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Tech:NYC Digest: December 15

Tech:NYC Digest: December 15

December 15, 2020 • Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes

Tuesday, December 15, 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: FDA finds Moderna vaccine “highly effective,” authorization expected this week; NYC to halt outdoor dining ahead of expected significant snowfall; stimulus bill separated into two, Speaker Pelosi calls meeting of top Hill brass to stop stalemate; new survey shows a quarter of Americans expect to work remote in 2021.

Confirmed Cases:

New York State: 794,557 (+10,353)
New York City: 362,227 (+4,146)
Statewide Fatalities: 28,002 (+128)
NYC Positivity Rates:
- NYS reports: 4.0 percent (no change)
- NYC reports: 5.5 percent (no change)

General Updates:

The latest data according to New York State shows that seven of the state’s ten regions have positivity rates above five percent, a threshold that experts say indicates that coronavirus is reaching “uncontrollable spread.” (NYS) For the second day in a row, Mayor de Blasio indicated he thinks a broader shutdown would soon be merited, and thinks it should come after Christmas. (Gothamist)
The FDA released new findings on the Moderna vaccine, calling it “highly effective” and giving it the greenlight to move forward to a final advisory panel review. (Wall Street Journal) A vote to grant emergency use authorization will come on Thursday and, barring any complications, final approval is expected to come on Friday.
The FDA also authorized the first over-the-counter rapid test for COVID-19 that can be done entirely from home. (AP) The kit includes a nasal swab, a chemical solution, and a testing strip, and the test connects digitally to a smart phone app that displays the results in as little as 20 minutes and then helps interpret the results. Though initial supplies will be limited, it will be available in the new year for purchase at places like drugstores without a prescription.
In an effort to move a stimulus plan forward, lawmakers have split the bipartisan $908 billion bill into two: a $748 billion package that includes federal unemployment payments and small business loans, and a $160 billion bill addressing issues like aid for states and a legal liability shield for employers. (POLITICO) Speaker Nancy Pelosi called a meeting this afternoon in the hopes a package will be passed by the end of the week. (POLITICO)
The Electoral College voted in all 50 states yesterday and, as expected, affirmed Joe Biden’s win. The President-elect now faces what his incoming chief of staff called a “very, very, very dark winter” in picking up pandemic response efforts. (Axios)

Yesterday's results: Indoor dining in NYC was put back on pause today, and with the winter months ahead of us, many restaurant owners say outdoor dining and takeout won’t be enough to keep their doors open. Have any of your favorite local places been forced to close due to the effects of the pandemic?

Today's poll

: Last winter season, New York recorded a measly 4.8 inches of snow. That bar is about to be

shattered by tomorrow’s snowstorm

, which is expected to bring as much as a foot of snow to the New York metro area. Restaurants have been

ordered to halt outdoor dining

ahead of snow fall, and schools are preparing for a

fully remote school day

(Mayor de Blasio says snow days may be

a “thing of the past”

). What are your plans for what might be the biggest winter storm in a decade?

*|SURVEY: Snowmen, igloos, and snow angels|*
*|SURVEY: Sledding in a park or down an Open Street|*
*|SURVEY: Staying inside with a hot chocolate (and maybe something stronger)|*
*|SURVEY: All of the above|*

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

Reopening:

Ahead of the winter storm expected to arrive tomorrow, NYC has declared a “snow alert” and has suspended outdoor dining beginning 2pm on Wednesday. (Gothamist) The city’s rules indicate that if more than an inch of snow is expected, outdoor dining must pause, and if more than twelve inches of snow is expected, outdoor dining structures must be disassembled.
A new poll shows that eight in ten Americans said they would take the coronavirus vaccine, but they were more divided on timing. 40 percent said they would take it as soon as it was available to them, and 44 percent said they would wait a bit before taking it. (ABC News) Enthusiasm is up for the vaccinations, with another poll saying the number of Americans who say they’ll get the vaccine as soon as it’s available has doubled since September. (Axios)
Sales of at-home testing — even tests for many common conditions like regular cholesterol checks and cancer screenings — has seen a significant bump throughout the pandemic. (Axios) While those tests may help you avoid a trip to a doctor’s office, a couple of things to keep in mind: they run a higher risk of human error and false positives, and they also may not necessarily be covered under standard insurance plans, leaving customers to pay full price for them.
The MTA will hold on approving a budget that would mean thousands of layoffs and a 40 percent cut to weekday subway service, in the hope that a federal stimulus package includes funding for the agency. (New York Daily News) It still, however, plans to cut LIRR service by approximately 25 percent beginning Jan. 25.