Britain’s Prime Minister Boris Johnson gives an update on the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic during a virtual news conference inside 10 Downing Street, in central London, Britain, March 18, 2021.Tolga AkmenLONDON — U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson confirmed Monday that England will be moving to the next stage of its coronavirus lockdown easing program on May 17.Indoor facilities such as movie theaters and hotels will reopen, but with some capacity limits in place. Pubs and restaurants will be allowed to welcome customers inside again, and indoor household mixing will be allowed to resume for groups of up to six people.People will also be able to meet outdoors in groups of up to 30 people.Johnson said social distancing rules will remain for public places, but people can make their own judgement in private.When asked about hugging, Johnson said at a news conference Monday, “People should do it if you think it’s appropriate, if you think the risks are very very low.””But you should exercise care and common sense. And clearly with unvaccinated people there must be a greater risk of transmission than with those who have had vaccination,” he added.Johnson was heavily criticized for the initial response to the coronavirus pandemic, and with more than 127,000 reported fatalities, Britain has one of the worst death rates in Europe and the world.But Johnson has also been at the forefront of a successful vaccination campaign, with more than 50% of the country’s population now having received at least one dose of a vaccine.International travel is able to resume next Monday in most circumstances, although quarantines and testing would be required on return to the U.K., for the most part. The government has said it hopes to lift all restrictions on social contact by June 21.Around midday Monday, the U.K.’s chief medical officers agreed to lower the country’s Covid-19 alert level from 4 — which means transmission is high or rising exponentially — to level 3, which means the epidemic is in general circulation.— CNBC’s Holly Ellyatt contributed to this article. More

In this articleCMCSASimone Biles competes on the uneven bars prior to the Senior Women’s competition of the U.S. Gymnastics Championships at Dickies Arena on June 06, 2021 in Fort Worth, Texas.Jamie Squire | Getty ImagesNBCUniversal, the parent company of CNBC, announced Monday it will show more than 7,000 hours of content from the Tokyo Olympics across its networks and streaming platforms.Historically, the Summer Olympics has been a massive draw for viewers. In 2016, the two-week event attracted an average of 27.5 million viewers across all NBC platforms, and delivered 3.3 billion minutes of streaming video. The 2012 Games in London attracted roughly 31 million viewers, and the 2008 Beijing Olympics averaged 27 million viewers.This year’s spectacle, which was postponed from 2020 because of the Covid pandemic, runs from July 23 to Aug. 8, with NBC’s broadcast network anchoring prime-time events. The games will include 41 sporting events, including new competitions such as baseball, softball, skateboarding, surfing and karate.NBC will show popular competitions, including the USA men’s basketball team’s chase for a 16th gold medal, women’s basketball, women’s soccer, swimming and gymnastics featuring USA champion Simone Biles. More than 5,000 hours will stream on NBColympics.comIn addition, cable sports network NBCSN will broadcast more than 440 hours and USA Network more than 380 hours on USA Network. The Olympic Channel will show Team USA competitions, including wrestling and tennis. The Golf Channel will show golf events, and Telemundo Deportes will air competitions in Spanish language.CNBC will show more than 100 hours of competitions during its prime-time programming hours, including diving, beach volleyball, rowing, water polo and rugby. The network has aired Olympic games since 2000. People have their photographs taken next to the Olympic Rings on June 03, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo 2020 president Seiko Hashimoto has stated that she is 100 percent certain that the Olympics will go ahead despite widespread public opposition as Japan grapples with a fourth wave of coronavirus.Yuichi Yamazaki | Getty ImagesIn a statement, Molly Solomon, NBC Olympics production president, said coverage around the Tokyo Olympics would be “unprecedented” and will showcase “once-in-a-generation athletes and storylines that will capture the incredible uniqueness of these Games and our times.”In 2014, NBC and the International Olympic Committee agreed to a $7.75 billion media rights deal to extend their partnership. The current agreement runs through the 2032 Olympics and allows NBC to leverage the 2024 event in France and the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.There has been opposition about holding the event this year as Covid continues to impact countries. The IOC has inserted intense pandemic protocols for the games, including testing athletes at least every four days. Spectators from outside of Japan will not be allowed to attend competitions.Disclosure: Comcast-owned NBCUniversal is the parent company of CNBC. More

A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agent wears a protective mask and stands behind a protective barrier while screening a traveler at Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA) in Arlington, Virginia, U.S., on Tuesday, June 9, 2020.
Andrew Harrer | Bloomberg | Getty Images

TSA officers screened 1,357,111 people at airports on Friday, marking the highest number of passengers on a single day since March 15, 2020.
The milestone reflects that air travel is starting to pick up again after a challenging year for airlines caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Air travel in the United States hit a low point on April 14, 2020, with only 87,500 passengers going through TSA checkpoints. Travel for 2020 was down more than 60% from the previous year to 324 million passengers, according to the TSA. The TSA screens passengers at 440 airports in the U.S.
The reduction in travel has hit airlines hard. U.S. airlines lost more than $35 billion, combined, last year because of low passenger traffic. Airlines were forced to slash flights, block off seats, and implement safety measures in response to the pandemic.
Airlines are hoping for a travel revival in the coming months with new Covid-19 cases dropping in much of the country and more people getting vaccinated. Thirteen percent of American adults have been fully vaccinated as of Friday.
Passengers on Friday were still 20% lower than the number of passengers on the same day last year, and down nearly 38% from 2019. More

Darlene Grant (L) receives a dose of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine during a walk-up clinic at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts’ outdoor Reach area on May 06, 2021 in Washington, DC.Chip Somodevilla | Getty ImagesThe rate of daily Covid infections is declining in 30 states and the District of Columbia, data compiled by Johns Hopkins University shows, and 1 in 3 Americans are now fully vaccinated.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data published Friday shows 45% of the U.S. population with at least one dose of the vaccine and more than 33% fully vaccinated.The country’s pace of daily vaccinations held steady from Thursday’s level but has been on the decline for weeks, down 38% from the peak.U.S. share of the population vaccinatedOne-third of Americans are now fully vaccinated with one shot of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine or two doses of the Pfizer or Moderna shots, according to CDC data.Zoom In IconArrows pointing outwardsPresident Joe Biden earlier this week set a goal of getting 70% of U.S. adults to receive at least one dose of a Covid vaccine by July 4. As of Thursday, about 57% of adults have done so.U.S. vaccine shots administeredThe U.S. is reporting an average of 2.1 million daily vaccinations over the past week, CDC data shows, down from a peak level of 3.4 million per day on April 13.Zoom In IconArrows pointing outwardsUse of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is slowly rising, CDC data shows, but the latest daily average of 73,000 shots per day is far below the high point of 425,000 in mid-April. Pfizer and Moderna doses are being administered less frequently as well.Zoom In IconArrows pointing outwardsA Kaiser Family Foundation survey published Thursday showed that less than half of Americans are confident in the safety of the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine after it was temporarily halted in the U.S. following reports of a rare blood clotting issue in some recipients.U.S. Covid casesThe U.S. is reporting about 45,000 daily new infections, based on a seven-day average of JHU data. Nationwide case counts are at their lowest levels since October.Zoom In IconArrows pointing outwardsAverage daily case counts have fallen by 5% or more in 30 states and the District of Columbia over the past week, Johns Hopkins data shows.U.S. Covid deathsThe latest seven-day average of daily Covid deaths in the U.S. is 677, and the reported toll over the course of the pandemic has surpassed 580,000.Zoom In IconArrows pointing outwards More

“We have real and grave concerns about these sudden changes to the Pfizer vaccine regime,” the Doctors’ Association UK said on Thursday. More