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Tech:NYC Digest: November 16

Tech:NYC Digest: November 16

November 16, 2020 • Estimated Reading Time: 12 minutes

Monday, November 16, 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: Preliminary results show Moderna vaccine is 95 percent effective, widespread distribution months away; NYC schools avoid shutdown today, families urge revised threshold; New York and Google.org launch new social services tool; some employers are expanding healthcare flexibility during this open enrollment season.

Confirmed Cases:

New York State: 563,690 (+3,490)
New York City: 283,341 (+1,285)
Statewide Fatalities: 26,159 (+25)
NYC Positivity Rates:
- NYC reports: 2.77 percent (+0.2 percent)
- NYS reports : 2.4 percent (no change)

One note about the numbers: to date, we have been sharing figures sourced from New York State’s official dashboards, available here, in the interest of consistency. The state relies on slightly different reporting methods — and therefore produces slightly different results — than the city. The figure that will determine city shutdown decisions (e.g., the three percent threshold to close schools) is the rate reported by NYC officials. As such, we will now include the seven-day average positivity rates provided by both the state and the city.

General Updates:

The US marked 11 million total coronavirus cases yesterday, just six days after it hit the 10 million mark. (Axios) In the past week, there’s been an average of 150,000 new cases every day. The data suggests that widening social bubbles and relaxed precautions, like large dinner parties and game nights, is fueling the surge. The dynamic is so worrisome because it will be difficult to crackdown on. (Washington Post)
- Gov. Cuomo has signed a new executive order extending the state of emergency statewide through at least Dec. 13.
With case counts rising all over the country for weeks, 36 states are now requiring that people wear masks in public. Here’s a handy map of the mask mandates and other coronavirus-related restrictions in place in all 50 states. (New York Times)
- New Jersey has now joined New York and Connecticut in mandating a 10pm curfew for bars, restaurants, and gyms, as well as limiting indoor gatherings to a maximum of ten people. (Washington Post)
- The West Coast — California, Oregon, and Washington — took a page out of the Northeast’s playbook and issued a joint travel advisory that requires people arriving to their states to quarantine for 14 days. (CNBC)
Moderna released preliminary results from its clinical trials, reporting that its coronavirus vaccine is 94.5 percent effective. (New York Times) It joins Pfizer as a frontrunner in the vaccine race, and both companies plan to apply for FDA emergency authorization to begin distribution within weeks. That said, only about 20 million doses would be ready by December and availability for the majority of people is still months away.
That news comes after a press conference on Friday during which Pres. Trump said that a vaccine would be available by April for the entire country — except for New York. (CBS New York) The remarks were largely seen as a political jab at Gov. Cuomo, who has criticized the Trump Administration’s distribution plans for relying only on large pharmacy chains and private health companies to administer the vaccine. In a speech given in response yesterday, Cuomo said New York would have its own plan to ensure a more equitable distribution in rural and poor neighborhoods, and especially communities of color that were disproportionately affected by the coronavirus. (POLITICO)

One event worth your time: At noon tomorrow, Tech:NYC hosts the next installment of our Functions.NYC series, which pairs tech and civic leaders to talk about all the systems that make NYC function. We’ll be discussing policing and public safety with Center for Policing Equity cofounder (and former NYPD deputy commissioner) Tracie Keesee and Elucd CEO Michael Simon. RSVP here and we’ll send you the Zoom link.

Yesterday's results: One report has even suggested having employees (or their employers) pay a five percent tax 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?

Today's poll

: More schools, workplaces, and other organizations are

turning to wearable tech

to support their pandemic safety protocols. The gadgets can help automatically record temperature, log close contacts, or otherwise alert people to potential exposure. But use of the devices has also raised questions about data tracking and privacy measures. Would you be more likely to return to the office if your employer provided a wearable safety tracker?

*|SURVEY: Yes|*
*|SURVEY: No|*
*|SURVEY: I'm not sure|*

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

Reopening:

The latest positivity rate reported by NYC officials was 2.77 percent, a number just below the three percent threshold cited by Mayor de Blasio for closing down schools. (New York Times) This means schools will continue to remain open. But many parents and teachers, concerned that schools could still shut down very soon, are pleading with the mayor to change his stated threshold. Schools currently have a lower infection rate than the citywide rates, and in-person education has resulted in relatively few cases.
Like the public school system, NYC private schools are bracing for the potential of a shutdown if positivity rates spike. However, private schools aren’t bound to the same three percent threshold set for public schools by Mayor de Blasio. Here’s a rundown of their plans so far. (Bloomberg)
For those who absolutely must travel during the holiday season, taking a test at the right time is the best way to assure you aren’t spreading the virus. Here’s a good FAQ of the latest information on testing. (New York Times)
New York State today launched a new tool, built in partnership with Google.org, to help New Yorkers identify if they qualify for various social services. Explore the tool here.