Tech:NYC Digest: November 11

Tech:NYC Digest: November 11

November 11, 2020 • Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes

Wednesday, November 11, 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: US hospitalizations reach a new record; starting Friday, 10pm daily curfew for NYC restaurants and bars, private gatherings limited to ten people; updated CDC guidance confirms masks protect wearers too; study shows parents lose eight work hours per week for childcare, some companies respond with better benefits.

Confirmed Cases:

  • New York State: 540,965 (+4,820)

  • New York City: 275,314 (+1,731)

  • Statewide Fatalities: 26,026 (+21)

  • Daily NYC Infection Rate: 2.2 percent (+0.3 percent)

General Updates:

  • One worrisome trend we’re paying attention to: the rising hospitalization rate. COVID-19 hospitalizations in the US surpassed a record 61,000 yesterday, the highest it has been at any point during the pandemic. (New York Times) In New York, new hospitalizations are topping 1,600 — a level not seen since June.

  • In a major update to its guidance, the CDC now says wearing a mask protects the wearer, not just those around them as previous findings suggested. (New York Times) So continue to mask up — and if not for your health, do it to avoid the fines in the subway and at the airport. (New York Daily News)

  • The NYC Board of Elections is finally counting the record number of absentee ballots returned via mail, and 96 percent of them have been deemed valid. (New York Post) Of the four percent marked invalid, 40 percent of those — just over 6,000 ballots — are eligible to be “cured” of minor technical errors and be counted. Voters whose ballots are impacted will be directly notified.

  • And during today’s holiday, we're thinking particularly about the toll the pandemic has taken on veterans. (Axios) More than 80,000 cases have been confirmed in VA hospitals, and social distancing measures have made their unique mental health challenges even more difficult.

  • Here’s a few ways we can honor their service — around NYC and virtually — today. (Patch)

Yesterday's results: Do the new guidelines that allow travelers to “test out” of the 14-day quarantine rule have an impact on your plans to travel?

Today's poll

: In yesterday’s poll, most of you responded that you’re not planning to travel for Thanksgiving. And while family or friendsgiving plans at home are still an option, the new

will likely impact what that looks like. Will your holiday plans be affected by the new capacity restrictions?

  • *|SURVEY: Yes|*

  • *|SURVEY: No|*

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

Reopening:

  • In response to the rising numbers across New York, here are a few new measures that will take effect statewide on Friday: (NBC New York)

    • Any establishment with a state liquor license, including bars and restaurants, must close by 10pm daily. After 10pm, curbside pickup of food only will be permitted;

    • Gyms must also close by 10pm daily;

    • Gatherings at private residences will also be limited to just 10 people.

  • Mayor de Blasio warned that NYC has “one last chance” to stop a second wave in the city. (Gothamist) The city’s positivity rate is approaching three percent, a threshold at which the mayor warned that public school buildings would need to be closed back down. At the current pace, we could see that before the Thanksgiving holiday.

    • The threat of in-person school shutting down is happening as parents face a one-time deadline on Friday to opt-in their kids for a blended learning model. Families do not know yet whether the city will offer another opportunity to opt-in later this school year. (Chalkbeat NY) 

  • The surge is particularly worrisome in two Staten Island zip codes, where the positivity rate has risen above five percent and the state is identifying it as a “yellow zone” hotspot. (New York Times) The mayor prescribed the neighborhoods with a “Day of Action” yesterday, sending volunteers to raise more awareness about the risks of pandemic fatigue and how to combat it. Officials say tracing the origin of the clusters has become nearly impossible.

  • Even when a vaccine is ready, widespread distribution poses a significant logistical challenge. (Fortune) The treatment will require an extensive supply chain that keeps the vaccines in subzero temperature storage up until it’s ready to be used. It’s especially challenging to get to rural areas and poorer countries. Moreover, a nationwide shortage of dry ice early in the pandemic has some worried if the US will be ready.

    • New York, however, released a plan last month detailing how it will coordinate production and distribution of vaccines in the state, including safe storage protocols. See page 38 of that plan here.

Related reading:

  • We Now Have Clothes With Built in Masks. How Effective Are They? (New York Magazine)

Working:

  • There’s a business case for companies to offer child care benefits during this time. (Axios) Working parents are losing an average of eight hours of work time due to childcare responsibilities during the pandemic.

  • Companies are offering some new and creative ways to help employees with children:

    • Citigroup is offering discounted test prep and tutoring to employees with kids in school;

    • Bank of America and Deloitte, among others, are offering up to $100 a day in child care reimbursements;

    • Dell has established new support groups for employees to swap tips and just vent.

Related reading:

  • Companies offer creative solutions to worker burnout during the pandemic (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:

  • November 17: Virtual: #FunctionsNYC: What’s Next For Policing and Public Safety, with Center for Policing Equity co-founder Tracie Keesee and Elucd CEO Michael Simon. Hosted by Tech:NYC. (Details)

  • November 18: Virtual: New York’s Next Comeback, with Regional Plan Association president and CEO Tom Wright. Hosted by Capalino. (Details)

  • November 19: Virtual: Moonshorts, Spinouts, and New Ventures, with AlleyCorp partner Wendy Tsu, X technology scout Tom Hunt, and Cornell Tech director of runways and spinouts Fernando Gómez Baquero. Hosted by Newlab. (Details)

  • November 23: Virtual: A Conversation with Wayfair co-founder and CEO Niraj Shah. Hosted by Tech:NYC, Cornell Tech, and Bloomberg. (Details)

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

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