Good evening, these are the top coronavirus headlines tonight:
Top headlines:
- The Special Olympics has dropped a coronavirus vaccine mandate for its games in Orlando after Florida moved to fine the organization $27.5 million for violating a state law against such rules.
- Some restaurants are abandoning tipping in favour of paying their staff higher wages
In the past seven days, there were 263 deaths from COVID-19 nationally, down 32 per cent over the same period. At least 3,523 people are being treated in hospitals and 243 are in the ICU.
Canada’s inoculation rate is 17th among countries with a population of one million or more people.
Sources: Canada data is compiled from government websites, Johns Hopkins and COVID-19 Canada Open Data Working Group; international data is from Johns Hopkins University.
Story continues below advertisement
Coronavirus explainers: Coronavirus in maps and charts • Tracking vaccine doses
COVID-19 updates from Canada and the world
- U.S. airlines are stepping up their efforts to get the Biden administration to end COVID-19 pre-departure testing requirements for international air travel. Critics say Americans are not travelling internationally because of concerns they will test positive and be stranded abroad.
- The Special Olympics has dropped a coronavirus vaccine mandate for its games in Orlando after Florida moved to fine the organization $27.5 million for violating a state law against such rules.
Looking for more top headlines? Subscribe to our Morning Update and Evening Update newsletters to get caught up on our latest stories.
Pandemic recovery
- There appears to be pent-up demand for vacation rentals within Canada this year as the pandemic pressure continues to wane. As a result, renters should be prepared for sticker shock. “I managed to get a reasonable price, but as I was looking, I was surprised to hear many of the numbers being thrown at me – they’re all unaffordable to me,” says Candace Wagman, who is renting a house on British Columbia’s picturesque Gabriola Island this summer.
- Tipping rates and the range of services customers are expected to tip for appear to have risen over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, largely because of a new-found empathy much of the public developed toward front-line workers, who were either laid off from their jobs due to lockdowns or had to incur the risk of preparing and delivering food and other goods. But, some restaurants are abandoning tipping altogether in favour of paying their staff higher wages.
- American Airlines Group Inc has become the latest U.S. carrier to lift its forecast for quarterly revenue, another sign that pandemic-weary travellers were shrugging off rising airfares to plan more leisure trips.
- For Amplify, The Globe’s Rita Trichur writes: “This pandemic, however, has taken my stress to a whole new level and I finally hit my limit this year … I was tired, cranky and suffering from writer’s block. That’s when I did something on a whim. I whipped out my smartphone and booked my first solo vacation in more than 20 years. That’s right – no husband or children. Just me.”
Want in-depth analysis on what governments are doing with your tax dollars? Subscribe to our Tax & Spend newsletter.
Globe opinion
Gus Carlson: In pushing his Tesla workers back to the office, Elon Musk embraces a decades-old management principle
Story continues below advertisement
Patrick Brethour: The Ontario election willfully ignored the undeniable economic challenges bearing down on the province
Want to hear more from our columnists? Subscribe to the Opinion newsletter, and get it in your inbox, Monday to Saturday.
Information centre
- Everything you need to know about Canada’s travel rules for vaccinated and unvaccinated people
- When will COVID-19 be endemic? The four factors that will shape the virus’s future
- Waste water is filling the COVID-19 data gap
Thank you for subscribing to our Coronavirus Update Newsletter. As the pandemic eases, we plan to wind this down and eventually cease sending, but have many other newsletters to keep you informed, including Globe Climate, Carrick on Money and Breaking News.
Reach out to us: audience@globeandmail.com