Tech:NYC Digest: July 23

Tech:NYC Digest: July 23

July 23, 2021 • Estimated Reading Time: 4 minutes

Friday, July 23, 2021Happy Friday! We’re landing in your inbox early for another summer Friday edition of the digest.Was this digest forwarded to you? Subscribe here.

A quick round of updates:

  • Council Member (and likely next Comptroller) Brad Lander is calling for mandatory vaccinations for city workers, as well as for “discretionary public activities” like movies, concerts, and restaurants due to concerns over the Delta variant. (New York Daily News)

    • Here’s a good FAQ of what we currently know about the variant.

  • Thirty-one children tested positive for COVID-19 at a summer camp in Columbia County. None of the children, who are too young to be vaccinated, are seriously ill. The outbreak is emblematic of the challenges that arise when a huge population cannot be vaccinated despite the effectiveness of vaccines. (New York Times)

  • A plan to build a $2.1 billion AirTrain to LaGuardia cleared its biggest remaining hurdle with approval from the Federal Aviation Administration. Preliminary work to construct the elevated rail link could begin before the end of summer, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. (New York Times)

  • Gov. Cuomo signed legislation to allow New Yorkers a new, less-expensive way to insure their cell phones through their credit card, debit card, or checking account. The law authorizes coverage to protect a cell phone and other wireless communication equipment if it is damaged, lost, or stolen. (ABC Albany)

  • With tourism slowly being revived, last week city hotels saw their busiest week since the pandemic began, with more than 480,000 bookings. (Bloomberg) Restaurant activity is also up 132 percent since the beginning of 2021, helping dispel theories that NYC and other so-called “superstar cities” would come out of the pandemic with less economic might. (Axios) 

In other reading:

  • Inside the 22-person pandemic pod in a Hudson Valley hotel (Curbed)

  • How has the pandemic changed dating? Here’s 7 tips for getting back out there. (Washington Post)

  • This new app helps New Yorkers befriend their neighbors (Time Out New York)

And lastly: The Tokyo Olympics opening ceremonies were this morning (and for everyone who didn’t want to get up early to watch them, it will be replayed for US primetime at 7:30pm ET). Here’s how to watch, plus a full schedule of this weekend’s events.

Have a good weekend, and see you on Monday!

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