Tech:NYC Newsletter
Posts
COVID-19 Digest: May 28

COVID-19 Digest: May 28

May 28, 2020 • Estimated Reading Time: 16 minutes

COVID-19 Digest

Thursday, May 28, 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: New CDC guidance on returning to the office; what reopening in other metros portends for NYC; City Council pushes for more outdoor restaurant space; literary lockdown: how authors, publishers, and libraries are staying active. Confirmed Cases:

New York State: 366,733 (+1,768)
New York City: 201,051 (+1,083)
Statewide Fatalities: 23,722 (+74)

General Updates:

The U.S. has officially surpassed 100,000 coronavirus-related deaths, a toll far higher than any other nation. (New York Times)
More than 40 million people — the equivalent of one in four U.S. workers — have now filed for unemployment benefits since the pandemic began. (Washington Post)
Gov. Cuomo signed an executive order today to authorize businesses to deny entry to those not wearing a mask or face covering. (New York Daily News)
Megabus will resume service to and from NYC beginning June 1, with a limited schedule of two round-trips daily to other northeast corridor cities. Passengers will be required to wear face coverings. (New York Post)
The Boston Marathon, which was postponed to September, has now been cancelled for the year. (Boston Globe)
As many as 400,000 people may return to in-person work once New York City enters phase one of reopening. (POLITICO)

One fun thing: A barbecue place in Staten Island is turning its three-acre lot into NYC’s first modern drive-in movie theater — and you can still order from its full menu. (Staten Island Advance)

Survey

Yesterday's results: Do you think robust contact tracing will be enough to boost your confidence in ending stay-at-home orders and social isolation?

37.3%: Yes
62.7%: No

Today’s poll: New City Council legislation was introduced today to open up sidewalk and plaza space to restaurants for outdoor seating to help them more safely reopen. If the legislation passes, would you be comfortable dining outdoors at a restaurant?

*|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

Reopening U.S. cities:

As New York City inches toward reopening, officials are paying close attention to the measures its peer cities are putting in place to get up and running again safely. Here’s a snapshot of some steps they’re taking:

Restaurants and bars:
- In cities like Austin and Atlanta, restaurants have reopened under their states’ health guidelines, which share several best practices, including maximum party sizes, mandatory face masks for workers, and disposable menus. (Eater)
- In Washington D.C., restaurants are being allowed to reopen beginning tomorrow at reduced capacity. But the economic calculus is a challenge: some owners say the capacity limits don’t cover costs and they need more time to use the money from the federal PPP program. (Axios)
- Seattle and Chicago are planning to begin reopening restaurants in June, but with an approach that starts with very limited capacity caps and gradually phases fuller service in. (Chicago Sun-Times)
- San Francisco is in the most similar place to NYC — sit-down dining is still prohibited for the time being, and it’s implementing rules similar to legislation being considered in NYC that will help restaurants get free, expedited permits to take over sidewalks and streets to reopen. (Eater)
Transit:
- San Francisco released a 15-step plan for BART service, where increased service will be phased in as ridership increases. (CBS SF) But the city is worried the Bay Area will ditch public transit for cars, which they say would double commute times in the area. (CBS SF)
- Cities like Atlanta and Seattle are planning to do the same — while ridership in those places is already relatively low compared to NYC, they are continuing to run limited routes and peg increased service to increased demand. Washington D.C.’s plan is the same, and WMATA officials have said they won’t flip the switch back to normal even when cases subside. (WAMU)
- Chicago was the only major city that did not cut CTA service, but the mayor has encouraged riders to maintain social distancing when commuting and has asked employers to consider staggered shifts to prevent overcrowding. (Crain’s Chicago)
Schools:
- San Francisco schools will be back in session beginning August 17, but the protocols for how they reopen have yet to be announced. (SF Chronicle) Washington D.C. public schools are projecting reopened classrooms around the same time. (FOX 5)
- Decisions in other cities are still pending, with the focus now being on executing remote summer classes for students that need them. Some districts are even making summer classes mandatory. (Vox)
- For colleges and universities, most plans for bringing students back to campus in the fall are still slow to come in. (Washington Post) But what we do know:
  - California State University, the nation’s largest public four-year university system, has already announced in-person classes at its 23 campuses would be canceled for the fall, with almost all instruction taking place online. (New York Times) The University of California system is taking another approach, planning for a blended reopening of both online and classroom instruction for the fall. (SF Chronicle)
  - Indiana University’s 27 campuses will use a blended approach in the fall, as well. (IU)
  - Brown University president Christina Paxson is still hopeful for colleges’ fall return and has a plan for what logistics would have to be in place. (Axios)
For a deeper look at how these cities and other places across the U.S. are faring, this interactive tool provides several good insights. (New York Times)

RETURN-TO-OFFICE PLANS:

Yesterday the CDC issued new guidelines for employers and office buildings. The guidelines outline steps for employers to "create a safe and healthy workplace and protect workers and clients.” The guidance hinges on:

Creating COVID-19 workplace health and safety plans. (Tech:NYC’s resource guide has compiled several return to office plans, as well as the CDC’s interim guidance for businesses and employers.)
Checking to ensure the building is ready for employee occupancy in the wake of closures; identifying where and how workers might be exposed to COVID-19 at work; planning for both engineering and administrative controls; and educating employees and supervisors about steps they can take to protect themselves at work.

In addition to recommending that employees should wear a cloth face covering to cover their nose and mouth in all areas of the business, some notable recommendations include:

Modifying or adjusting seats, furniture, and workstations to maintain social distancing of six feet between all employees, as well as establishing policies and practices for social distancing, inclusive of:
- Prohibit handshaking, hugs, and fist bumps.
- Limit use and occupancy of elevators to maintain social distancing of at least six feet.
- Encourage the use of outdoor seating areas and social distancing for any small group activities such as lunches, breaks, and meetings.
For employees who commute to work using public transportation or ride sharing, consider:
- Offering employees incentives to use forms of transportation that minimize close contact with others, such as offering reimbursement for parking for commuting to work alone or single-occupancy rides.
- Allowing employees to shift their hours so they can commute during less busy times.
- Asking employees to wash their hands as soon as possible after their trip.
Stagger shifts, start times, and break times, as feasible, to reduce the density of employees in common areas such as screening areas, break rooms, and locker rooms.
Replace high-touch communal items, such as coffee pots, water coolers, and bulk snacks, with alternatives such as pre-packaged, single-serving items.
Install transparent shields or other physical barriers where possible to separate employees and visitors where social distancing is not an option.
Increase percentage of outdoor air (potentially as high as 100 percent depending on HVAC capabilities) into offices, as well as increasing total airflow supply to occupied spaces.
Ensure no hazards have emerged in the workplace during the period of shutdown.