COVID-19's “evolving” delta variant “is compelling many of us to adjust plans” for reopening workspaces, blogged Microsoft's Jared Spataro, corporate vice president-modern work, on the company's decision to indefinitely delay returning employees to their physical offices. “Our ability to come together will ebb and flow,” said Spataro Thursday. Microsoft had planned on Oct. 4 as “the first possible date” to fully reopen its Redmond, Washington, headquarters, he said. “Given the uncertainty of COVID-19, we’ve decided against attempting to forecast a new date for a full reopening of our U.S. work sites in favor of opening U.S. work sites as soon as we’re able to do so safely.”

Policymakers could recommend a federal contact-tracing app for smartphones to enhance U.S. COVID-19 response, GAO suggested Thursday. This “could add more functions by integrating exposure notification capabilities with test scheduling and vaccine delivery coordination,” the agency said. It noted that a national approach “would likely have associated costs and require sustained funding during the pandemic.” It’s unclear whether user trust would be higher for a national app or a state government app, the auditor said: Congress should consider developing internet privacy legislation to enhance consumer protections.

AMC enlisted Nicole Kidman for a $25 million U.S. national advertising campaign to trumpet that films are best enjoyed in the “seamless, communal, multi-sensory experience” of its theaters, said the chain Wednesday. AMC-owned Odeon Cinema Group will use similar messaging in nine European countries, it said. AMC’s theater admission “trend lines” are down compared with pre-pandemic 2019, but are showing “significant improvement” sequentially, said CEO Adam Aron on an Aug. 9 investor call.

The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in October, November and December in person, though courtroom access will be limited to the justices, essential court personnel, counsel for the scheduled cases and journalists with full-time SCOTUS press credentials, the court said Wednesday. It said it will continue providing a live audio feed of the oral arguments. Courts have been moving toward holding more in-person hearings, we have reported (see here).

Sony withdrew from October trade shows, including NAB and InfoComm, it emailed Tuesday. The company will host an online event Oct. 10 at noon EDT at NabShow.com/live and pro.sony, during which it will unveil its latest products. In a statement, Sony Pro Division President Theresa Alesso said the company has been closely monitoring the evolving situation of the COVID-19 delta variant, and considering the "unprecedented circumstances," made the decision to not participate in person at the shows. "While these events are an important forum to reach our customers and introduce new products, this is a choice we made to ensure we’re putting our employees’ and our partners’ health and well-being first," Alesso said. Sony will continue to communicate and engage with customers and partners in "interactive, accessible ways," she said.

The U.S. media and entertainment industry is working to put COVID-19's effects behind it, reported S&P Global Ratings Wednesday. Recovery in the “advertising-focused” media sectors has been more “robust” than in others because ad spending began rebounding in 2020's Q3 and will, “in aggregate,” surpass pre-pandemic levels by year-end, it said. “Out-of-home” entertainment sectors, like theatrical film exhibition, “haven't fared as well” because their recovery has been blunted by “consumer and government reactions” to the spread of the delta variant. Though S&P expects out-of-home entertainment revenue to rebound in 2022, “it could take until 2023, or beyond, for the credit metrics of the participants in this segment to fully recover given their higher debt levels” following the pandemic, it said. An increasing number of films “skipped theaters and were released directly on streaming services” even before COVID-19, said S&P. “Then the pandemic struck, which ... accelerated the preexisting secular shifts. Even as theaters have begun reopening and the backlog of movie releases begins to clear, we believe the pandemic will lead to permanent changes in the film industry.”

Fifty-five percent of U.S. broadband households own at least one connected health device, said Parks Associates Tuesday. COVID-19 “significantly accelerated a digital transformation in healthcare,” which had already adopted more IoT-based medical devices and processes, said Chuck Sabin, Bluetooth Special Interest Group senior director-market development, citing an uptick in use of wearables and health monitoring devices for personal use and telemedicine. Bluetooth SIG expects shipments of Bluetooth-enabled devices in the category to reach 500 million yearly by 2025. “For years we have been talking about the promise of smart technologies empowering older adults to age-in-place, but until recently there hasn't been the infrastructure,” said CareBand CEO Adam Sobol: Introducing Amazon Sidewalk, Matter and Wi-Fi sensing could turn the promise “into a reality.” Parks plans a virtual Connected Health Summit Wednesday.

Some 64% of U.S. broadband households reported using a telehealth service this year, up from 15% in 2019, said Parks Associates Thursday. The COVID-19 pandemic was a “forced pilot” of digital health, driving many organizations to prioritize digital health programs, said Brian Carter, Validic chief operating officer. In the next phase, organizations are looking to create digital health management programs at scale, he said. The smart home has a role for insurers and providers, with potential to enable better proactive care and more sophisticated risk modeling, said Rob Deal, vice president, Healthcare Solutions, Everise. The executives are due to speak at Parks’ virtual Connected Health Summit Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Washington Space Business Roundtable canceled its annual flagship luncheon scheduled for Sept. 8, in conjunction with the Satellite 2021 trade show and conference, citing the COVID-19 resurgence. The WSBR said the scheduled address by Army Gen. James Dickinson, Space Command commander, will be given virtually at a later date.

About 53% of consumers currently prefer online meetings and virtual conferences to meeting people in person, said an August study from Resonate on how the “delta turning point” is affecting American sentiment and behavior. Twenty-nine percent of respondents to a survey fielded July 14-Aug. 2 believe it will take a year for life to return to normal, up 44% since June; 12% said they didn’t believe life would ever get back to normal. Some 68% said they prefer to shop in store, aligning with trends reported this week by Target and Walmart, up 18% since June. Nearly 64% of respondents are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, nearly 20% plan to be within seven months, and 19.2% said they never will be. After a 46% drop in pro-mask sentiment in late June, Resonate found a 14% increase in the latest report. A third said they’re spending less than before the COVID-19 era; 23% are saving more.