AMC delays movie theater reopening by 2 weeks due to coronavirus
Amazon to spend $500 million in one-time employee bonuses
Amazon said it’s shelling out $500 million in one-time worker bonuses this month as pressure continues to mount on the online shopping giant to do more to protect and pay workers during the coronavirus pandemic.
The bonuses will pay between $150 for part-time employees at its warehouses and Whole Foods stores and up to $3,000 for owners of its contracted delivery service operations, the company said in a blog post.
Full-time Whole Foods employees can expect $500 bumps, while front-line Amazon “market leaders” should see $1,000.
“Our front-line operations teams have been on an incredible journey over the last few months, and we want to show our appreciation with a special one-time Thank You bonus,” senior vice president Dave Clark said in a blog post.
Amazon’s warehouse workers in Germany are striking this week, claiming the company is not doing enough to protect its employees from COVID-19.
Germany is Amazon’s second-largest market outside the US and labor unions there have been leading aggressive campaigns to increase pay for Amazon’s hourly workers there.
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Chile's poor call for protection from pandemic-fuelled crime wave
Chile is ranked the safest country in South America, but the rise in unemployment due to the pandemic has also led to a rise in crime.
Chile is ranked the safest country in South America.
But the rise in unemployment due to the coronavirus pandemic has also led to a rise in crime.
Those in poor communities are demanding protection, as Al Jazeera’s Lucia Newman reports from Santiago, Chile.
UK Car Production Worst Since 1946: SMMT
UK car production was the worst for May since 1946 as plants either remained closed or restarting at reduced capacity, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, or SMMT, reported Friday.
Car manufacturing output declined 95.4 percent from last year in May. Only 5,314 vehicles rolled off production lines.
This was slight improvement from April, when 197 units were manufactured but it still marked the worst May since 1946.
With key global markets only just beginning to reopen, about 4,260 cars were exported in May, most into the EU, the US and China. Exports were down 95.5 percent.
At the same time, production for domestic market decreased 95.2 percent from the previous year.
During January to May, factories turned out 324,763 cars, representing a decline of -41.7 percent on the same period last year, with the full year outlook now expected to be fewer than one million units.
Mike Hawes, SMMT Chief Executive said, “May’s figures are yet more evidence of why the UK industry, like its global rivals, needs dedicated support to drive a successful restart.”
“Government assistance so far has been vital in keeping many businesses afloat, but the job isn’t done. Measures to boost cashflow, including additional and tailored finance schemes, tax relief and business rates deferral would deliver immediate results when liquidity is most acute,” Hawes added.
Hill Country Fare Juice Drinks Recalled For Potential Milk Allergen
H-E-B has issued a recall for gallon-sizes of Hill Country Fare Pink Lemonade, Citrus Punch, Fruit Drink and Grape Drink for the potential presence of a milk allergen.
The affected products were shipped to H-E-B stores in Texas and Mexico, and Joe V’s and Mi Tienda stores.
People who have an allergy or severe sensitivity to milk run the risk of serious or life-threatening allergic reaction if they consume these products. All affected product has been removed from store shelves. There have been no reported illnesses related to this recall.
Abbott Combo Drug Doesn’t Benefit Covid Patients, Study Finds
A combination of antiviral drugs normally used to treat HIV didn’t benefit patients hospitalized for treatment of Covid-19, researchers said.
The two-drug treatment of lopinavir and ritonavir didn’t help patients survive infection with the coronavirus, when compared with usual care, according to researchers at the University of Oxford studying a variety of potential treatments. There was no evidence that the drugs, sold by Abbott Laboratories as Kaletra, helped patients continue to breathe without assistance or recover more quickly.
Doctors are assessing a variety of drugs that have demonstrated a benefit against other illnesses in an effort to get effective treatment for the pandemic quickly. While Oxford’s Recovery trial has already shown a lack of benefit from antimalarial drugs that were touted by U.S. President Donald Trump, it identified the anti-inflammatory dexamethasone as a boon to severely ill patients.
The study has enrolled more than 11,800 patients. About 1,600 patients who got Kaletra were compared with 3,376 who received usual care, the researchers said Monday.
AMC delays movie theater reopening by 2 weeks due to coronavirus
AMC Theaters, the nation’s largest chain, is pushing back its plans to begin reopening theaters by two weeks following the closure because of COVID-19. The company said Monday that it would open approximately 450 US locations on July 30 and the remaining 150 the following week.
The company had planned to begin opening theaters in mid-July, but last week the July theatrical release calendar was effectively wiped clean when Disney and Warner Bros. decided to delay the releases of “Mulan” and “Tenet” to August dates.
AMC chief executive and president Adam Aron said its general managers across the US started working full-time Monday to get their buildings ready to reopen.
“We continue to devote extraordinary resources into our plan to operate our theatres with a hyper commitment to the safety and health of our guests and associates,” Aron said in a statement.
Most indoor US theaters have been closed since mid-March because of the coronavirus pandemic. But both independent locations and major chains are readying to reopen within the next month.
However, plans could continue to change given the surge of cases in a number of states. Last week, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said New York would delay reopening cinemas while it continued to research the safety of indoor, air-conditioned venues.
AMC expects its approximately 1,000 worldwide locations to be open by early August.
