The Biden administration will begin updating its guidance for travel and other sectors -- likely further relaxing rules across the U.S. after largely lifting its mask mandate for vaccinated people. Wynn Resorts Ltd. plans to tell vaccinated guests they can stop wearing masks in the Las Vegas company’s casinos and hotels.

Rising cases of a virus variant fueling India’s outbreak could force the U.K. government to delay plans to end the pandemic lockdown. Germany raised its alert on British travelers. Italy is set to lift quarantine restrictions for arrivals from the EU, U.K., Israel and other Schengen area countries from May 16, giving a boost to its tourist industry.

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the virus is spreading rapidly to India’s rural areas. The country has reported more than 300,000 daily infections for 22 straight days.

Key Developments

• Global Tracker: Cases top 161.3 million; deaths exceed 3.3 million
• Vaccine Tracker: More than 1.38 billion doses have been given
• A day in the life of Wall Street shows NYC at cusp of comeback
• CDC’s U-turn puts business in ‘damned if you do’ ( or don’t) bind
• Putin got vaccinated but still only a select few can meet him
• Where are we in hunting for the coronavirus’s origin?: QuickTake

Subscribe to a daily update on the virus from Bloomberg’s Prognosis team here. Click CVID on the terminal for global data on cases and deaths.

U.K. Worries on India Variant Rise (12:03 p.m. NY)

Rising cases of a virus variant fueling the outbreak in India could force the U.K. government to delay plans to end the pandemic lockdown, officials fear.

The number of confirmed infections of the strain more than doubled in the past week to 1,313 from 520, according to Public Health England.

Germany classified the U.K., Northern Ireland and all British overseas territories as an additional Covid-19 risk area, citing the “at least limited occurrence” of the variant, according to a statement from public health authority Robert Koch Institute on Friday. That means travelers from the U.K. must register online before entering Germany and present a negative coronavirus test to avoid longer quarantine there.

Delta Mandates Shots for New Hires (11:36 a.m. NY)

Delta Air Lines Inc. will require that new hires be vaccinated against Covid-19, aiming to protect employees and customers as demand for domestic air travel continues to climb.

The carrier has “made great progress to achieve herd immunity,” a trajectory it wants to maintain with the new standard, Delta said Friday. Vaccination isn’t required for current workers, though more than 60% of its workforce has received shots.

Massachusetts to Review Reopening (11:31 a.m. NY)

Governor Charlie Baker said Massachusetts will update its reopening plans next week, following the U.S. Centers for Disease Control relaxing of mask rules for fully vaccinated people. He tweeted Friday that the change was “great news,” though his office said the day before that the state’s mask rules would remain in place for the time being.

His current reopening plan calls for higher capacity limits for restaurants and gatherings at the end of this month and the lifting of most other restrictions by August. Massachusetts has the second-highest rate of vaccinations in the U.S. after Vermont, according to the Bloomberg Vaccine Tracker.

Wynn Eases Mask Rules for Casinos (10:57 a.m. NY)

Wynn Resorts Ltd. plans to tell vaccinated guests they can stop wearing masks in the Las Vegas company’s casinos and hotels, following new guidance from federal regulators.

The company plans to begin delivering that message to customers Friday evening. Wynn will trust guests to take the appropriate precautions based on their personal vaccination status, according to a statement.

The company is among the first to amend its masking and social-distancing policies following the revised guidance Thursday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

U.S. Reviews Travel Guidance (10:53 a.m. NY)

The Biden administration will begin updating its guidance for travel and other sectors -- likely further relaxing rules across the U.S. after largely lifting its mask mandate for vaccinated people.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Thursday that fully vaccinated people could go without a mask in most settings, even indoors in large crowds, in what was a key milestone in the U.S. path out of the pandemic.

Other steps will follow. CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said Friday that the agency would update guidance for travel, schools and other things, and the White House is signaling to government agencies that they also can loosen mask rules.

U.K. Weighs Action on India Strain (8:23 a.m. NY)

U.K. ministers may bring forward vaccine doses for millions of people and impose local restrictions to curb the spread of a Covid-19 variant from India.

Cases of the new B.1.617.2 strain of Covid-19 -- that originated in India -- have risen to 1,313 from 520 over the past week, according to Public Health England.

Portugal to Allow U.K. Tourists (8:18 a.m. NY)

Portugal said tourists from the U.K. with a negative coronavirus test would be able to enter the country from May. 17.

The decision ended uncertainty over whether British tourists would be able to vacation in Portugal after the U.K. last week added it to its so-called “green list” of destinations open for travel.

Japan Confronts Infection Surge (8:11 a.m. NY)

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga added three more prefectures to a coronavirus state of emergency, as his government tackles a surge in infections just over two months before Tokyo hosts the Olympics.

The emergency status, which currently includes Tokyo and other major metro areas, will be expanded to the northern island of Hokkaido as well as Hiroshima and Okayama prefectures. It will be effective May 16 through the end of the month.

Fauci Says All Children Soon Eligible (7.18 a.m. NY)

Anthony Fauci, head of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said in a MSNBC interview that he expects all children will be eligible for a Covid-19 vaccine by the end of the year.

Italy to Ease Travel Quarantine (6:33 a.m. NY)

Italy will lift quarantine restrictions for arrivals from the EU, U.K., Israel and other Schengen area countries from May 16, a health ministry official said.

Travelers from those countries with a negative Covid test won’t be subject to quarantine.

U.K. Climate Talks to Be in Person (6:13 a.m. NY)

The U.K. plans to host international COP26 climate talks in Glasgow in November as a “physical summit,” according to the event’s President Alok Sharma.

Organizers are exploring how to use testing, vaccines and other measures to keep the event free of Covid-19.

China Says Vaccines Work on Variants (4:13 p.m. HK)

Data shows that vaccines in China and western countries are all effective for strains in South Africa and Brazil, Shao Yiming, an expert with Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said at a briefing.

German Vaccinations Reach Record (4 p.m. HK)

Germany vaccinated 1.35 million people on May 12 in a new daily record, Health Minister Jens Spahn said.

Almost 2% of the German population was vaccinated on May 12 and 13, taking the total of those who have received at least one dose to 35.9%.

Modi Says Spread Now in Rural Areas (3:53 p.m. HK)

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked villagers in the world’s second-most populous nation to take precautions as the coronavirus spreads rapidly in rural areas.

India has reported more than 300,000 daily infections for 22 consecutive days, highlighting the country’s slide into the world’s worst health crisis.

India’s Covid Crisis Hits Ports (2:56 p.m. HK)

India’s Covid crisis is threatening operations at some of its biggest ports, raising concern the action could trigger shipping delays that reverberate through global supply chains.

Karaikal Port in southern India invoked force majeure until May 24 after operations were “severely affected” from the pandemic, according to a notice on its website. The terminal, which claims to be India’s biggest non-state port, handles coal, sugar and petroleum among other commodities. Gopalpur port in Odisha has also declared force majeure, according to IHS Markit.

Ireland-U.K. Travel Bubble Planned (2:27 p.m. HK)

Ireland plans to open a travel bubble with Britain within weeks, the Irish Times reported. The Minister for Tourism will present a report next week recommending a plan is published no later than the end of May to set out when restrictions on inbound travel will be eased and that restrictions on arrivals from the U.K. are removed, the newspaper says.

Currently all travelers to Ireland must quarantine for 14 days on arrival and have evidence of a negative PCR test taken no more than 72 hours prior. From May 17, non-essential travel between Britain and Northern Ireland will resume under U.K. Rules.

German Curbs May Ease (1:50 p.m. HK)

Germany’s pandemic restrictions could ease further in the coming days after the national contagion rate fell below a key level for the first time in nearly two months.

Infections per 100,000 people over the past seven days dropped to 96.5 on Friday, the first time the figure was below 100 since March 20, according to the RKI public-health institute. The incidence rate had peaked at nearly 170 in late April.

Chancellor Angela Merkel’s controversial lockdown law allows curbs to be loosened if the incidence rate falls below 100 for five consecutive days.

India Increases Dose Intervals (1:30 p.m. HK)

India has increased the recommended interval between the first and second doses of AstraZeneca Plc’s vaccine to 12-16 weeks from 6-8 weeks.

The decision comes as the country faces a severe shortage of shots. Policy makers find themselves having to balance between offering a larger share of the population some protection with at least a first dose, or deepening protection to a few by fully vaccinating them.

Singapore Returns to Lockdown (1:13 p.m. HK)

Singapore is returning to lockdown-like conditions it last imposed a year ago, banning dining-in and limiting gatherings to two people, as a rising number of untraceable infections pressures one of the most successful places in the world at Covid containment.

For four weeks from May 16 to June 13, gathering sizes as well as household visitors will be cut to a maximum of two people from five people now, working from home will be the default, and food places can only do takeaways and deliveries, the health ministry said in a statement.

There’s a high chance that the Hong Kong-Singapore air travel bubble may not go ahead as scheduled on May 26, Hong Kong Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau said at a briefing, citing Singapore authorities. Both places will review the situation in the next couple of days.

Nevada to Adopt CDC’s Mask Rules (11:25 a.m. HK)

The state of Nevada is revising its mask guidelines to match those by the CDC. Businesses and other private entities may impose stricter requirements, and local authorities could add social distancing rules, based on the latest guidelines issued by Governor Steve Sisolak. That means casinos in Las Vegas and elsewhere in the state could drop their mask requirements if they choose to.

Japan to Expand State of Emergency (9:08 a.m. HK)

The Japanese government plans to add three more prefectures to the state of emergency after consulting experts at a meeting held Friday morning, Yasutoshi Nishimura, the minister in charge of the government’s Covid response said at a briefing broadcast by NHK.

The emergency will expand to Hokkaido, Hiroshima and Okayama prefectures and be effective May 16 through the end of the month.

Less than three months to the Tokyo Olympics, Japan is struggling to contain the spread of infections with record daily cases logged in different parts of the nation over the past weeks, including Hokkaido prefecture where Olympic marathon is planned to be held.

— With assistance by Ian Fisher, Christopher Palmeri, Jeanette Rodrigues, Veronika Gulyas, Morwenna Coniam, and Stefan Nicola