How San Francisco plans to trace every coronavirus case and contact

Stop covid or save the economy? We can do both  

Sponsored by Insight The Download Your daily dose of what’s up in emerging technology 04.09.20 Good morning! Today: how San Francisco plans to track and trace all coronavirus infections, stop covid-19 or save the economy is a false choice, and how months at sea prepared one woman for lockdown on land. Get your friends to sign up here to get The Download every day. How San Francisco plans to trace every coronavirus case and contact The news: In one of the first such efforts in the US, San Francisco is assembling a task force to interview and trace the interactions of all people who test positive for covid-19. The goal is to find who gave it to them and whom they may have given it to, in the hopes of isolating infected patients, alerting those potentially exposed, and ultimately halting transmissions. Why it matters: How the Bay Area does it, and whether that effort can help slow the current spread and prevent major additional outbreaks, could provide crucial lessons—or warnings. It saw some of the first covid-19 cases in the US as well as early signs it was spreading in the community, and became the first state to shut down. The measures appear to have helped “flatten the curve.” A problem: The Bay Area’s success in slowing the spread may also mean that a large portion of its population isn’t immune, making the area especially susceptible to reintroduction of the disease from areas that didn’t respond quickly to the dangers. Ramping up testing will also be critical for effective contact tracing. It’s mostly an arduous manual task, but there are some tools and technologies that can help, if we’re able to convince a critical mass of the population to use them. Read the full story.  —James Temple Stop covid or save the economy? We can do both  Contrary to what you’ve heard, shutting down the country is also the quickest way to get it started back up again, writes David Rotman. The debate: Amid terrifying jobless figures and predictions that US GDP could drop as much as 30% or 50% by summer, Trump warned against letting “the cure be worse than the problem itself” and suggested getting the country reopened by Easter. He backed off from that stance, but his essential argument remained: that in the coronavirus pandemic, there is an agonizing trade-off between saving the economy and saving lives. Evidence from research, however, shows that this is a false dichotomy. The best way to limit the economic damage will be to save as many lives as possible. Why?: An unchecked pandemic would itself be hugely destructive to economic activity. If tens of millions of people become sick and millions die, the economy suffers, and not just because the workforce is being depleted. Widespread fear is bad for business: consumers won’t flock back to restaurants, book air travel, or spend on activities that might put them at risk of getting sick. That said: For every day that normal economic activity is shut down, a huge number of Americans won’t be earning an income. People losing low-wage service jobs were already experiencing skyrocketing mortality rates from what economists have begun calling “deaths of despair,” caused by alcoholism, drug abuse, and suicide. The coming crash could make things much worse. But until we have widespread testing, we cannot lift the restrictions. Read the full story.  How months at sea prepared me for lockdown on land Ten years ago, I ran away to sea. My stepfather, who had aggressive dementia, had been sent to a secure unit. I had a book to write. So once I felt sure enough about my mother’s safety, I departed for 9,288 nautical miles on a container ship, the Maersk Kendal. Its journey from Europe to Asia would take five weeks, and I would be the only passenger. This was no cruise ship: there would be no organized entertainment, fancy restaurants, or on-board cinema. And back in 2010, there was no Wi-Fi, no TV, and only dial-up emails sent once a day through the captain’s account, plus an expensive satellite phone that I used once to check that my mother was okay. What, my friends said, would I do? How would I fill all that time?  Today, I am marooned in my house because of coronavirus. This is only the second time I have had my freedom truly restricted. Perhaps the first experience has trained me for the second? Read Rose’s story. Check out our latest Deep Tech podcast. This one is about how we are entering the era of satellite mega-constellations, but so far there are no rules for how to avoid collisions in orbit.  We can still have nice things A place for comfort, fun and distraction in these weird times. (Got any ideas? Drop me a line or tweet 'em at me.)   + One day you will fly again. For now, there’s this.   + A Facebook group where Russians post art, isolation style.   + Watch a Radiohead gig today.   + Zoo Miami shared photos of clouded leopard kittens and omg.   + There’s no one for this toddler to say hello to but that isn’t stopping him.   + Aw, skunks sound adorable.  Sponsor Message Expert-led webinar: 5 Steps to Transformation in 2020 70% of companies either have a digital transformation strategy in place or are currently working on one. But digital transformation is about more than just technology — it’s about helping people embrace new ways of working. Join Insight Digital Innovation experts for our upcoming webinar, 5 Steps to Digital Transformation, and get an inside look at the steps required to prepare, empower and manage digital transformation in 2020 and beyond. Learn more and register today. The top ten must-reads I’ve combed the internet to find you today’s most fun/important/scary/fascinating stories about technology. 1 America might survive coronavirus. But will the election? We’re going to need to expand voting by mail from 20% to 100%, very quickly. (TR) 2 The public should wear masks, but not at the expense of healthcare workers Unfortunately, that isn’t how most societies distribute resources. (The Economist $)   + Why do we demand so much proof for masks, as opposed to hand washing? (Wired $)   + People are hawking dodgy masks on Instagram. (WSJ $) 3 Gigs have gone online, and they’re more intimate than ever  Music is one of the greatest tonics right now. (Vox) 4 Facebook has a new social network just for two It’s pitched at teens and long distance couples. (TR) 5 Twitter is doing a terrible job on coronavirus misinformation Over half of false claims are still up, without a warning label. (WP $) 6 Google has banned Zoom from employees’ devices Another customer bites the dust. (Buzzfeed)   + Also the US Senate. (FT $)   + Germany’s foreign ministry has done the same. (Reuters)   + Zoom is hiding meeting IDs from the title bar. (The Verge)   + Hackers are probing Zoom for any possible vulnerability. (Vice)   + Zoom’s CEO said he hadn’t “seriously” thought about online harassment until now. (NPR) 7 Social distancing enforcement drones have come to the US  Police departments in Florida and New Jersey have just started using them. (New York Magazine) 8 Doctors’ advice videos present a tricky challenge for YouTube  Not all “experts” are actually experts. (Bloomberg) 9 We’re still celebrating Passover and Easter... on video calls Religious ceremonies, and countless family gatherings, have moved online. (The Verge) 10 We may have spotted a parallel universe going backwards in time 🤯🤯 (New Scientist $) EmTech Next is going virtual.  If digital transformation is part of your day-to-day work life, EmTech Next, our virtual conference on the technologies driving business, is where you want to be. Book your ticket today.  Quote of the day “No words can give you any idea of what we are living through here. We are devastated.” —Anna Zanotti, head nurse in a hospital unit in Bergamo, talks to the New York Times. Top image credit: JUSTIN SULLIVAN | GETTY IMAGES Please send your favorite Radiohead track to hi@technologyreview.com. Follow me on Twitter at @charlottejee. Thanks for reading! —Charlotte Was this newsletter forwarded to you, and you'd like to see more? Sign up for free Get unlimited access to online stories. 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We feel this one could save some lives about the Red Cross