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In: Business Plan

A coalition of more than 100 businesses and nonprofit groups in New Jersey are urging Gov. Phil Murphy to restart his plan to gradually reopen the state’s economy now that coronavirus numbers are on the decline again.

Murphy paused the recovery plan in Stage 2 after the state’s COVID-19 rate of transmission crept up last month. Gyms, movie theaters, and indoor dining sections of restaurants and bars are among the businesses that remain closed until further notice.

But the New Jersey Business Coalition wrote in a letter to the governor Tuesday that with the state’s rate of transmission below 1 and its positivity rate below 2, “there is no reason not to proceed to reopen our economy.”

“If ‘data determines dates’ relative to reopening, as Governor Murphy has consistently said, it is appropriate that as our COVID-19 cases continue to go down, New Jersey’s economic numbers should rise,” the group

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In: Business Letter

If our economy is to fully recover, businesses are to survive, and jobs are to be preserved, we need to restart business travel and the travel industry. 

Daily airline passenger numbers published by the Transportation Security Administration show that the recovery in airline travel plateaued in the first week of July.  Why?  Likely confidence.  No doubt, potential travelers are asking whether it is safe to travel. 

To restore confidence, everyone needs to play ball in dealing with the current health crisis.  The person who isn’t playing ball is undermining confidence, which in turn is undermining restoration of our economy, businesses, and jobs.

The Issue No One Questions

We’ve all seen the sign at some restaurant or other business:  No Shoes, No Shirt, No Service.

No one of reasonable sense questions it.  Indeed, in federal government buildings, it is not uncommon to see a plaque stating something like, “Attire Appropriate

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In: Profitability

(Reuters) – Lyft Inc said on Wednesday cost cuts put the company on track to reach its goal of becoming profitable on an adjusted basis by the end of 2021, even as its second-quarter revenue tumbled 61% due to coronavirus-related restrictions.

On a post-earnings call, executives said the company would be forced to suspend operations in California if a preliminary injunction that prevents it from classifying drivers as independent contractors goes into effect on Aug. 21.

Larger rival Uber Technologies Inc has also echoed similar concerns.

Lyft said the number of active riders dropped by 60% to 8.69 million during the second quarter but added it was encouraged by the recovery trends.

“We saw a rebound in demand in Q2 and have seen further evidence of this trend since the end of Q2. Rideshare rides in July were 78% greater than April,” Chief Executive Officer Logan Green said.

Uber last

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In: Business Line

The coronavirus has impacted the travel business to such an extent that India’s chief air carrier Air India announced on Wednesday that it will close five offices across Europe due to no flight operations, according to media reports.

Air India is set to pull down the shutters on its offices in Vienna (Austria), Milan (Italy), Madrid (Spain), Copenhagen (Denmark) and Stockholm (Sweden).

“In view of the Covid-19 situation, Air India has decided to close down these stations and would immediately initiate action for the closure in consultation with local lawyers and advise the timelines, by which the station will be closed,” an Air India spokesperson was cited as saying, according to a DNA report.

No Vande Bharat Mission flights are planned to these countries anytime soon, while regular flight operations have been suspended due to the pandemic.

The reports suggested that Air India is likely to shut down operations in

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