Tech:NYC Digest: March 17

Tech:NYC Digest: March 17

March 17, 2021 • Estimated Reading Time: 11 minutes

Wednesday, March 17, 2021As the vaccination rollout progresses and NYC continues to respond to the pandemic, this 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: Cuomo gets J&J shot, eligibility expands to public-facing civil workers; final “yellow zones” lift on Monday, restrictions on gym and fitness classes easing soon; IRS will extend tax filing deadline to May 17; companies are announcing summer intern program plans, JPMorgan says theirs is in-person.

By the Numbers:

  • New York State: 1,749,697 (+8,976) 

  • New York City: 775,990 (+5,389) 

  • Statewide Fatalities: 39,690 (+54) 

  • NYC Positivity Rates:

    • NYS reports: 4.2 percent (no change) 

    • NYC reports: 6.4 percent (no change)

  • Vaccine Progress:

    • NYS first doses administered: 4,691,257

    • NYC first doses administered: 1,630,054

General Updates:

  • NYC surpassed three million total doses administered today, and Mayor de Blasio has asked the White House to find more supply of vaccines to send directly to major cities, instead of routing allotments through state officials. (Wall Street Journal)

    • State officials said it's more fair for NYC to continue receiving its share of the state’s supply — 43 percent — because it’s home to 43 percent of the state’s population.

    • The mayor said that the city would start considering fully lifting restrictions and some health precautions around June, once a projected five million New Yorkers have been fully vaccinated. (NY1)

  • Gov. Cuomo announced a round of updates that will loosen more pandemic-related business restrictions. (NBC New York) More on that below.

  • Gov. Cuomo received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine today at a community pop-up site at a church in Harlem. (ABC Albany) His shot marks that beginning today, government, nonprofit, and building service workers who interface with the public are eligible to receive the vaccine at any of the state’s 23 vaccination hubs here or there local city- and community-run sites.

One note: We stand with our member companies, partners, and city leaders in condemning last night’s violent anti-Asian attacks in Atlanta and the thousands of other hate incidents against the AAPI community in the last year. Join us in finding some ways you can help here, here, and here.

The latest results: Alaska, Mississippi, and Oklahoma have announced that any resident of the state can now get the vaccine, and starting tomorrow, 80 percent of adults in New York will be eligible for the vaccine. Do you think New York should open eligibility to 100 percent of adults before May 1?

Today's poll

: The ongoing progress of the vaccine rollout is boosting confidence among employers that they’ll be able to bring workers back as early as this summer, and with that, many are hoping to also reinstate their summer internship programs. What are your company’s plans for its summer internship program?

  • *|SURVEY: We’re reinstating our pre-pandemic program with in-person interns|*

  • *|SURVEY: We’re proceeding with our program, but conducting it virtually|*

  • *|SURVEY: We’re planning for a hybrid program with virtual and in-person components|*

  • *|SURVEY: We’re canceling this summer’s program|*

  • *|SURVEY: We haven’t decided the status of this summer’s program|*

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

  • Gov. Cuomo announced the state will lift more restrictions put in place due to the pandemic:

    • The final five “yellow zones” still in effect across the state will be lifted on Monday.

    • Beginning March 22nd, indoor fitness classes will be permitted to resume at 33 percent capacity and with mask requirements in place.

    • Beginning April 5th, the 11pm curfew for gyms, bowling alleys, and other recreational venues will be lifted.

    • The 11pm curfew for restaurants will remain in effect for now and be reassessed next month.

  • The IRS has already distributed 90 million stimulus payments as part of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan signed into law last week. Here’s a good FAQ on how to check your eligibility and when yours will arrive. (Washington Post)

  • In light of the economic strains caused by the pandemic, the IRS is planning to extend the tax filing deadline by just over one month to May 17th. (CNBC)

  • Apple has updated its maps feature, as well as Siri functionality, to display COVID-19 vaccination sites directly. (Apple)

  • WeWork launched a partnership with the five boroughs’ chamber of commerces to offer discounted office space to businesses seeking flexible options to bring workers back together. (Cheddar)

Related reading:

  • Doctors, scientists, public health experts, and advocates take a look back on what they would redo — and share 14 lessons for the next pandemic. (New York Times)

  • Long-haul COVID-19 patients say their symptoms are subsiding after getting vaccines (Washington Post)

  • Learning apps have boomed during the pandemic. Now comes the real test. (New York Times)

Working:

  • Many companies, especially those in finance, are targeting summer return dates for their workers, and that includes interns:

    • JPMorgan Chase announced it plans to host summer interns in its New York and London offices. Hundreds of in-person internships will return beginning June (a month earlier than previously announced). (New York Times)

    • Credit Suisse informed its incoming interns that the summer program will begin virtually, but the bank is preparing to transition it to in-person beginning July 19th. (Business Insider)

  • Evercore’s co-CEO joins most other finance executives in calling for workers to return to the office as soon as possible. The company is expecting to bring bankers, as well as summer trainees, back by the summer, and will offer some hybrid flexibility on a case-by-case basis. (Bloomberg)

Related reading:

  • How do interns learn about the workplace when there is none? (Marketplace)

  • One case for returning to the office: those who stay home might be out of sight and out of mind when it comes to promotions. (Axios)

  • Your corporate retreat is on — but it’s going to be weirder (Wall Street Journal)

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.Events:

  • March 18: Virtual: Understanding the Role of Microtransit in a Multi-modal Ecosystem, with Via chief data scientist Saar Golde, C2SMART deputy director Joseph Chow, NYU Wagner professor Rae Zimmerman. Hosted by NYU Rudin Center for Transportation. (Details)

  • March 18: Virtual: #notapitch: Unofficial Feedback on Your Idea/Prototype from a VC, with Brooklyn Bridge Ventures partner Charlie O’Donnell. Hosted by Betaworks Studios. (Details)

  • March 18: Virtual: Frank Conversations with Women Founders and Funders, with The Cru founder Tiffany Dufu and Techstars NYC managing director Jenny Fielding. Hosted by NY Ventures and NYSTAR. (Details)

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

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