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Tech:NYC Digest: November 19

Tech:NYC Digest: November 19

November 19, 2020 • Estimated Reading Time: 11 minutes

Thursday, November 19, 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: With many angry over the closure of schools, Mayor de Blasio says business restrictions could come soon; CDC urges Americans to stay put for Thanksgiving; without federal relief, MTA to slash service by 40 percent; Bill Gates estimates business travel will drop 50 percent post-pandemic.

Confirmed Cases:

New York State: 579,382 (+5,310)
New York City: 288,869 (+1,847)
Statewide Fatalities: 26,257 (+31)
NYC Positivity Rates:
- NYS reports: 2.5 percent (no change)
- NYC reports: 3.0 percent (no change)

General Updates:

The US has now surpassed 250,000 coronavirus-related deaths. (New York Times) For perspective, back in March, when the virus was still new, Dr. Fauci expected COVID-19 might kill 240,000 Americans total.
It’s day one of NYC public schools returning to all-remote instruction until at least the week after Thanksgiving. (Axios) Candidates to succeed Mayor de Blasio next year quickly criticized the move:
- Scott Stringer said it “does not pass the common sense test” that schools closed while nonessential businesses remain open.
- Maya Wiley and Eric Adams both decried that parents got virtually no notice and were left scrambling to figure out an alternative.
- Kathryn Garcia, Ray McGuire, and Zach Iscol each warned about the impact it will have on students, who must once again readjust to new learning schedules and risk falling even further behind.
With the positivity rate in NYC likely to increase even more, Mayor de Blasio said today it’s likely that he will impose additional restrictions, including halting indoor dining and closing nonessential businesses, could come within the next two weeks. (CBS News)
- That decision may soon be made for him: Gov. Cuomo has also said that, if state data shows NYC at a three percent positivity rate based on the seven-day rolling average, he'd designate the entire city as an “orange zone,” which would force the same closure measures. (New York Times)
- Here are updated maps for all the new cluster zones announced yesterday, including two in the Bronx and one in Queens.
In new guidance today, the CDC strongly encourages Americans to avoid travel during the Thanksgiving holiday and to consider canceling plans with friends or relatives outside of their households. (New York Times) The latest data shows that not a single state clears the threshold to safely allow indoor gatherings. (Axios) Gov. Cuomo has similarly advised against travel or gatherings, citing that the rising case counts in New York are largely due to spread via private indoor gatherings.
Here are some handy visualizations tracking state’s policy responses to the pandemic. The key takeaway shouldn’t be terribly surprising: the states that imposed the fewest restrictions now have the worst outbreaks. (New York Times) New York comes in at having the second-tightest containment measures.
And if everything else is still a disaster, at least we’re less disgusting now.

Some good advice: Seven governors share a byline to urge Americans to stay home this Thanksgiving (Washington Post)

Yesterday's results: The decision to close NYC schools, while not welcomed by many, was one officials have been warning may come for over a week. Many critics are arguing that it doesn’t really make sense to close schools while businesses, like restaurants, gyms, and salons, are allowed to remain open. What do you think the correct course of action is?

Today's poll

: The MTA’s proposed 2021 budget presented

a doomsday scenario

for the future of New York’s public transit. Meanwhile, rising cases citywide and the looming threat of further restrictions is again threatening ridership — which

slightly rebounded with reopenings

and after studies showed

minimal infection risk on the subway

. Where do you stand on public transit use?

*|SURVEY: I am using it regularly|*
*|SURVEY: I returned to using it regularly, but stopped because of case surges|*
*|SURVEY: I have not used it regularly since the start of the pandemic|*
*|SURVEY: I never used it regularly|*

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

Reopening:

With public schools now closed, most private schools are staying open for in-person instruction — at least until the Thanksgiving recess. (Bloomberg) One notable exception: Horace Mann in the Bronx is going all-remote until January after one student tested positive for COVID-19.
The COVID-19 vaccine being developed by Oxford is showing promise, particularly for its strong immune response in the elderly. (BBC) It joins the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, which expect to begin distribution by the end of the year.
- This is all good news, but we have quite a ways to go: Dr. Fauci said yesterday that at least 75 percent of society would need to take the vaccine, even if it had 95 percent efficacy, before it would be safe to stop wearing masks and social distancing. (New York Times)
The MTA is considering proposed cuts that would reduce services on subways, buses, and commuter rails by as much as 40 percent and result in 9,000 layoffs. Fare increases and the elimination of seven-day and 30-day unlimited Metrocards are also on the table. (NY1) All of those cutbacks still wouldn’t be enough: they come at the same time the agency is slated to approve a resolution allowing it to borrow $3 billion — the maximum amount allowed — from the Federal Reserve. (Gothamist)