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COVID-19 Digest: September 29

COVID-19 Digest: September 29

September 29, 2020 • Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes

COVID-19 Digest

Tuesday, September 29, 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: Climbing COVID cases could cause city schools to close again; House Dems propose $2.2 trillion new pandemic relief; 300,000 NYC elementary school students return for in-person learning; new data shows 10 percent of Manhattan’s workers have returned to offices; check out the first episode of our podcast, Talk:NYC, with Fred Wilson! Confirmed Cases:

New York State: 457,649 (+1,189)
New York City: 243,595 (+523)
Statewide Fatalities: 25,470 (+2)
Daily NYC Infection Rate: 1.3 percent (-0.3 percent)

General Updates:

More than one million people worldwide have now died from coronavirus. (New York Times) More than 20 percent of total deaths come from the US, and together with those in Brazil, India, and Mexico, make up half of all deaths globally.
Mayor de Blasio reported that the positivity rate of new cases yesterday in NYC rose to 3.2 percent, triple over the last few days. (NY1) The uptick has prompted the mayor to begin issuing fines to people who refuse to wear a mask. (New York Daily News) The newest numbers put the city’s 7-day rolling average at 1.38 percent — if daily case counts remain high and that average hits 3 percent, all public schools will automatically close again.
That would give schools a short run: today, elementary schools returned today to classrooms for in-person instruction, and middle and high schools are scheduled to return on Thursday. (CNN)
The House unveiled a new stimulus package, the most concrete step toward more aid since negotiations stalled nearly two months ago. (New York Times) The new bill remains more than $1 trillion more than what the White House has proposed.
The NYC Board of Elections has mailed out half a million absentee ballots so far ahead of Election Day, but as many as 100,000 residents in Brooklyn have received ballot envelopes with inaccurate names and addresses. (Gothamist) If you’ve received a ballot with errors, you can reach out here, but all affected voters will automatically receive a new ballot and a letter explaining what happened. (And this is probably a good time to double check that your registration is accurate and up to date).
And here’s how to tune in to tonight’s presidential debate beginning at 9pm ET.

One new thing: Talk:NYC, our new podcast delving into the future of urban life, drops its first episode today, featuring Union Square Ventures partner (and Tech:NYC co-chair) Fred Wilson. Stream the episode (and stay tuned for future ones!) here.One good read: ‘I Love New York’ Is More than a Motto (New York Times)

Survey

The latest results: It’s now been more than a month since “low risk” cultural institutions could reopen in NYC, including outdoor venues like botanical gardens and zoos and some indoor venues like libraries and museums — all with limited capacity guidelines. Have you visited any of these reopened spaces?

17.3%: Yes, I’ve visited an outdoor institution (botanical garden, zoo, etc.)
8.1%: Yes, I’ve visited an indoor institution (library, museum, etc.)
9.2%: Yes, I’ve visited both indoor and outdoor institutions
65.3%: No, I haven’t visited any of these institutions

Today’s poll: The first presidential debate leading up Election Day airs tonight, but with plenty of pandemic restrictions in place — no handshakes, no opening statements, and mandatory testing for the much smaller audience. Do you plan to tune in to the debate tonight?

*|SURVEY: Yes|*
*|SURVEY: No|*

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

What You Need to Know

What to Know: Reopening:

Elementary schools reopened for in-person instruction today. (New York Times) These students follow the 90,000 younger students that returned last week, while 48 percent of students have now opted for all-remote instruction. (ABC New York)
Here’s how NYC restaurants are preparing for indoor dining resuming on Wednesday. (New York Post) In addition to the mandatory capacity and safety guidelines, many are installing Plexiglass dividers and UV light to ensure a safer experience.
Indoor pools at athletic centers and other venues will be allowed to reopen tomorrow at 33 percent capacity. (Gothamist) The policy does not apply to the city’s 12 indoor pool facilities, which will remain closed and be used as space for testing and food distribution sites.
Pres. Trump announced a plan to distribute 150 million rapid, point-of-care coronavirus tests to states in the coming weeks. (Axios) How they get used is up to the discretion of governors, but the administration is urging schools to be prioritized.