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Tech:NYC Digest: December 10

Tech:NYC Digest: December 10

December 10, 2020 • Estimated Reading Time: 11 minutes

Thursday, December 10, 2020As NYC’s reopening and recovery efforts continue, the 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: US marked the highest single-day death count yesterday at over 3,000; McConnell offers discouraging outlook for bipartisan stimulus proposal; Cuomo to announce new restrictions tomorrow as impact of Thanksgiving surge is fully realized; check out the latest episode of Talk:NYC with fashion designer and entrepreneur, Rebecca Minkoff.

Confirmed Cases:

New York State: 743,242 (+10,178)
New York City: 344,344 (+3,370)
Statewide Fatalities: 27,498 (+92)
NYC Positivity Rates:
- NYS reports: 4.1 percent (no change)
- NYC reports: 5.3 percent (+0.5 percent)

General Updates:

Just a week after the US first broke its daily record for coronavirus deaths set in April, it did so again yesterday. At least 3,000 deaths were reported on Wednesday, the highest since the pandemic began. (New York Times)
In New York, just shy of 5,000 people are hospitalized across the state for COVID-19, and Gov. Cuomo said he expects that number to rise in the next month. (Wall Street Journal) To prepare for the potential influx, Gov. Cuomo is implementing a “surge and flex” strategy to shift resources across hospital systems based on demand.
Here’s one worrisome piece of news: a new study found that a high school student in South Korea was infected with COVID-19 within five minutes and from a person twenty feet away while dining indoors. (New York Post)
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said the $908 billion bipartisan stimulus bill is unlikely to get the support from Senate Republicans to pass. (POLITICO)
And best to follow quarantine orders — because this turned into a very expensive eight seconds.

One request (and a perk!): Tech:NYC is partnering with New Stand to collect insights from tech companies about their office reopening plans (or lack thereof). Please help by taking their three minute survey here, and as a thank you, you’ll be sent a 30 percent off code for anything in the New Stand shop.One good listen: The latest episode of our podcast, Talk:NYC, features feminist, fashion icon, entrepreneur, and proud New Yorker, Rebecca Minkoff. She talks to Julie about the things she's learned through such a challenging year. Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.

Yesterday's results: For the vaccine to protect the public at scale, officials will have to contend with a sizable proportion of people who are unsure or not planning to take it — suggestions have included offering incentives like paying people to get vaccinated or passing legislation to make the vaccine mandatory. How do you think the government should get people to take the vaccine?

Today's poll

: Now nine months into the pandemic, many aspects of our normal personal lifestyles have been upended. We

began cooking more

, but then we

got tired of it

. Some of us

have been working out less

, while some of us

began working out more

. When the vaccine is widely available and we get to a post-pandemic stage, how do you think your lifestyle habits will be impacted?

*|SURVEY: I think I’ll return to my pre-pandemic lifestyle|*
*|SURVEY: I think my lifestyle during pandemic will become more permanent|*
*|SURVEY: I’ve maintained my pre-pandemic lifestyle through the pandemic|*

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

Reopening:

Despite warnings to limit travel for the holiday season, Thanksgiving travel was up in 80 percent of US counties compared to last year, although it wasn’t by plane. The number of people flying was still down 60 percent over last Thanksgiving. (Bloomberg)
- Gov. Cuomo is expected to announce a new set of restrictions tomorrow now that we have more complete data about how gatherings and travel over the Thanksgiving holiday impacted the spread of the virus.
Both of the leading vaccine candidates, from Pfizer and Moderna, require a two-dose regimen, and it will likely prove a daunting challenge to ensure people return for the second dose. (FiveThirtyEight) If people only get one dose, they will not be fully protected, but may behave as if they are. There’s also fear that if enough people get only the first injection, the virus could develop resistance to the vaccine. (CBS News)
Gov. Cuomo said that, by constitutional law, New York’s electoral college members, which include Pres. Bill Clinton, Sec. Hillary Clinton, Attorney General Letitia James, and Gov. Cuomo himself, will have to meet in person to formally elect President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris. (NY State of Politics)
Morgan Stanley has pledged $2 million to support the city’s street food vendors, in partnership with the Robin Hood foundation. (New York Post) There’s approximately 20,000 vendors across New York who contribute an estimated $293 million annually to the city’s economy, but nearly three quarters have struggled financially throughout the pandemic due to the decline in foot traffic and commuters.
A majority of American sports fans — 56 percent — say people should not play team sports indoors right now. (NPR) They believe not only would it cause virus spread among players, but among the larger community.