Tech:NYC Digest: February 25

Tech:NYC Digest: February 25

February 25, 2022 • Estimated Reading Time: 9 minutes

Friday, February 25, 2022 

In today’s digest, CDC relaxes COVID-19 guidelines, NYC schools drop outdoor mask mandate, and companies are doubling down on their RTO plans.

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By the numbers:  

  • New positive cases statewide: 2,320 

    • New positive cases, NYC: 797 

  • NYC Positivity Rate: 1.2 percent (-0.1 percent) 

  • NYC Hospitalizations: 765 (-56)

  • Statewide Vaccine Progress: 

    • Percentage of all New Yorkers with least one dose: 88.8 percent 

    • Percentage of all New Yorkers who are fully vaccinated: 75.4 percent

Today’s latest: 

  • Amid falling case counts, the CDC today announced it is relaxing some COVID-19 guidelines, including indoor masking recommendations, for areas with low enough transmission levels. (Axios)

    • The updated benchmarks mean about 70 percent of the US population lives in a location where indoor mask mandates can be lifted. (CNN) A full map of US counties and their current risk levels can be found here.

    • However, the new guidance may not have much practical impact in many places, as states and municipalities are still able to set their own COVID-19 policies.

    • Many venues in NYC will opt to continue enforcing their own mask mandates, and other rules that govern public transportation and airports, for example, will still require mask wearing.

  • Beginning Monday, NYC will no longer require public school students and staff to wear masks outdoors while on school property. However, students, staff, and visitors are still required to wear masks indoors in the city’s public schools. (NY1)

  • In a sign federal officials are looking toward a “new normal” beyond the pandemic, the White House is evaluating a longer-term blueprint of recommendations that include stronger air filtration systems in public buildings, billions of dollars in research, and major upgrades to the nation’s public health system. (New York Times)

  • Moderna announced yesterday that COVID-19 is becoming endemic in the Northern Hemisphere, but stressed that annual vaccines will still be needed as the virus becomes seasonal. (CNBC)

In other reading:

  • Can New Yorkers Be Lured Back to the Arts by a Good Deal? (New York Times)

  • Everything you need to know about OMNY, the new MTA payment method (Gothamist)

  • Support Ukrainian-Owned Businesses by Dining at These NYC Restaurants (Thrillist)

In another two weeks, most tech companies will mark two years since they sent employees home due to the pandemic. Now, bosses are eager to send another long-awaited message: return-to-work preparations are real this time. (New York Times)

Google is the latest company to relax some mandates and announce broader reopening plans. (CNBC)

  • The company’s testing requirement, which applied to both vaccinated and unvaccinated employees, will be lifted, and social distancing and mask requirements will also be dropped in cities that don’t have other rules on masking.

  • It is also removing its vaccination requirement as a condition for employment, but proof of vaccination or an approved exemption will still be required to come into the office.

  • It’s also restoring access to most amenities, including fitness centers, full shuttle service, catered breakfast and lunch meals, and “informal spaces” like lounges, game rooms, music rooms, and massage chairs.

Meta is giving employees a March 14 deadline to either return to the office or ask for a WFH extension of up to five months.

  • The company is preparing for long-term reopening by requiring vaccination and booster shots by March 28.

Restoring company-provided amenities is meant to encourage employees to spend more of the workweek in the office, but there’s one problem: Some workers just don’t want to.

  • There’s ample data showing workers prioritize the flexibility and autonomy that comes with working remotely by a wide margin. (Harvard Business Review)

  • While employees previously stayed home out of safety concerns, their reasons for wanting to remain home are shifting to other factors: long commutes, work-life balance preferences, and avoiding office distractions.

For some, the sprint feels premature, especially those with caregiving duties or infants who are too young to get vaccinated. Many firms recognize that if employees are not given the freedom to choose where they work, they risk losing talent to competitors who do.

In other reading:

  • Pay Hikes Fail to Lure Millennials Back to Work in Fed Study (Bloomberg)

  • We’re sick of ‘circling back.’ Here’s how to be less annoying communicating at work (Fast Company)

  • The Five-Day Workweek Is Dying (The Atlantic)

  • Aligned, a New York City-based web3 infrastructure startup, raised $34 million in seed funding. Participating investors included GSR Ventures, Altium Capital Management, Calvary Fund, and angel investors. (The Block)

  • Cortina, a New York City-based retail-focused software company, raised $6 million in seed funding. Point72 Ventures led the round and was joined by AlleyCorp, Primary Venture Partners, Blue Watch, and Lorimer. (FinSMEs)

  • Sanzo, a Brooklyn-based Asian-inspired sparkling water brand, raised $10 million in Series A funding. CircleUp Growth Partners led the round and was joined by Convivialite Ventures, Semillero Partners, Gold House Ventures, Kaya Ventures, and Francisco Crespo. (Food Business News)

  • Scope Security, a New York City-based health systems security startup, raised $20 million in Series A funding.Thrive Capital led the round and was joined by SV Angel, Martin Ventures, Sound Ventures, Crossbeam, and Free Solo.

  • Tutored by Teachers, a New York City-based edtech startup, raised $10 million in Series A funding. GSV Ventures led the round and was joined by TMV, A-Street Ventures, and NewSchools Venture Fund. (FinSMEs)

  • March 3: Virtual: Recruiting and retaining talent in the new world of work, with Slack SVP Brian Elliott, Cisco VP of talent acquisition Zohra Yafai, and others. Hosted by Protocol. Register here.

  • March 3: Virtual: Mock Term Sheet Negotiation, with CARMERA CEO Ro Gupta, Allegory managing partner Ed Walters, Goodwin partner Heather Miles, and others. Hosted by NYU Data Future Lab. Register here.

  • March 5 – 6: In-person: NYC School of Data 2022, with Council Member Gale Brewer, Cornell Tech Urban Tech Hub director Michael Samuelian, and others. Hosted by BetaNYC with the NYC Mayor’s Office of Data Analytics. Register here.

  • March 7: Virtual: March Fundraising Workshop, with On Deck Fractional COO Eric Friedman. Hosted by Silicon Valley Bank. Register here.

  • March 9: Virtual: Beyond Decentralization: Designing for Equity, Democracy, and Human Rights in Web3, with Reach Capital partner Jomayra Herrera, Metalabel founding members Austin Robey, and Polaris CTO Anjana Rajan. Hosted by Betaworks Studios. Register here.

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