Airbnb will let employees work from home through August 2021
From CNN’s Brian Fung
The Airbnb logo is seen displayed on a smartphone on May 24, 2019. Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket/Getty Images
Airbnb is the latest company to signal that it is bracing for a long pandemic, telling employees they can work from home through next summer, even if their offices reopen before then.
The hospitality company said in a statement that it wants to give its workers “flexibility and choice.”
"We are offering this remote working extension to give employees the ability to plan further ahead and make the choices they need around school calendars, being closer to family, caring for vulnerable family members, and other personal decisions,” Airbnb said. "We are fortunate that our employees are able to perform their jobs from home, and we are supporting them as they do so."
10:31 a.m. ET, August 26, 2020
Dr. Sanjay Gupta answers viewer questions on the updated CDC guidelines
From CNN's Melissa Mahtani
In a shift that perplexed some doctors, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has changed its Covid-19 testing guidelines to say some people without symptoms may not need to be tested, even if they've been in close contact with someone known to have the virus.
Previously, the CDC said viral testing was appropriate for people with recent or suspected exposure, even if they were asymptomatic.
CNN's Dr. Sanjay Gupta is answering viewer questions on this latest guidance and the virus in general.
Watch here:
9:57 a.m. ET, August 26, 2020
Georgia state legislators "urge" Gov. Kemp to issue a statewide mask mandate
From CNN’s Lindsay Benson
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp speaks at a press conference on August 10 in Atlanta. Elijah Nouvelage/Getty Images
Democratic State Legislators in Georgia issued a press release Wednesday morning to "urge Gov. Brian Kemp to issue a statewide mandate requiring masks or face coverings in public."
“If we can prevent just one person from contracting COVID-19 or even one person from dying by mandating the wearing of masks statewide, why wouldn’t we do so? Perhaps doing so will help us get this pandemic under control," State Representative Rhonda Burnough said in the statement.
State Representative Shelly Hutchinson also said in the statement, “we now know that President Donald Trump’s White House Coronavirus Task Force has called for our governor to show leadership and implement a statewide mask mandate. This should not be controversial.”
9:30 a.m. ET, August 26, 2020
World Economic Forum in Davos rescheduled to summer 2021 due to coronavirus
From CNN's Rob North
Participants sit near a window during the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Davos, on January 23. Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Images
The World Economic Forum in Davos will be rescheduled next year due to coronavirus. The meeting, which is normally held in January, will now be held in the summer.
In a statement WEF said, “The decision was not taken easily, since the need for global leaders to come together to design a common recovery path and shape the “Great Reset” in the post-COVID-19 era is so urgent. However, the advice from experts is that we cannot do so safely in January.”
WEF will now hold a series of Davos Dialogues in the week of Jan. 25, where key global leaders can share their views on the state of the world in 2021.
9:21 a.m. ET, August 26, 2020
New Jersey gyms can reopen at 25% capacity starting in September, governor says
From CNN's Kristina Sgueglia
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy announced Wednesday that gyms can reopen at 25% capacity on Sept. 1.
Masks will be required, the governor tweeted.
Read his tweet:
9:23 a.m. ET, August 26, 2020
Bed Bath & Beyond is laying off 2,800 employees
From CNN’s Jordan Valinsky
A customer enters a Bed Bath & Beyond store on July 9 in Larkspur, California. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
Bed Bath & Beyond is eliminating 2,800 jobs effective immediately, as the troubled retailer tries to streamline its operations and shore up its finances amid the pandemic.
The significant reduction of corporate employees and retail workers will help Bed Bath & Beyond save $150 million in annual pretax cost savings, the company said Tuesday. As of February, the retailer had 55,000 employees, so the cuts amount to 5% of its total workforce.
Tuesday's "action forms part of a series of changes we are making to reduce the cost of our business, further simplify our operations and support our teams so we can emerge from the pandemic in an even stronger position," CEO Mark Tritton said in the statement.
Some background: Last month, Bed Bath & Beyond announced it was permanently closing 200 stores starting later this year. Brick-and-mortar stores continue to struggle as people shift their shopping online.
The company — which also operates Buybuy Baby, Christmas Tree Shops and Harmon Face Values — has about 1,500 stores. Nearly 1,000 of those are Bed Bath & Beyond locations.
Tritton was named Bed Bath & Beyond's CEO last October, joining the retailer from Target. In addition to the layoffs and store closures, Tritton is bolstering the company's digital efforts and launching new in-house brands next year.
8:44 a.m. ET, August 26, 2020
Catch up: What you need to know about the pandemic in the US today
From CNN's AJ Willingham
It's Wednesday morning in the US, where more than 5.7 million cases of coronavirus have been reported since the pandemic began, according to the latest tally from Johns Hopkins University.
If you're just reading in this morning, here's a look at the latest updates from across the country:
Declining numbers and new hot spots: Coronavirus cases in the US are on the decline, but experts say the new reality may be "rolling hot spots," where parts of the country are affected by outbreaks while others trend down.
New testing guidelines: The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has changed its Covid-19 testing guidelines. The agency no longer recommends testing for most people without symptoms — even if they've been in close contact with someone known to have the virus.
India approves first nationally made Covid-19 test
From CNN's Esha Mitra in New Delhi
The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has approved the country's first nationally manufactured rapid coronavirus test kit.
Delhi-based Oscar Medicare said it has developed a point-of-care rapid test kit with a sensitivity of 97.66%, higher than ICMR's requirement of 93% sensitivity, and a specificity of 99% against ICMR's requirement of 95% specificity, according to Oscar CEO Anand Sekhri.
"Oscar Corona Antibody Rapid Tests doesn’t require the use of PPE Kits or highly-trained healthcare staff, as it is very similar to a Diabetes check up ‘Glucometer’ being used by patients across India," Sekhri told CNN.
The test has been approved by the ICMR for lab and hospital use and detects coronavirus antibodies through a simple prick test. It provides results in 15 minutes, according to Sekhri.
The kits are to be launched in the first week of September. Oscar Medicare also hopes to get approval to sell the kits at pharmacies so that they can be used by people at home.
India has over 3.2 million cases of coronavirus according to the Ministry of Health, and has conducted over 37 million tests as of Wednesday according to ICMR.
9:54 a.m. ET, August 26, 2020
Spanish students announce country-wide strike over back to school conditions
From CNN's Laura Pérez Maestro in Madrid
The Education minister, Isabel Celaá, speaks during a Government control session in the Senate on July 14 in Madrid. Jesús Hellín/Europa Press/Getty Images
The Spanish student union said Wednesday that it will call a strike over the conditions for September's return to school.
In a Twitter post, the Sindicato de Estudiantes demanded smaller classes and for more teachers to be hired. The students are scheduled to strike on September 16, 17 and 18.
The Spanish education ministry has yet to issue its final recommendations for the start of classes. The education minister, Isabel Celaá, will meet representatives from the regional governments on Thursday to agree the final safety measures and procedures to be put in place.
In an interview with a Spanish radio on Wednesday, Celaá suggested that children from 6 years of age will have to wear masks while at school, that a "bubble system" will be put in place and that classes will have to be ventilated and disinfected regularly.
