Tech:NYC Digest: October 30

Tech:NYC Digest: October 30

October 30, 2020 • Estimated Reading Time: 10 minutes

Friday, October 30, 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 daily case count hits new high, surpassing last week; early voting hours are extended this weekend following massive turnout; NYC companies look to new office perks to encourage employees back in the building; have a safe, socially-distanced, and, of course, spooky Halloween!

Confirmed Cases:

  • New York State: 505,431 (+2,255)

  • New York City: 262,510 (+903)

  • Statewide Fatalities: 25,804 (+12)

  • Daily NYC Infection Rate: 1.5 percent (+0.1 percent)

General Updates:

  • The US has surpassed nine million total coronavirus cases. (New York TImes) And with that comes another grim milestone: the US again set a single-day record of new coronavirus cases on Thursday with more than 89,000 known infections, surpassing the previous record set last Friday. (Washington Post)

  • Rates in NYC are also “worrisome,” says Mayor de Blasio as the positivity rate inches closer to two percent — a level not seen since early September. (POLITICO) Sixty-seven of the city’s 117 zip codes now have positivity rates over two percent. (Gothamist)

  • Internal documents from the US Dept. of Health and Human Services detail specific strains and limitations on hospitals in hotspot zones nationwide — information that could help localities allocate resources and better understand their community’s healthcare needs as they respond to rising cases. Instead of releasing the data, the government kept it hidden. (NPR)

  • Counting votes by mail actually involves several steps, and several swing states won’t even start the process until Election Day. (New York counts ballots upon receipt.) Here’s a good interactive on how it all works. (New York Times) The key takeaway: don’t expect a declared winner on Tuesday night, or even next week at all.

  • Here’s the latest early voting totals as we go into the weekend: 82 million nationwide and more than 700,000 in NYC.

  • And lastly, don’t forget to turn your clocks back for Daylight Savings Time. (Vox) Consider this our endorsement of just ditching it.

One “read” you need, trust us: Election Distractor (New York Times)

The latest results: We’re exactly one week away from Election Day, and if you’re like us, you’re feeling overwhelmed. How would you describe your emotional state right now?

Today’s poll: The US has counted more than 82 million votes so far, indicating promising turnout for the 2020 election. (Texas and Hawaii have already surpassed their total turnout in the 2016 election.) Whether via mail or in-person, have you already voted?

  • *|SURVEY: Yes|*

  • *|SURVEY: No|*

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

Reopening:

  • Important voting deadline to note: early voting in New York ends on Sunday. In NYC, polling site hours have been expanded for the weekend — drop your ballot off or vote in-person today and tomorrow until 5pm, or Sunday 7am – 4pm.

  • And here’s what to expect for Halloween festivities this weekend:

    • Trick-or-treating will be allowed in NYC, but it should only be done outdoors and not inside apartment buildings. (Some New Jersey towns, on the other hand, banned trick-or-treating.) (NBC New York)

    • Candy-givers should find safer ways to pass out sweets to trick-or-treaters, like making individual to-go bags to avoid communal bowls or other contact. (New York Magazine)

    • Haunted houses across the state are open, but observing safety protocols like temperature checks and limited capacity. The CDC, however, has classified haunted houses and similar indoor activities as “higher risk.” (CNET)

    • Here’s a good roundup of other safe ways for kids to celebrate this year.

  • But given the climbing positivity rates in NYC, Mayor de Blasio vowed increased enforcement in shutting down Halloween parties and large gatherings they become aware of. (New York Post)

Related reading:

  • When Trick-or-Treating Is Scary, for Real (New York Times)

  • 49 Best Halloween Movies for those staying home to celebrate this year (The Cut)

Working:

  • Facebook is giving its employees the entire week of Thanksgiving off, in an apparent effort to reward all the work they’ve done during “unprecedented challenges.” (CNBC)

  • Some NYC companies are offering more incentives to workers who are required to return to the office. (New York Times) Among them: free, individually packaged lunch that workers can take back to their desks; discounted parking garage costs and subsidized commuting costs; and onsite learning pods for employees’ children.

  • From mid-March to mid-September, Americans spent an estimated 60 million fewer hours commuting to and from work each day, but most people said they used the reclaimed time to work more. (Wall Street Journal) Paradoxically, they simultaneously said that, overall, they worked less — 36.4 hours a week working before the pandemic, compared with 32 hours during the pandemic. One explanation is that employees might be working during their traditional commuting time but taking more breaks during the day, perhaps because of responsibilities such as child care.

Related reading:

  • Best practices for our Work-From-Anywhere Future (Harvard Business Review)

  • WFH or Work at the Office — More Tech Employees Can Now Choose (WIRED)

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 5: Virtual: What Does the Presidential Election Mean for NYC?, with ABNY CEO Melva Miller, Citizens Budget Commission president Andrew Rein, and more. Hosted by Crain’s. (Details)

  • November 17: Virtual: What’s Next for Policing and Public Safety, with Center for Policing Equity co-founder Tracie Keessee and Elucd CEO Michael Simon. Hosted by Tech:NYC. (Details)

Check these sources for verified information from government agencies and public health authorities:

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