Tech:NYC Digest: April 27

Tech:NYC Digest: April 27

April 27, 2021 • Estimated Reading Time: 12 minutes

Tuesday, April 27, 2021As the vaccination rollout progresses and NYC continues to respond to the pandemic, this digest focuses on the resources that help you make decisions about your businesses and your lives as New Yorkers.Was this digest forwarded to you? Subscribe here.

The latest: New CDC guidance says fully vaxxed can unmask outdoors; all state-run vaccine sites will now allow walk-ins; Mayor de Blasio unveils $98.6 billion budget for FY22, largest in NYC history; Zoom launches new video feature to make virtual meetings feel more like in-person in midst of hybrid work shift.By the Numbers:

  • New York State: 2,021,407 (+2,704)

  • New York City: 908,798 (+1,191) 

  • Statewide Fatalities: 41,875 (+26)

  • NYC Positivity Rates: 

    • NYS reports: 2.1 percent (-0.1 percent)

    • NYC reports: 3.5 percent (-0.1 percent)

  • Vaccine Progress:

    • NYS first doses administered: 8,908,158 (+61,138)

    • NYC first doses administered: 3,455,253 (+46,375)

General Updates:

  • In a sign of confidence in the ongoing vaccine rollout, the CDC issued new guidance today that says fully vaccinated Americans no longer need to wear masks when outdoors. (Axios)

    • The guidance applies to fully vaccinated people who are doing outdoor activities like walking, running, or biking; dining outdoors; or participating in small outdoor gatherings. Mask mandates remain for larger outdoor venues or events.

    • Gov. Cuomo said that New York would adopt the guidance and make it effective across the state immediately. (NBC New York) City health officials, however, warned of challenges in shifting the guidance too quickly in NYC, and urged residents to continue wearing masks in public to be safe. 

    • Here’s a very helpful graphic for deciding when a mask is needed, depending on your activity.

  • Updated data show that more people are now getting their second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine than people who are getting the first dose, another indicator demand is declining. (CNN) Similar trends are being observed in New York: new COVID cases are plummeting in the city, but so is demand for the vaccine. (Gothamist)

    • Lower citywide demand doesn’t mean there’s been citywide enthusiasm to get the shot. In Brooklyn, for example, you’ll find neighborhoods — including Bed Stuy, Crown Heights, Brownsville, and Canarsie — where fewer than 1 in 5 residents are fully vaccinated. 

  • Days after the US resumed the rollout of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the CDC is investigating two new blood clotting cases from people who received the shot. The two cases bring the total number of people reporting blood clot complications to 17 out of appromximately eight million doses administered. (Reuters)

The latest results: Last Friday, the US reported the lowest number of new jobless claims during the pandemic, and continuing claims are trending down as people get back to work. In tech, job openings nationally increased by 30,000 in March, but availability was very dependent on location, with positions declining in San Francisco and San Jose but growing in New York City.  Has your company onboarded new team members this month?     

Today's poll

: Today’s updated CDC

for fully vaccinated individuals is welcome news, especially for those who have both shots, but others are saying it could encourage a further laxxing of safety compliance as pandemic fatigue continues to take hold. How will the guidance affect your behavior?

  • *|SURVEY: I’ll stop wearing a mask while outside, but only with people in my household|*

  • *|SURVEY: I’ll stop wearing a mask while outside, except when in large groups|*

  • *|SURVEY: I’ll stop wearing a mask outside in all situations|*

  • *|SURVEY: I’ll continue wearing a mask outside in all situations|*

  • *|SURVEY: I’ve already stopped wearing a mask outside|*

  • Gov. Cuomo announced that beginning Thursday, April 29th, all state-run vaccination sites will accept walk-in appointments. (NYS)

    • That includes the Javits Center, Yankee Stadium, Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, York College and the Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens. Find the full list of sites, including those outside NYC, here.

    • The same policy was adopted last Friday at all city-run sites.

  • Mayor de Blasio proposed what he is calling the “recovery budget,” a $98.6 billion spending plan for fiscal year 2022. (NY1) It’s the largest budget in city history, and is funded in part by about $14.2 billion federal stimulus aid. The plan covers several initiatives, including:

    • Education: free universal 3-K for all NYC three-years olds, as well as expanded summer school programs and other academic recovery programs for students that fell behind during remote learning. (Chalkbeat)

    • Job creation: 5,000 new city jobs, bringing the municipal workforce to 319,000 employees, on top of a projected increase of about 400,000 private sector jobs. The budget also dedicates funding for small business rental assistance and grant programs, as well as legal and loan assistance to support commercial leases in underserved neighborhoods. (City & State)

    • Livability investments: funding to resume litter basket and organics collection services; new bike lane projects and the completion of the Manhattan Greenway; and to support community-based public safety patrols and mental health crisis response programs run by social worker teams. (ABC New York)

    • A final agreement must be reached with the NYC Council by June 30th.

  • Mayor de Blasio wants to require City Council approval for any new hotel built in the city. (New York Times) The Mayor defended the plan as good for organized labor and community residents, but plenty of critics, including his own advisers, are concerned it would endanger tourism and economic recovery efforts and could cost the city up to $7 billion in lost tax revenue by 2035.

  • New York lawmakers are again expected to extend the state’s COVID-19 eviction moratorium through the end of August, just ahead of its current May 1st expiration date. (New York Daily News)

Related reading:

  • The Biggest Mayor’s Race in Years? New Yorkers’ Minds Are Elsewhere (New York Times)

  • A level-by-level guide to getting back to your social life, based on your comfort with reentering society (Time Out) 

  • How to Travel and Commute Amid the Coronavirus Outbreak, According to Experts (New York Magazine)

  • Can You Have Alcohol After the COVID Vaccine? (New York Times)

Working:

  • Building owners are increasingly using data tools, including AI, to help control systems like heating, lighting, air quality, and even the flow of workers. More widespread adoption of proptech solutions are meant to provide ready-to-use tools for getting workers back to the office safely, but they also promise to help inform new renovations and building designs. (New York Times)

  • GitLab released its 2021 Remote Work Report to show areas where companies implementing remote and/or hybrid workplaces can improve. (Fast Company)

    • TL;DR: replicating in-person workflows online isn’t the answer. Get the full insights here.

  • Zoom has launched a new immersive video feature designed to help create more engaging and collaborative meetings — which is to say, make them feel more like in-person. (The Verge) The feature is already available for all free and Pro accounts hosting meetings and webinars with up to 25 participants.

Related reading:

  • Every Company is a Tech Company Now. The Disruption is Just Beginning (TIME)

  • ‘Touchdown spaces,’ blended meetings, and proximity bias: tackling the practical realities of hybrid models (Digiday)

  • You might not get a ‘yes,’ but there’s nothing outrageous about asking for permission to work remotely forever (The Cut)

  • Making a hybrid workplace fair for all (Fast Company)

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.

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.Events:

  • April 28: Virtual: The Future of Cleantech and the Greening Industry, with former UN Secretary Christiana Figueres and White House climate change adviser Melanie Nakagawa. Hosted by Axios. (Details)

  • April 29: Virtual: NYC Mayoral Candidates Pitch Ideas for Solving the Digital Divide, with CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez, Educational Alliance president and CEO Alan van Capelle, and Tech:NYC executive director Julie Samuels. (Details)

  • May 4: Virtual: Bloomberg Wealth Summit, with Coinbase president & COO Emilie Choi, Betterment CEO Sarah Levy, UBS Head of US Wealth Management Jason Chandler, and more. Hosted by Bloomberg. (Details)

  • May 5: Virtual: NYC’s Restaurant Revival, with star chefs and restaurateurs Danny Meyer, Daniel Boulud, Thomas Keller, and Melba Wilson. Hosted by Crain’s. (Details)

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

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