Tech:NYC Digest: January 27

Tech:NYC Digest: January 27

January 27, 2021 • Estimated Reading Time: 11 minutes

Wednesday, January 27, 2021Today marks the 200th edition of the Tech:NYC Digest! We started this digest at the very beginning of the pandemic to bring you timely, useful information about its impact on your lives and businesses — thanks for staying with us all this time.With the vaccine rollout underway and plans to jumpstart the city’s economic recovery coming into clearer view, there will be a lot more to share on everything from the logistics of general public access to the vaccine, office reopenings, this summer’s mayoral primary, and more.We’d appreciate it if you would share the digest with your networks and invite them to sign up to receive it directly here. And we're always looking for ways to expand the digest’s reach to more people who could use it — if you have ideas on how we can better do that, we’d love to hear from you and talk further. Get in touch here.

The latest: Cuomo says holiday surge is over, lifts many restrictions statewide; US buying 200 million more doses to meet mass vaccination goal by end of summer; new data shows that almost half of Americans want vaccine, up from December; just one in 10 companies expect a full return to pre-pandemic work conditions in 2021.

Confirmed Cases:

  • New York State: 1,361,082 (+11,028)

  • New York City: 576,449 (+4,947) 

  • Statewide Fatalities: 34,579 (+170)

  • NYC Positivity Rates:

    • NYS reports: 5.4 percent (-0.2 percent)

    • NYC reports: 8.1 percent (-0.3 percent)

General Updates:

  • For now, Gov. Cuomo says the state is functionally out of doses, and appointment availability will vary week-to-week. One change that will help slightly: Pres. Biden’s new push to expedite more doses to states means New York is expected to receive 17,000 more doses per week beginning next week. (CBS New York)

  • Beyond that, Pres. Biden announced the US would buy 200 million more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine — 100 million each from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna — to address lagging supply issues in many states, including New York. (POLITICO) That means both manufacturers are ramping up production and can make those extra 200 million doses by the end of May, two months sooner than otherwise was expected. (Bloomberg)

  • The White House will also begin providing three week vaccine supply look-ahead reports to states as opposed to one week look-aheads states are currently getting. (CNN)

  • Gov. Cuomo declared that data indicate the post-holiday season surge is over, and positivity and hospitalization rates continue trending downward in all regions statewide. (NBC New York) To that end, New York is lifting all “orange zone” hotspot restrictions and most “yellow restrictions” throughout the state.

    • “Yellow zone” designations remain in the Bronx, Washington Heights, and Queens.

    • As a reminder, here’s what restrictions go along with a “yellow zone.”

  • Lastly, a solemn tribute worth your time: the MTA has a new citywide memorial for its workers lost to COVID-19. (Curbed) You can see the installation in subway stations through Feb. 7, or view the video here.

One housekeeping note: in the last couple of days, you may have received an email with the subject line “We want your opinion on NYC and tech” from an unfamiliar address asking you to take part in a survey Tech:NYC has commissioned. It is, indeed, a project we’re working on and we’d be grateful for your participation!

The latest results: Recent findings show that the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are less effective against the strain originating in South Africa. Do you think this and other mutant strains will lengthen the pandemic and related restrictions?

Today's poll

: Most of the population isn’t yet eligible for the vaccine, so Pres. Biden says until then “masks — not vaccines — are the best defense against COVID-19.” Public health officials, including Dr. Fauci, are going further, urging people to “

” for added protection (FYI, some combinations are

). Are you double masking?

 

 

  • *|SURVEY: Yes, I am|*

  • *|SURVEY: No, I’m not, but I plan to start|*

  • *|SURVEY: I know I should, but I’m not|*

  • *|SURVEY: No, I don’t plan on double masking for now|*

  • *|SURVEY: I can’t imagine ever double masking|*

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

Reopening:

  • A new poll shows that confidence in the vaccine is up from December, with almost half of American adults surveyed saying they want to get the shot as soon as they are eligible, up from 34 percent a month ago. (Bloomberg)

  • According to a CDC official, the Biden Administration is “actively looking” at expanding mandatory COVID-19 testing for all domestic air travel. (Reuters) Right now, proof of a negative coronavirus test is only required of international travelers coming into the US.

  • Gov. Cuomo said that a new plan for NYC restaurants and dining protocols, including the potential return of indoor dining, will be announced by the end of the week. (Eater NY)

  • Mayor de Blasio voiced optimism that NYC public schools will be reopened “at full strength” in the fall for the start of the 2021-2022 academic year. (Gothamist) As of this week, there are close to 150 school buildings still currently closed because of COVID-19 cases confirmed among their populations.

Related reading:

  • Everyone should be wearing an N95 mask now (Washington Post)

  • Pandemic Rescue: It’s ‘And’ Not ‘Or’ (New York Times)

  • Down But Not Out: Pandemic Likely Dealt Blow To Economy But There's Room For Hope (NPR)

Working:

  • Manhattan swept up twenty of the 100 biggest office leases of 2020, which totaled about six million square feet, according to a CBRE report. (Axios) Tech companies were the leaders in signing and renewing leases, accounting for 24 percent of leasing activity by square footage.

  • City and state income tax codes may not mesh with the new telecommuting and ‘work from anywhere’ models. (Axios) States have begun to challenge one another on agreements meant to share the tax base when people’s work crossed state lines.

    • For example, before the pandemic, hundreds of thousands of New Jersey residents would commute into NYC and pay New York state income tax and NYC commuter tax. Normally, NJ would credit them for paying that income tax, but now the state says it should not pay the credit while residents worked from home. 

  • A new survey found that just one in 10 companies expect all employees to return to their pre-pandemic work arrangements, and more than half say they plan to continue current remote/flexible policies through at least the second half of the year. (NBC News)

Related reading:

  • More people are embracing the idea of a hybrid post-pandemic workplace (Axios)

  • NYC offices are going to look like your apartment when you finally go back to work (New York Post)

  • Inside NYC’s new high-tech, COVID-proof office towers (New York Post)

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.

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

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