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Tech:NYC Digest: November 9

Tech:NYC Digest: November 9

November 09, 2020 • Estimated Reading Time: 11 minutes

Monday, November 9, 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: President-elect Biden announces COVID-19 Task Force of leading health experts; Pfizer vaccine 90 percent effective in late stage trials; NYC DOH now releasing real-time coronavirus data by zip code; NJ imposing new statewide restrictions as cases continue to rise.

Confirmed Cases:

New York State: 532,180 (+3,144)
New York City: 272,375 (+1,156)
Statewide Fatalities: 25,973 (+26)
Daily NYC Infection Rate: 1.8 percent (+0.1 percent)

General Updates:

The US has surpassed 10 million confirmed coronavirus cases, just ten days after it hit nine million cases. (New York Times) The picture across New York State continues to worsen, as well: more than 3,000 tests reported yesterday came back positive and the statewide positivity rate inched up to 2.8 percent. (Wall Street Journal)
In NYC, more than 1,000 cases were reported four consecutive days this past week, levels not seen since May. (New York Times) But while citywide numbers seem to be heading in the wrong direction, some improvements in hotspot zones will allow for some restrictions to ease up. More on that below.
As colder weather pushes gatherings indoors and people make travel plans for the holidays, rising hospitalizations are threatening to again overwhelm the US health system, and President-elect Joe Biden is bracing for what awaits him when he takes office. (POLITICO) But he’s not wasting time: just two days after being projected as the winner, Biden’s transition team announced his COVID-19 Task Force today, a group made up entirely of physicians and health experts. (Washington Post)
State and local officials are optimistic Biden’s pandemic plan will bring more recovery funds to the city. (New York Times) He has already begun announcing his plans for responding to the COVID-19 pandemic when he takes office, including appointing a “national supply chain commander” and establishing a “pandemic testing board,” two measures likely to be welcome news in NYC where there are raised fears about a second wave. (New York Times) The state is also hoping for more direct aid to provide funding to higher education institutions, the MTA, and other state and local government services. (THE CITY)
Pfizer released encouraging early data today suggesting its vaccine is 90 percent effective in its trial volunteers. (New York Times) While good news, Gov. Cuomo emphasized that effectiveness really hinges on a solid distribution plan. He criticized Pres. Trump’s reliance on private providers, which he alleged will disproportionately impact residents who don’t have reliable access to a pharmacy or healthcare. (NY1)

One good scroll: New Yorkers share scenes from their election celebrations (New York Magazine)

Friday's results: So when do you think networks will call the presidential race?

Today's poll

: Both

New Jersey

and

Connecticut

recently announced that certain measures, like dining curfews and capacity guidelines, will be tightened back to previous levels and imposed statewide as coronavirus cases and hospitalizations surge. Do you think New York should follow the rest of the tri-state area with the sort of encompassing restrictions we had in place in the spring and early summer?

*|SURVEY: Yes, we need tighter statewide restrictions|*
*|SURVEY: Yes, we need tighter citywide restrictions|*
*|SURVEY: No, we should continue with targeted hotspot restrictions|*

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

Reopening:

The NYC Dept. of Health has begun posting real-time data on coronavirus positivity rates by zip code. You can see the map here.
- The map shows the rate is rising citywide, with 86 zip codes averaging more than two percent over the past week.
The surge has city officials discussing whether new citywide restrictions should be imposed, including a broader shutdown of nonessential businesses if the citywide, seven-day positivity rate average climbs above three percent. (New York Times)
- Mayor de Blasio has so far been reluctant to do so: he previously said that indoor dining should be halted if the seven-day positivity rate reaches two percent — a threshold that has already been crossed without the mayor taking any action.
On the other hand, targeted measures in specific hotspot zones have improved conditions in those affected places. (Brooklyn Daily Eagle) Brooklyn’s hotspot zone will transition from a “red zone” to the less restrictive “orange zone,” as will the zones in Far Rockaway, Rockland, and Orange counties. The zone in Queens does not change, and a new “yellow zone” has been established in Port Chester, Westchester County.
Across the river in New Jersey, a new curfew will, perplexingly, require restaurants and bars to stop indoor dining between 10pm and 5am. The curfew goes into effect on Thursday, but outdoor dining will still be allowed during that time frame. (POLITICO)
Besides a plan to finally pass another COVID-19 stimulus package that would direct more aid to New York, Joe Biden’s win could have other implications for the city and state. (New York Times) Among them:
- The Hudson River rail tunnel, known as the Gateway Project, may finally be built as part of a larger infrastructure plan;
- Pres. Trump’s “anarchirst jurisdiction” that withholds federal funding from cities like New York would likely go away;
- And his administration would likely have less aggressive immigration policies, a position that will resonate with NYC’s more than three million immigrants, 500,000 of which are undocumented.
The famed ice skating rink at Rockefeller Center will open on Nov. 21 at reduced capacity to allow for social distancing, but will close several months earlier than usual, on Jan. 12. Tickets go on sale Nov. 12. (New York Times) With tourist visits still at record lows, it could be a welcome activity for cooped up New Yorkers this winter.