People who have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19 can safely gather indoors with other fully vaccinated people — and some unvaccinated people — without wearing masks or social distancing, according to new guidance released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday. The CDC said everyone should still refrain from traveling, even if they’re vaccinated. Travel industry groups and labor unions on Monday urged the Biden administration to issue guidelines for Covid-19 vaccine passports to create a uniform system that will help customers feel comfortable with booking trips again.
Covid live updates: Vaccines will be available for everyone in Hong Kong by year’s end, says health secretary
This is CNBC’s live blog covering all the latest news on the coronavirus outbreak. This blog will be updated throughout the day as the news breaks.
The U.S. is recording at least 58,100 new Covid-19 cases and at least 1,5600 virus-related deaths each day, based on a seven-day average calculated by CNBC using Johns Hopkins University data.
The following data was compiled by Johns Hopkins University:
Global cases: More than 117.25 million
Global deaths: At least 2.60 million
U.S. cases: More than 29.04 million
U.S. deaths: At least 525,904
Pfizer vaccine neutralizes Brazil and U.K. Covid variants, lab study finds
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There’s new optimism surrounding Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine’s ability to fight against the rapidly spreading new variants. CNBC’s Meg Tirrell reports.
What employees miss most about the office while they’re working from home
As much as workers have enjoyed the benefits of telecommuting during the pandemic, some things just aren’t the same.
After a year of working from home, employees miss talking to other adults most of all, according to a recent report by management consultancy Seyfarth at Work.
Lunches and happy hours with colleagues, more daily structure and fewer interruptions by children also ranked high in the poll of more than 500 workers from companies of all sizes.
Even 16% of respondents said they missed their daily commute, noted Philippe Weiss, president of Seyfarth at Work. The commute allows workers to transition in and out of the workday, he said, underscoring the loss of boundaries between work and home over the last year.
Still, more than half of employees surveyed said that, given the option, they would want to keep working from home at least part of the time after the coronavirus crisis subsides, according to a separate survey by the Pew Research Center.
—Jessica Dickler
Everyone in Hong Kong will be able to get vaccine by year end, says health secretary
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Sophia Chan, Hong Kong’s secretary for food and health, said she is confident that everyone in Hong Kong will be able to get their Covid vaccination by the end of the year.
—Melodie Warner
Antiviral drugs in development show promise in Covid fight
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CNBC’s Meg Tirrell reports on antiviral drugs that are also showing a lot of promise in the fight against Covid.
—Melodie Warner
Former Spirit Airlines CEO questions why CDC cautions against travel
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Former Spirit Airlines CEO Ben Baldanza questions why the CDC’s new guidelines allow some indoor gatherings for fully vaccinated people but don’t recommend people travel.
—Melodie Warner
Dick’s Sporting Goods predicts slowing sales in year ahead
A Dick’s Sporting Goods store on May 20, 2014, in Niles, Illinois.
Getty Images
As Americans hiked, played golf and worked out at home during the pandemic, those habits lifted Dick’s Sporting Goods’ sales.
The retailer topped Wall Street’s estimates for fourth-quarter earnings, but it warned those dynamics and the pace of its sales growth may slow in the year ahead.
The company estimated that its same-store sales could decline as much as 2% or grow by as much as 2% in the year ahead, a significant drop from same-store sales growth of nearly 10% in fiscal 2020. It estimated net sales for the year ahead will range between $9.54 billion and $9.94 billion, roughly flat with its net sales of $9.58 billion in fiscal 2020.
Along with waning tailwinds from the pandemic, Dick’s faces tougher competition in the activewear space as retailers, including Target, Kohl’s, Gap-owned Athleta and Lululemon, all vie for more market share.
Dick’s said it will increase investments in the year ahead to between $275 million and $300 million, higher than its total capital expenditures of $167 million and $180 million in fiscal 2020 and fiscal 2019, respectively.
—Melissa Repko
Women’s employment disproportionately hurt by pandemic, says EY
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The pandemic exposed the structural vulnerability of women as many were employed in sectors — such as retail and hospitality — that were hit the hardest, said Nobuko Kobayashi of consulting firm EY.
—Melodie Warner
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