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-   -   How Is Covid-19 Impacting Life in Your City? (https://skyscraperpage.com/forum/showthread.php?t=242036)

Pedestrian Jul 26, 2021 1:36 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by JManc (Post 9349937)
The Powell Street 'turnaround' is pretty cool. Spent about 2 hours just watching 2 guys manually rotating 5 ton cable cars.
To get the thread a little back on track, that spot (the cable car "turnaround") is kind of my "tell" on how the local tourist industry is doing post-covid/lockdown. For the height of the tourist season, which we are now in, a week or 2 ago when I was last there there still weren't any lines of tourists which is striking. On the other hand, things seem a lot better on my other "tell": The load factor of "Big Busses":

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pr...QQmviAhIdiUB4H
https://www.imcdb.org/v848699.html

Pedestrian Jul 26, 2021 1:40 AM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Camelback (Post 9349901)
Ok cool, that's what I thought. I was going off memory from a tour I took in SF years ago.

Maybe your explanation will help Nite realize why SF hasn't "gotten rid of" cable cars for modern day street cars.
This is the rather amazing "powerhouse" where the cables that, as craigs said, are continuously being pulled under the street, get set in motion:

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...%282016%29.jpg

iheartthed Jul 26, 2021 4:46 PM
Vaccination or weekly testing will be mandated for all New York City employees in September:

Quote:
New York City will require municipal workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19 by mid-September, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Monday. Those who don’t will have to take weekly tests instead.

The policy, which will apply to roughly 340,000 city employees, including police officers, teachers and firefighters, dovetails with a broader push for vaccine mandates in the city as the highly contagious delta variant of the coronavirus sparks renewed national concern.

Workers will have to show proof of vaccination by Sept. 13, the first full day of school in the city. Those who decline will have to get tested once a week, de Blasio said. Unvaccinated city staffers who work indoors will also have to wear a face mask at all times.

“Either get vaccinated, which is far preferable, or get tested once a week,” the mayor said at a press conference rolling out the policy. “This is about our recovery. This is about what we need to to do bring back New York City. This is about keeping people safe. This is about making sure our families get through COVID OK. This is about jobs, you name it.”

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/new-y...b0d2a22d4dc036

homebucket Jul 26, 2021 5:11 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by iheartthed (Post 9350364)
Vaccination or weekly testing will be mandated for all New York City employees in September:
What's the current vaccination rate for these folks?

iheartthed Jul 26, 2021 5:57 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by homebucket (Post 9350388)
What's the current vaccination rate for these folks?
They don't know for sure, but it's probably not above 50%. One major area of focus has been the apparently low vaccination rate within the NYPD. The department says that it has only vaccinated 43% of the department, but it's possible that workers received the vaccine other ways.

Crawford Jul 26, 2021 6:03 PM
I can't imagine the vaccination rate for city employees is below the overall vaccination rate, which is over 70%. City employees tend to be older, more nonwhite and more left-leaning than overall population, which suggests high vax. Also, the most anti-vax group, the Hasidic population, isn't heavily represented in city govt.

Yeah, cops are probably an exception.

iheartthed Jul 26, 2021 6:20 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by Crawford (Post 9350457)
I can't imagine the vaccination rate for city employees is below the overall vaccination rate, which is over 70%. City employees tend to be older, more nonwhite and more left-leaning than overall population, which suggests high vax. Also, the most anti-vax group, the Hasidic population, isn't heavily represented in city govt.

Yeah, cops are probably an exception.
Nonwhite vaccination rate in NYC lags whites.

Pedestrian Jul 26, 2021 8:32 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by iheartthed (Post 9350364)
Vaccination or weekly testing will be mandated for all New York City employees in September:
Also workers for the state of California and the VA nationally:

Quote:
California requires state employees and health workers to show COVID vaccination proof
Aidin Vaziri
July 26, 2021
Updated: July 26, 2021 1:17 p.m.

California has become the first state to require all state employees and health care workers to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination or get tested weekly, as the highly infectious delta variant drives new coronavirus infections steeply upward.

Under the new guidance Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Monday in Oakland, state workers must either show proof of vaccination or undergo regular testing and wear a mask indoors.

“Too many people have chosen to live with this virus,” Newsom said. “We’re at a point in this pandemic where an individual’s choice not to get vaccinated is now impacting the rest of us in a profound and devastating and deadly way.”

Previously, state workers and public and private health care employees could “self-attest” to their vaccination status.

California plans to implement the new health order on Aug. 9, with full compliance expected by Aug. 21.

Newsom said 246,000 Californians are state employees, and added, “246,000 Californians should be vaccinated.”

Those who can not verify that they are vaccinated will be required to be tested weekly, he said.

The state will also partner with health care providers to apply the same rules to the 2 million health care workers in California’s public and private sectors.

In health care settings, coronavirus testing will be required twice a week for individuals who fail to show proof that they are vaccinated. That includes acute care and skilled nursing centers.

Those who are not vaccinated in health care settings additionally must wear an N95 respirator mask at work . . . .

Over the weekend, the state saw an average of about 7,500 cases reported per day; the seven-day average is now above 6,400 cases per day, state officials reported. That equates to 9.6 cases per 100,000 people, compared to May 15 when the state was at 1.9 cases per 100,000.

But those who are unvaccinated are testing positive at a much higher rate than people who have received the shots . . . .

The new policy stops short of a mandate as Newsom faces a September recall election significantly focused on his handling of the pandemic, and effectively kicks the ball back to local governments and the business sector, where state officials said employers can apply their own vaccination mandates should they wish to do so.

Newsom noted some business groups are requiring verification of vaccination, and he cited the Bay Area where many bars require vaccination for entry. “We encourage that in the private sector across the spectrum,” the Democratic governor said.

. . . the Department of Veterans Affairs on Monday became the first major federal agency to require health care workers to get COVID-19 vaccines . . . .
https://www.sfchronicle.com/health/a...f-16340506.php

eschaton Jul 26, 2021 8:36 PM
I believe it has more to do with the nationwide shortage of workers in the service industry than anything else, but I have noticed that lots of businesses are keeping weirdly short hours still now.

On hot summer days, I really like having an iced tea while I walk home after work (caffeine doesn't affect me much). But every single coffeeshop along my normal walking commute either closed entirely during the pandemic, or closes by 4.

The chain coffeeshop near my work (not a Starbucks) seems to be only staffed by one woman with an Eastern European accent. It was closed entirely for a week when she presumably wasn't available.

This Saturday, my wife and daughter were getting haircuts, and I had time to kill. I figured this was a great time to try out a new restaurant only open for lunch the next neighborhood over. But it was closed - on Saturday at noon. It's only open on Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays for lunch. Stopped by a bakery to get my son a cookie instead - which was only open four hours a day three days a week.

I could go on with more stories, but it's really striking to me how limited these hours are. Oddly I don't see the same thing with sit-down bars/restaurants - they seem to have pretty full service hours. Maybe the difference comes down to tips making these more desirable?

Pedestrian Jul 26, 2021 8:51 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by eschaton (Post 9350681)
I don't see the same thing with sit-down bars/restaurants - they seem to have pretty full service hours. Maybe the difference comes down to tips making these more desirable?
Quote:
Why one of San Francisco's busiest restaurants is closed for a 'mental health break'
Elena Kadvany
July 20, 2021
Updated: July 21, 2021 3:46 p.m.

Popular San Francisco restaurant the Morris is busier than ever. Tables are booked every night. It has even limited the number of reservations due to the demand. But this week, owner Paul Einbund did something he never thought he’d do: He closed his restaurant for four days to give his staff what he called a desperately needed “mental health break.”

Restaurant owners across the country have been struggling to hire workers amid a labor shortage, and the Morris is no different. The Portrero Flats restaurant, known for its wine list, high-quality service and whole smoked duck, is understaffed, and the employees who are there are overworked. Despite slimming down the menu to be less labor intensive, stopping to-go service, cutting the Morris’ hours from six to five days a week and keeping the bar closed, Einbund knows service is suffering. And so is his staff . . . .

Restaurants are doing what they can to adapt to the labor shortage: shortening hours, using ordering kiosks and technology to fill in for human beings, adding fees and raising pay to attract employees — while managing the expectations of customers eager to dine out after more than a year. The owners of Palo Alto bar Sun of Wolf are sharing staff with their parents, who run nearby Mexican restaurants, and paying for Ubers to shuttle employees from one business to another. In Massachusetts, the owners of one restaurant reached their boiling point with rude customers last week and decided to close for a “day of kindness” for their staff. (While the Morris is closed this week, salaried staff will be paid while hourly employees were given the option between taking vacation days or paid time off.)

[At The Morris] "the team is still working their butts off. Even though we went down to five days a week, it’s too many hours in the day. It’s too exhausting. We just don’t have enough hands."
https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/art...s-16327206.php

Pedestrian Jul 26, 2021 8:56 PM
Quote:
As more workers fall ill, Bay Area restaurateurs weigh a dramatic step: banning the unvaccinated
Janelle Bitker
July 23, 2021
Updated: July 26, 2021 11:39 a.m.

Bay Area restaurants are seeing reservations drop, with diners citing the highly contagious delta variant as their reason for canceling. Fully vaccinated employees are getting sick, forcing temporary closures at a rate that hasn’t been seen since early in the pandemic. Now, owners are debating what to do next.

A growing number of restaurants and bars have become vaccination-only establishments, requiring diners to flash their vaccine cards upon entry. But others say it’s not so easy due to logistics and potential customer backlash. Instead, they’re contemplating alternative measures like shutting down their indoor dining rooms, requiring double masks for staff or simply waiting to see how the new vaccine requirements play out at other businesses.

Owners already requiring proof of vaccination say it’s an effort to get somewhat out ahead of the delta variant since there’s still no official guidance from government agencies beyond a mask recommendation. Mayor London Breed said her office doesn’t have immediate plans to mandate that businesses require patrons to show proof of vaccination but is exploring “all options.” The Golden Gate Restaurant Association, the city’s restaurant industry group, is surveying members on the issue . . . .

“The whole idea is to keep our staff, who is completely vaccinated, safe and to keep people coming in safe,” said Marc Zimmerman, owner of San Francisco’s Gozu. The high-end restaurant started requiring proof of vaccination on Wednesday. “If we can get ahead and do a little self-policing — I’d hate to think about a shutdown at this point, but who knows?”

Restaurants are already feeling the financial hit of cautious diners canceling reservations. At Gozu, reservations were down by 60% this week compared to last week. On a normal Friday night, the restaurant draws about 50 reservations but this week has just 10. Zimmerman said diners who canceled by phone specifically said it was because of the delta variant.

Meanwhile, the no-show rate Wednesday at San Francisco Peruvian destination La Mar was almost 20%, abnormally high. At Oakland hot spot Sister, reservations were down by about 30% that day.

Earlier this week, Matt Reagan, co-owner of Oakland restaurants Palmetto and the Kon-Tiki, likened the vibe to March 2020. “You can see the storm is coming and no one has the courage to sound the alarm,” said Reagan, who instituted a vaccine policy in the hope of showing that his restaurants were taking the pandemic seriously . . . .
https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/res...s-16335415.php

JManc Jul 26, 2021 9:03 PM
^ I have zero issues with screening those who are unvaccinated...in theory...but what happens when a patron reacts in a less than adult manner. We had people overreacting (and becoming violent) because they refused to wear masks and were turned away.

Plus, the act of screening and checking vaccine cards takes time.

Pedestrian Jul 26, 2021 9:23 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by JManc (Post 9350706)
^ I have zero issues with screening those who are unvaccinated...in theory...but what happens when a patron reacts in a less than adult manner. We had people overreacting (and becoming violent) because they refused to wear masks and were turned away.

Plus, the act of screening and checking vaccine cards takes time.
Great employment opportunity for really BIG bouncer wanna-bees.

chris08876 Jul 26, 2021 11:01 PM
COVID-19: NYC Workers Get Vaccinated or Take Weekly Tests As Delta Spikes | NBC New York

• Video Link

Quote:
Mayor Bill de Blasio expanded New York City's vaccine mandate to include all city workers on Monday. Starting this fall, employees who have not provided proof of COVID-19 vaccination must test weekly for the virus.

Unvaccinated workers will have until Sept. 13 to complete their vaccine series or opt for a virus test each week. But before that deadline kicks in, the mayor said unvaccinated workers must wear a mask at work starting Aug. 2.

The new vaccine mandate begins with city employees who work in congregate settings. That group, roughly 45,000 workers, will have to start testing weekly if they have not received their dose of the vaccine by Aug. 16.

"This is about our recovery. This is about keeping people safe, making sure our families get through COVID okay," de Blasio said. "September is the pivot point of the recovery, September is when many employers are bringing back a lot of their employees. It's when schools start full-strength, it's when people come back from summer."

Pedestrian Jul 27, 2021 2:02 AM
Quote:
U.S. Set to Push Global Economy Over the Recovery Line
By Paul Hannon
July 25, 2021 10:00 am ET

The U.S. economy likely returned to its late-2019 size during the three months through June, helping to lift global output above its pre-pandemic level for the first time.

Economists surveyed by The Wall Street Journal estimate that figures to be released Thursday will show that the U.S. gross domestic product rose at an 8.5% seasonally adjusted annual rate in the second quarter. That likely left U.S. GDP—the value of all goods and services produced across the economy, adjusted for seasonality and inflation—above the $19.2 trillion level reached in the final quarter of 2019, the last before the spread of Covid-19 pushed large parts of the global economy to shut down and contract, they say.

The combined economic output of the Group of 20 leading economies exceeded its pre-pandemic level in the first quarter, according to estimates by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. With the U.S. and a number of other large economies crossing that threshold in the second quarter, it is likely that global output is now higher than the level recorded in the final quarter before the coronavirus struck, the group says.

Europe’s economy, however, likely remains smaller than before the pandemic, according to the European Commission, while the spread of the new Delta variant of the coronavirus across Asia threatens to slow its recovery in the second half of the year . . . .

According to the European Commission, the combined economic output of the European Union’s 27 members will return to its precrisis level in the final quarter of this year. But individual countries will get there sooner than others, depending on how much their economies count on tourism and related services, which were more hobbled by the pandemic’s effects than manufacturing and other heavy industries.

The commission said that Poland might already have recovered in the second quarter and is likely to be followed in the third quarter by Germany. What the two have in common is a relatively large factory sector that has benefited from the global surge in demand for goods during the pandemic, when households sharply curtailed their spending on in-person services . . . .

By contrast, the Commission expects Spain and Italy to recover only in the third quarter of next year. Both countries have large tourism sectors, and broader hospitality industries . . . .

India offers the clearest recent example of the economic cost of a fresh surge in infections through a largely unvaccinated population. Of all the G-20’s members, India suffered the largest economic contraction during the second quarter of 2020, but bounced back strongly to end the first three months of this year with output 2.7% higher than its pre-pandemic level.

But the pandemic and government restrictions returned with a vengeance in the second quarter of this year, driven by the fast-spreading Delta variant, with the result that surveys of purchasing managers point to declines in services activity throughout the three-month period, and even in manufacturing toward its end.

Across Asia more broadly, new restrictions are being imposed as infections rise . . . .

“Asia may fall behind in returning to normality.”
https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-set..._pos2#cxrecs_s

the urban politician Jul 27, 2021 3:55 AM
Well, my wife and I are headed to Lollapalooza this Saturday!! :tup:

Pedestrian Jul 27, 2021 10:09 PM
Quote:
Cal State mandates COVID-19 vaccinations for students, staff this fall
Omar Shaikh Rashad
July 27, 2021
Updated: July 27, 2021 1:20 p.m.

The California State University system said Tuesday that it will require in-person faculty, students and staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19 before classes begin in the fall.

The announcement comes six days after CSU professors penned an open letter — which garnered around 1,400 signatures from Cal State faculty members — urging CSU Chancellor Joseph Castro to mandate vaccines in the fall. The professors expressed concern about waiting for the Food and Drug Administration to issue a full authorization for the vaccines before mandating COVID-19 inoculations . . . .
https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/...r-16343312.php

Acajack Jul 27, 2021 10:15 PM
Another impact: reduced business hours and a very slow return to normal hours.

My wife and I are off work right now and looking to eat out a lot, and we're running into lots of places that are closed.

A few days ago we were in a popular resort area not too far from here and found numerous places were closed on Monday and Tuesday, in the middle of what is normally peak tourist season.

Today we were back home and looking to go out for lunch, and tons of places that would all be open for lunch on a weekday were all closed.

The place we ended up going to, at around 1:45, was full but we got a table.

JManc Jul 27, 2021 10:46 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by the urban politician (Post 9351109)
Well, my wife and I are headed to Lollapalooza this Saturday!! :tup:
Lollapalooza? 1995 called and wants their music back.

the urban politician Jul 27, 2021 10:47 PM
Quote:
Originally Posted by JManc (Post 9351726)
Lollapalooza? 1995 called and wants their music back.
I recommend checking out their music lineup. It’s not 1995


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