Tech:NYC Digest: October 22

Tech:NYC Digest: October 22

October 22, 2020 • Estimated Reading Time: 11 minutes

Thursday, October 22, 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: CDC definition of a “close contact” now looks at 24-hour window of interaction, not 15-minute; Google releases racial equity update and commits to hiring 10,000 more Googlers across US, including NYC; read how Juno made healthcare easier for families during the pandemic in our latest Companies to Watch.

Confirmed Cases:

  • New York State: 490,134 (+1,628)

  • New York City: 256,576 (+530) 

  • Statewide Fatalities: 25,694 (+15)

  • Daily NYC Infection Rate: 1.1 percent (-0.5 percent)

General Updates:

  • ICYMI: Gov. Cuomo announced several changes to the status of the state’s hotspot zones, and it can seem complicated. Here are the new metrics for identifying hotspot zones and under what conditions their restrictions can be lifted. You can also see the updated maps of the zones in Brooklyn, Queens, and Far Rockaway.

  • The CDC issued new guidance expanding its definition of who is a “close contact” of someone testing positive for COVID-19. (Washington Post) The guidance now defines a close contact as someone who is within six feet of an infected person for 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period, as opposed to a continuous 15-minute block of time. This could have big implications for people in school and office buildings where they likely have brief but repeated encounters with many individuals throughout the day. 

  • The first large scale clinical trials for a vaccine in the US, led by Moderna, reached the target enrollment of 30,000 participants. (CNN) The pharma company forecasts a potential December release, pending FDA approval.

  • The final presidential debate airs tonight at 9pm ET. (New York Times) It’ll bear similarities to the VP debate — 90 minutes commercial-free and with plexiglass dividers between the candidates. Candidates’ mics will also be muted during their opponent’s two minutes of uninterrupted speaking time at the start of each segment.

One thing we love: New York Magazine worked with 48 artists to create special ‘I Voted’ stickers for the millions of people who voted by mail this year and won’t get one at a poll site. (New York Magazine) The magazine’s upcoming issue will have a peelable sticker sheet inside, but if you’re not a subscriber, it’s making another 500,000 available for free at museums and bookstores across the country.

The latest results: New Yorkers got some tips from the city on how to practice the holiday safely — wear a real mask, even if you have one for your costume, and avoid sharing candy! As decorations get put up and candy aisles are emptied out, what are you planning for Halloween this year?

  • 22.9%: Participating in a (small) Halloween party with friends in my pod

  • 4.6%: Going trick-or-treating with my family

  • 18.3%: Staying home, but will have candy to hand out

  • 54.2%: Staying home with no candy and no plans

Today’s poll: As NYC continues to grapple with the pandemic, a new Spectrum News-Ispos poll found that a majority of city residents — 64 percent — see a future for themselves in NYC. So we wanted to pose the same question: do you see a future for yourself in NYC?

  • *|SURVEY: Yes|*

  • *|SURVEY: No|*

  • *|SURVEY: I'm not sure|*

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

Reopening:

  • Mayor de Blasio announced the city’s plans for disseminating a vaccine when one becomes available. (New York Daily News) The plan calls for two phases of distribution — first for essential healthcare workers and other vulnerable residents, and then everyone else. It also calls for the city to prepare ways to track vaccine orders and to find facilities to store the vaccine.

  • With more than 40 states and territories now subject to New York’s travel advisory list, Gov. Cuomo announced the state is weighing new ways to enforce the advisory, including requiring travelers to complete a rapid coronavirus test. (Democrat & Chronicle)

  • The One World Observatory will reopen to guests in November. (ABC New York) It will welcome the public on Nov. 1 and again on Nov. 7, and will resume full weekend operation on Nov. 14 at 25 percent capacity.

  • The Westminster Dog Show, long a fixture at Madison Square Garden, will move to an outdoor venue in Westchester County in 2021. (New York Times)

Related reading:

  • Ask an Epidemiologist: Planes, Trains, or Shelter in Place — How Should We Handle the Holidays? (Gothamist)

  • Diners weigh the ethics, risks, and responsibilities of eating inside restaurants (Washington Post)

Working:

  • Google announced that, among several other diversity and racial equity initiatives, it plans to double the number of Black Googlers by 2025. The company also announced its plan to invest in the long-term growth of US locations, including the New York office, across which it will aim to add an additional 10,000 Googlers by 2025, including 1,000 new roles by 2021. (Google) 

Related reading:

  • Why the future of the office has been put on hold (Vox)

  • Where the office workers are (Axios)

  • Why Hiring During COVID Is Different Than in Previous Downturns (Harvard Business Review)

One Company to Watch:JUNOWhat does your company do?

Juno founder and CEO Akili Hinson: Juno is designed to be a one-stop solution for you and your family’s everyday healthcare needs that brings the best of pediatrics, adult primary care, women’s health, and same-day services in one place. You can think of us as the new healthcare home for you and your family that features exceptional hospitality, modern technology, and transparent prices that won’t break the bank. You started building Juno at the very beginning of 2020, only a couple of months before New York confirmed its first case of COVID-19. What’s it been like building a new company — much less a healthcare company — during a public health crisis?AH: Perhaps counterintuitively, the COVID-19 crisis accelerated our plans. Juno Medical is a mission and values-driven company — full-stop. I believe we had both a professional and moral responsibility to join the frontlines of the coronavirus response, so we bootstrapped and moved up the opening of our first clinic in Harlem. During March and April in NYC, it often felt like the world was ending. I have a distinct memory of driving down Fifth Avenue to pick up equipment for our Harlem location and there were no other people in sight. That said, the impact we were able to have during May and June was inspirational for the entire team — we identified several treatable cancers in women without symptoms that otherwise would have been missed if we did not provide comprehensive preventive care while most physician offices in the neighborhood were closed.Read the full interview here.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:

  • October 27: Virtual: Functions.NYC: What’s Next for Transportation in NYC, with Transportation Alternatives executive director Danny Harris. Hosted by Tech:NYC. (Details)

  • October 28: Virtual: Ask Me Anything Live, with Imagine it Forward author and former GE Vice Chair Beth Comstock. Hosted by Betaworks Studios. (Details)

  • October 28: Virtual: Cornell Tech @ Bloomberg: In Conversation with Inspired Capital managing partner Alexa von Tobel. 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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