Tech:NYC Newsletter
Posts
COVID-19 Digest: September 25

COVID-19 Digest: September 25

September 25, 2020 • Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes

COVID-19 Digest

Friday, September 25, 2020As NYC’s reopening and recovery efforts continue, the digest will focus on the resources that help you make decisions about your businesses and your lives as New Yorkers.Below and in our resource guide, you’ll find the latest information on government resources for businesses, city and state reopening measures, and return-to-office preparedness plans. If this can be useful to your colleagues and network, encourage them to sign up here.

The Latest in New York

The latest: Some Brooklyn and Queens neighborhoods may have isolated shut downs if cases continue to rise; Open Restaurants program to be permanent year-round; restaurant rent moratorium extended thru March 2021; have a fantastic first weekend of fall and we wish an easy fast to all observing Yom Kippur.Confirmed Cases:

New York State: 453,755 (+908)
New York City: 241,882 (+371)
Statewide Fatalities: 25,446 (+7)
Daily NYC Infection Rate: 1.0 percent (-0.1 percent)

General Updates:

The US has surpassed seven million total COVID-19 cases. (New York Times) California leads the pack with more than 800,000 cases reported, but as the most populous state in the country, it has had far fewer cases per capita than states like Florida and Louisiana.
Young people accounted for 20 percent of all COVID-19 cases in the US between June and August. (Axios) People in their 20s are less vulnerable to serious illness, but likely contributed to more community spread over the summer. Child morbidity also remains low, accounting for about 100 out of the 200,000 death toll. (Washington Post)
The city’s health department warned that if rising infection trends continue in certain Brooklyn and Queens neighborhoods through Sept. 28, the city could order private schools and non-essential businesses to shut down in those areas. (New York Daily News) More inspectors are being sent to those neighborhoods over the weekend, where infection rates are climbing as high as six percent.
Eleven experts weigh in on how the pandemic finally ends — a vaccine (or hopefully several) by early 2021, a steady decline in cases by next fall, and back to normal in a few years. (POLITICO)
And ICYMI: here’s a good roundup of everything you need to know about COVID-19 testing heading into the fall. (h/t Maxwell Young)

One good read: From Michael Samuelian, the founding director of Cornell Tech’s Urban Tech Hub: How a more inclusive innovation economy can point the way forward (New York Daily News)

One fun read: A virtual tour looks at the battles and innovations behind Times Square, Grand Central, and the laws that built the city. (New York Times)

Survey

The latest results: New York State announced today it will establish its own review process for a potential COVID-19 vaccine, including how the state plans to distribute doses. This comes after a recent poll revealed a majority of Americans wouldn’t get a “first-generation” vaccine as soon as it’s available. What do you plan to do when a vaccine comes out?

31.5%: I will get it as soon as possible
41.3%: I will wait to get it until a majority of others take it first
21.7%: I will wait until a second iteration of the vaccine is available
5.6%: I do not plan on ever getting the COVID-19 vaccine

Today’s poll: It’s the first official weekend of fall, and even the pandemic can’t change that it’s still the time of falling leaves and light sweaters. There’s no shortage of things to do this season, even with some COVID-19 restrictions still in place. What’s your favorite way to usher in autumn in New York?

*|SURVEY: Apple picking, hay rides, and corn mazes|*
*|SURVEY: Haunted houses, pumpkin carving, and Halloween candy|*
*|SURVEY: More Netflix and more (mulled) wine|*
*|SURVEY: All of the above|*

Find the poll results from all previous editions of this newsletter here.

What You Need to Know

What to Know: Reopening:

Mayor de Blasio said today the Open Restaurants outdoor dining program will become permanent year-round. (New York Times) The expansion will also be done in conjunction with the Open Streets initiative, through which 87 streets citywide have been reallocated for restaurant seating. (Crain’s NY) Tent enclosures and electric heaters will be permitted on sidewalks and roadways as we head into the colder months.
The Open Restaurants expansion comes as the NYC Council voted to extend a measure that protects restaurants owners who haven’t been able to pay rent until March 31, 2021. (Eater NY) The measure was initially set to expire at the end of this month, but a new survey showed almost 90 percent of establishments were not able to pay their full rent in August.
New York has expanded its COVID-19 airport screening protocols to travelers coming from Europe. (New York Post) The move comes after the CDC rolled back its own screenings earlier this month, arguing their symptom and temperature checks of incoming travelers were ineffective in identifying virus risk.
The Pac-12 is joining other major college sports leagues in resuming play later this fall. (New York Times) The decision is a reversal of its plan to postpone games until 2021, citing confidence in mandatory testing and other measures to keep the risk of transmission low.