In a huge potential shift in the fight against the coronavirus, the Biden administration is considering using federal regulatory powers and the threat of withholding federal funds from institutions to push more Americans to get vaccinated.
Meanwhile, Novavax said Thursday that the federal government would not fund further production of its vaccine until the company resolves concerns of federal regulators about its work.
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Expedia stock falls amid renewed concern about spread of virus
Shares of the Seattle-based Expedia Group fell in extended trading after executives suggested a “bumpy” future ahead, a sign that rising COVID-19 cases caused by the delta variant have damped confidence in the travel industry.
While the company saw “continued improvement in many global travel segments,” Chief Executive Officer Peter Kern offered a cautionary note for the near future.
“Unfortunately, the road to full travel recovery remains bumpy until more of the world is vaccinated,” Kern said in a statement Thursday with the company’s quarterly results. Shares declined about 6% after closing at $161.69 in New York. The stock has gained 22% this year.
The spread of the delta variant reduced travel in July compared with June, spurred a rise in cancellation rates and “there remains a bunch of unknowns across the globe,” Kern said in a conference call after the results were released.
In New York City, impending vaccination rules prompt concern
Michael Musto can’t bring himself to ask his regulars at his Staten Island restaurant, Cargo Cafe, to prove they’ve been vaccinated against the coronavirus.
So if New York City presses on with its plans to require eateries and many other public gathering places to require proof of vaccination to be inside, he will again shutter his dining room and move operations outside.
“I just don’t see myself doing that, asking for proof,” Musto said. Barely half of his neighborhood’s residents have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to city statistics. Some remain defiant about getting vaccinated, even amid a new surge in infections in the city.
“But now do I have to turn my customers away? Do I have to turn business away?” Musto asked.
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Tuesday that later this month the city will begin requiring anyone dining indoors at a restaurant, working out a gym or grabbing cocktails at a bar to show proof they’ve been inoculated. Workers at such establishments would also have to prove that they’ve had at least one shot of an approved vaccine.
The move is being closely watched by other U.S. communities — perhaps as a model but also as a possible example of governmental overreach.
CNN fires three employees for coming to the office unvaccinated
CNN fired three employees for coming to the office unvaccinated.
The cable news channel has mandated that all employees working in its offices or in the field be fully vaccinated. In a memo to staff Thursday, President Jeff Zucker said the network has “a zero-tolerance policy on this” and fired the three after learning this past week that they were coming to the office unvaccinated.
“You need to be vaccinated to come to the office,” he said. “And you need to be vaccinated to work in the field, with other employees, regardless of whether you enter an office or not. Period.”
CNN had thus far relied on an “honor system” and hasn’t required employees to show proof they’ve been inoculated. In the weeks ahead, providing evidence of vaccination may become a formal process across CNN’s parent company, AT&T’s WarnerMedia, Zucker said.
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