Tech:NYC Digest: November 13

Tech:NYC Digest: November 13

November 13, 2020 • Estimated Reading Time: 11 minutes

Friday, November 13, 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: National cases hit new record, no stimulus in sight; Brooklyn residential rates remain steady despite Manhattan’s decline; Google giving employees more holiday time off to curb burnout; Deutsche Bank advises all US staff to return to WFH amid rising case numbers.

Confirmed Cases:

  • New York State: 551,163 (+5,401)

  • New York City: 278,802 (+1,826)

  • Statewide Fatalities: 26,076 (+24)

  • Daily NYC Infection Rate: 2.4 percent (+0.1 percent)

General Updates:

  • Just a week after the country’s first 100,000-case day, the US recorded a new single-day record of 160,000 cases on Thursday. (New York Times) The daily case count has now been in the six digits every day since Nov. 4.

  • Mayor de Blasio affirmed his commitment to closing school buildings if the city’s positivity rate reached three percent. (New York Daily News) Today, the city’s data reported a 2.83 percent rate and the impending shutdown now seems inevitable. Mayor de Blasio said today parents should be prepared for schools to close as soon as Monday. (Washington Post)

  • And while Gov. Cuomo has said he won’t intervene in NYC’s school closure decision, he expects additional measures will be necessary and will discuss those options with five other Northeast governors this weekend. (NBC New York) Massachusetts is already under a stay-at-home advisory, and Connecticut and Rhode Island have business curfews in effect similar to those in New York, but so far, Dr. Fauci and other public health experts are saying that another round of full lockdowns can be avoided if we seriously follow local and CDC precautionary measures. (The Cut)

    • In case it wasn't clear why that’s still so important: in South Dakota, where there are no stay-at-home orders or mask mandates, one in every 47 residents is currently infected with COVID-19, giving the state a mind-blowing first-time positivity rate of 68.1 percent. (Rapid City Journal)

  • An end-of-year stimulus package is looking more and more unlikely, and the economy is likely to deteriorate faster than had been forecast. (Axios) President-elect Joe Biden spoke with both House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer about the need to pass a bill during the lame-duck session of Congress, but there’s little optimism that it will happen before Biden takes office.

  • More Americans are tabling Thanksgiving holiday plans. (New York Post) But if you’re still planning on hosting or attending a holiday gathering, you should take a look at this map first. (WIRED) 

One good read: We’re sticking with New York (Crain’s NY)

Yesterday's results: What do you think NYC should do with its indoor dining rules?

Today's poll

: Workers and businesses alike are looking ahead to the future of WFH, even after the pandemic ends, and its impacts on the economy. One report has even suggested having employees (or their employers)

for every day they choose to work remotely as a new revenue source for cities. If a tax policy like that were implemented post-pandemic, how would it change your work arrangements?

  • *|SURVEY: I would plan to work home more than I did before despite the tax|*

  • *|SURVEY: I would work from home less than I did before because of the tax|*

  • *|SURVEY: The tax would have no impact on my plan to work from home|*

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

Reopening:

  • With case numbers continuing to rise in NYC, long lines are back at COVID-19 testing sites across the five boroughs. (Gothamist)

  • Even as we’re waiting for a vaccine to become available — and for the federal government to provide the funding to distribute it — states are ramping up their own plans to take on the details. (AP)

    • Shipping and storage: The leading vaccine candidate, being developed by Pfizer, has to be transported and stored in subzero temperatures, and large pharmacy chains will be needed to help facilitate that process, as well as help get it to more remote areas.

    • Record-keeping: Existing immunizations records will help, but medical providers and pharmacies will need to be able to access records so people don’t have to get both doses at the same spot.

    • Double doses: The Pfizer vaccine’s efficacy requires two doses, and states will need to find effective ways to help residents remember to return to a provider for the second dose.

  • The residential vacancy rate in Manhattan is now at an unprecedented six percent, but Brooklyn real estate has held fairly steady through the pandemic. (THE CITY)

  • And one fun thing: every first Thursday through March, a series of massive new light installations created during lockdown will be projected on the Manhattan Bridge in DUMBO. (Time Out New York)

Related reading:

  • Europe kept schools open, not restaurants, but the US has other ideas. (New York Times)

  • In a post-COVID housing market, it’s no longer about a building’s amenity package, but the peace of mind walking from the lobby to the living room, and technology is playing a key role. (New York Times)

  • The Resy Guide to Cozy Outdoor dining in New York (Resy)

Working:

  • Google has cited the “extraordinary circumstances” of 2020 in announcing more time off for employees to disconnect and curb burnout through the holiday period. (Business Insider) Employees will get two additional days off — on Dec. 18 and Jan. 4 — and a “no meetings” week from Dec. 28 to Jan. 1.

  • Amid rising case counts, Deutsche Bank has told all of its Americas investment bankers to return back home and work remotely. (Bloomberg)

Related reading:

  • Why you're suffering from burnout when you're not actually doing that much (Cosmopolitan)

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: Moonshots, 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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