COVID-19 Email: For Team

COVID-19 Digest

March 09, 2020 • Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes

COVID-19 Digest

All,Welcome to the first Tech:NYC COVID-19 Digest email.Tech:NYC will be sending regular (daily, when applicable) emails like these with relevant COVID-19 updates. If interested, you can also view this resource guide we put together with member input. As with anything, you should be sure to consult with medical professionals and public health experts when undertaking any action.You are on this list because you are our point of contact at a Tech:NYC member. We hope you will forward this email to your colleagues who might not already be on our list. They can sign up directly to receive these emails here.Please email us at [email protected] with anything you’d like to see included in an upcoming email or with any other feedback. Suggestions very welcome!Thank you,Julie and the Tech:NYC team

The Latest in New York

The latest: stocks have their worst day since 2008; Gov. Cuomo announces that New York will produce its own hand sanitizer, which will smell like a “floral bouquet”; some companies institute WFH policies; Ro announces announces free telehealth triage service in New York.Confirmed number of cases: 

  • New York State: 142

  • New York City: 20

  • COVID-19 cases in the tri-state area are up more than 200% since Friday. (NBC News)

Other news:

  • Gov. Cuomo announced that the state would produce 100,000 gallons a day of its own hand sanitizer, which will apparently smell like a “floral bouquet.” (NBC New York)

  • Rick Cotton, head of the Port Authority, has tested positive for COVID-19. (New York Times)

  • The City will fine businesses caught price gouging face masks. (NY1)

What You Need to Know

EMPLOYERS:

  • Amazon: asking all NY and NJ employees to work from home (Business Insider)

  • Facebook: asking all employees to work from home

  • Google: asking NYC employees to work from home (CNBC)

  • LinkedIn: asking all NYC employees to work from home

  • Foursquare: asking all employees to work from home (Fast Company)

  • Twitter: strongly encouraging all employees globally work from home (Company blog)

  • Uber: offering 14 days paid sick leave to drivers who contract coronavirus (CNN)

  • Lyft: offering compensation to drivers diagnosed with the virus or otherwise affected by quarantines (The Hill)

  • Zillow: recommending NYC employees work from home this week 

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

  • 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.

EVENTS:

TESTING:

  • New York, like much of the rest of the country, continues to struggle with a lack of testing capacity. (Vox) In the meantime, New York Senators Schumer and Gillibrand wrote to the CDC, urging federal officials to more quickly approve testing facilities and to support the use of automated testing. (The Hill)

  • Tech:NYC member Ro launched a free COVID-19 telehealth triage service that went live in New York today. If someone believes they may be experiencing signs or symptoms of COVID-19, they can complete an online risk assessment based on the latest public health guidelines and, if recommended, Ro will connect them with a New York-licensed doctor for a free video consultation. The service is also available in Washington state and will be expanded to other states soon. Ro has also created a COVID-19 informational hub.

  • Read a harrowing account from Robin Shulman about her efforts to get tested for COVID-19. (New York Times)

TRANSIT:

  • Trains and buses continue to run on time (as much as they ever did, at least).

  • The MTA has increased deep cleaning protocols, ensuring its full fleet of trains, busses, and stations is disinfected every 72 hours. (The Verge)

SCHOOLS:

  • No NYC public schools have announced closures yet, but all international trips for public schools have been cancelled.

  • A number of universities have select, temporary closings, including Yeshiva University, Columbia University, and Fordham University. CUNY and SUNY have recalled study abroad students. NYU recalled study abroad students in Italy and closed the NYU Florence campus. 

  • Gov. Cuomo instituted a mandatory 24-hour shutdown rule for any school with a student who tests positive for COVID-19. (New York Post)

POLICY UPDATES:

  • State of Emergency: On Saturday (3/7) Governor Cuomo declared a state of emergency. This declaration will permit the state to make quicker purchasing and hiring decisions to assist local health departments. 

  • NYS Paid Leave Mandate: Governor Cuomo is expected to send a bill to the NYS legislature sometime today that would mandate paid sick leave for employees in New York State (Crain’s). The law is an attempt to aid employees required to stay home from work due to isolation or quarantine. We will have more on this soon.

  • Note: New York City already mandates paid sick leave for employers of five or more people. 

  • The Attorney General’s Office is currently monitoring for consumer fraud and has ordered a televangelist to stop promoting fake cures. (ABC News)

When In Doubt

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