The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reopened the National Courts Building to the public Monday, the court announced Friday. The move was made "based on recent changes to public health guidance and conditions within Washington, D.C. and the National Capital Region," the court said. The decision's order specified all visitors must wear N-95, KN-95 or KF-94 masks, regardless of vaccination status. The court may also implement further health and safety protocols as needed, it said. Under the court's revised protocols for attending in-person arguments for the current court sitting, no one many enter who has tested positive for COVID-19 within the previous 14 days, is awaiting results of a COVID-19 test, has been directed to self-quarantine by a health professional, or has had COVID-19-type symptoms or traveled internationally within the previous seven days.
CEDIA Expo parent Emerald Holding agreed to settle outstanding insurance litigation stemming from trade shows canceled due to COVID-19 for proceeds of $149.25 million, it said in its Q2 earnings release Monday. Upon expected receipt in Q3, total insurance proceeds from 2020-2021 are expected to equal $372.9 million, it said. In Q2 Emerald held 29 in-person trade shows, conferences and other events, it said. Revenue was $71.4 million vs. $15 million in Q2 2021. Emerald had a net loss of $700,000 in Q2 vs. a net loss of $46.5 million in the year-ago quarter. CEO Herve Sedky said the company continues to see "clear evidence of ongoing recovery in in-person events as qualified attendee and exhibitor counts track towards pre-pandemic levels.”
The International Trade Commission will resume in-person hearings and public access to its building beginning Sept. 29, said the agency Wednesday. The ITC will provide more details on in-person hearing room policies beforehand, including procedures for “limited virtual participation,” it said. “We expect that this will be an iterative process. Initial procedures and policies will be modified over time as we resume normal operations with adequate notice to all parties and the public.”
U.S. Trade Representative Katherine Tai tested positive for COVID-19 Saturday, and is following "guidance" from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to "isolate at home,” said her spokesperson in a statement Sunday. Tai is fully vaccinated and boosted, and hasn’t had “recent close contact” with President Joe Biden or Vice President Kamala Harris, said the spokesperson. Tai participated Friday in a Vancouver news conference with her Canadian and Mexican counterparts to mark the second anniversary of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement on free trade.
Search interest in COVID-19 at-home tests jumped 170% in May, blogged Google Search Director Hema Budaraju Thursday, pushing Google Search as a tool to find tests available in stores, plus nearby testing information from local health authorities. Travelers looking for information on Google can see if there’s an advisory or entry restrictions at their destination, including testing, quarantine or immunization requirements, and they can select an option to turn on tracking for advisories from the Search results page, Budaraju said. Google users can find information on vaccinations, including boosters, vaccine types, appointment availability and healthcare providers offering pediatric vaccinations, Budaraju said. Google has committed over $1 billion to an initiative supporting the World Health Organization’s COVID-19-related public service announcements as consumers search on Google, she said.
The Office of the U.S. Trade Representative extended for another six months to Nov. 30 its Section 301 tariff exclusions on 81 COVID-19 related product classifications from China that were due to expire at midnight Tuesday, said an agency notice late Friday afternoon. It was USTR’s second six-month extension on the import classifications covering “medical-care and/or COVID response” products, it said. “In light of the continuing efforts to combat COVID–19,” USTR determined that a six-month extension was “warranted,” it said. The decision took into account public comments previously provided, plus input from industry advisory committees and the interagency Section 301 committee, it said.
Texas Instruments expects to report Q2 revenue in the $4.2 billion to $4.8 billion range, which at the high end of the guidance would be flat to slightly down from Q1, said Chief Financial Officer Rafael Lizardi on a Tuesday earnings call. “This outlook comprehends an impact due to reduced demand from COVID-19 restrictions in China, which are affecting our customers' manufacturing operations,” he said. TI’s assessment in early April “indicated that revenue would continue to incrementally grow again in the second quarter,” said Head-Investor Relations Dave Pahl. “However, it just became clear that we were experiencing lower demand, particularly due to COVID-19 restrictions in China.” Taking a “top-down assessment” of the likely impact, TI reduced the midpoint of its Q2 guidance by 10%, he said. “The second thing we did was we slightly widened the range just to comprehend the higher uncertainty that we're seeing overall.”
Microsoft expects $14.65 billion to $14.95 billion in revenue for fiscal Q4 ending June 30, which at the high end of the guidance would mean about a 3% sequential increase from fiscal Q3, said Chief Financial Officer Amy Hood on a Tuesday earnings call. “Our guidance reflects the current constraints from the shutdowns in China, which have negatively impacted Q4 supply” of Surface laptops and Xbox consoles, she said. “Extended production shutdowns that reach into May would further negatively impact our outlook.” Microsoft estimates it will take about a $110 million Q4 revenue hit from the war in Ukraine, said the CFO.
Q1 American Express travel bookings were up 37% from the 2019 quarter, including a 48% increase in the U.S., said CEO Steve Squeri on an earnings call Friday. Consumer travel is back, based on “tremendous pent-up demand,” but it's not “all the way back,” he said. “As far as large corporations go, and we're seeing it in our own company, people are looking to get out and not only gather with their own colleagues, but they're also looking to get out and meet with customers. You're seeing conferences come back.” On COVID-19's long-term impact, “we'll wind up dealing with this as we deal with the flu,” said the CEO.
Though two-thirds of remote and hybrid workers in the U.S. plan to return to the office sometime this year, only 13% say they will go back five days a week, reported Qualtrics Wednesday. The research firm canvassed 1,050 full-time employees Feb. 18-22, finding half as many women as men said they will return five days a week (9% vs. 18%), it said. Of all respondents, 40% say they're comfortable returning to the office now, but 18% said they don’t want to return to the office no matter what, said Qualtrics. The rest would return “depending on COVID safety and work-life improvements,” it said. A quarter said they would return if everyone were vaccinated, 15% would return if they were paid more, and 10% would return if the office were a better working environment than they have at home, it said.