark Office v. Booking.com: tests whether a business can trademark a generic name by adding .com to the end of it. (Quartz)

    • Barr v. American Association of Political Consultants Inc.: tests whether banning robocalls violates the First Amendment’s free speech clause. (Marketplace)

    • Donald J. Trump v. Cyrus Vance: was consolidated with two other cases where Trump is the plaintiff over subpoenas for his tax returns and other financial documents. (TIME)

    • Chiafalo v. Washington and Colorado Department of State v. Baca: involves “faithless electors” — whether states can punish or remove Electoral College delegates that fail to vote for the presidential candidate they were pledged to support. (CNN) Bonus: the Frodo Baggins reference. (New York Post)

  • For a full list of summaries on all the cases — and to listen back to all the oral arguments — click here. (NPR) And, of course, SCOTUSblog is always a trusty source of the most up-to-date information. (SCOTUSblog)

  • While oral arguments have adapted to a new technological normal, opinion announcements will still be released old school, not broadcasted live. They will be made available online at 10am each morning on specified dates. (CNN)

  • As we round out the session, the court’s new digital format has been executed practically glitch-free. (Wall Street Journal) Well, almost — don’t miss this investigation on the flush heard around the country. (Slate) 

RETURN-TO-OFFICE PLANS:

As New York plans its reopening, so too are companies forming their return-to-office strategies. In addition to following federal guidelines, here is some related reading to inform your company’s current plans:

  • How the Coronavirus Could Impact NYC’s Newly Built Office Space (Commercial Observer)

  • Companies Explore Suburbs as Social Distancing Complicates Return to NYC (Reuters)

  • With NYC office still closed, some companies consider downsizing — or heading for the suburbs (MarketWatch)

  • The VP of Workplace from Facebook described how this moment has accelerated workplace transformation and the way we do business (UC Today)

Request: please let us know as your return-to-office policies are developed and what considerations your companies are taking for developing them. Sharing this information is helpful to companies and employees across the NYC ecosystem and can be kept anonymous.

Reminder: Tech:NYC’s resource guide is now available here and contains a comprehensive list of return-to-office plans published in previous digests.

Recruit: A tech talent and job opportunities board from Tech:NYC and AlleyCorp compiles NYC tech workers looking for new roles and NYC-based tech companies hiring open positions. To contribute to the board, click here.

POLICY:

  • A bipartisan coalition of 11 State Senators, representing oceanfront districts, are urging the governor to develop a strategy for reopening beaches safely and managing a surge of beach-goers following isolation. (Newsday)

  • New York City is extending home isolation periods for residents with possible or confirmed COVID-19 cases, advising 10 days at-home following symptom onset. (NYC Health Dept.)

  • In addition to the commission cap bill, the New York City Council yesterday passed further relief measures for small business owners including a bill to protect business owners’ personal assets in the case of a commercial lease violation, a bill to cancel fees for sidewalk cafes, and a bill to protect tenants from commercial landlord harassment. (Gothamist)

EVENTS:

  • May 19: Virtual: Facebook’s Libra: Where Is It Now?. Hosted by Future\Perfect Ventures and LMHQ. (Details)

  • May 19: Virtual: Streets, Sidewalks, and Public Space in a COVID-19 City, with Vishaan Chakrabarti, Mara Gay, Ben Kabak, and more. Hosted by the Downtown Brooklyn Partnership. (Details)

  • May 19: Virtual: Learn more about how you can use your coding skills to close the Computer Science Education Gap with TEALS, with a panel of NYC Metro TEALS volunteers. (Details)

  • May 19: Virtual: How the Tech Industry Can Help Drive Economic Recovery, with Tech:NYC and Accenture. Hosted by Tech Up For Women. (Details)

  • May 21: Virtual: CAMERA and Autonocats On Cars Getting Cocktails, with former General Motors CEO Rick Wagoner. Hosted by CARMERA. (Details)

Off-off-off-off ... online Broadway:

  • The Broadway adaptation of Frozen said today it won’t reopen once the pandemic ceases, making it the first production to be felled by the shutdown. (New York Times)

  • Broadway veteran Joel Grey reflects on how — while the live streamed performances and group chats have been comforting — there’s something missing when we can’t be in a live theater. (New York Times)

  • But when will anyone want to be in a dark room full of strangers again? (The Atlantic)

  • From the Public Theater: an on-demand stream of What do We Need to Talk About?, an update to Richard Nelson’s Rhinebeck Panorama. (Fun fact: the first play of which debuted on the day Andrew Cuomo was elected governor.) (Details) And on June 1, We Are One Public, a star-studded virtual benefit to support the Public Theater, is streaming for free for all. (Details)

  • Play At Home brings together theatre companies across the world to present a series of short (and family-friendly!) plays specifically commissioned for this moment in time. (Play At Home)

  • John Leguizamo’s one-man Broadway play, Latin History for Morons, is streaming on Netflix. (Netflix)

  • One uplifting thing: over 700 costume designers and seamsters have teamed up on the Broadway Relief Project to make surgical masks and gowns for NYC’s public hospitals. (Vogue)

When In Doubt

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

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