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More Passengers to Be Removed from Coronavirus-Hit Cruise Ship Soon; Italy Expands Travel Restrictions to Entire Country; Dow Set for Big Open After Monday's Historic Drop. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired March 10, 2020 - 09:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


[09:00:27]

POPPY HARLOW, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, everyone. I'm Poppy Harlow.

JIM SCIUTTO, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Jim Sciutto.

The impact today is real. Coronavirus cases are growing and our lives, the way we work, travel, go to school.

HARLOW: All of it.

SCIUTTO: They're changing. We're following all the developments this morning.

HARLOW: So 31 new coronavirus cases in Washington state alone, all of them at the nursing home where 13 residents have died from the disease. So it is still not clear that the U.S. has a comprehensive count of cases nationally. What we know this morning, schools closing, universities canceling in-person classes, Delta and American Airlines, the latest to slash flights as bookings decline.

SCIUTTO: The communities around the country are affected. Boston has called off its St. Patrick's Day Parade. Game shows "Wheel of Fortune" and "Jeopardy" are now nixing live audiences.

Hours from now, the second round of passengers on board the virus hit cruise ship docked in California, they will disembark. 21 people on board have already tested positive for coronavirus.

Now, look to Italy. Travel restrictions expanded now to the entire country as the virus spreads there.

HARLOW: And on Wall Street, stocks set to surge this morning. Look at futures up more than 600 points. This is after a day of historic losses yesterday. The upward swing here is on news that the president is pushing for multiple forms of financial relief. Key meetings set for today on the hill.

We're covering all of this for you. Let's begin with our national correspondent, Athena Jones, who joins us in New York.

What do we know about the state of the situation and testing in New York City? ATHENA JONES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Poppy. Well, I'm not

clear on what is going on with testing. I know that they want to have access to tests, but I can tell you that here at Columbia University and its sister college Barnard, these are two examples of the schools that are suspending classes. They're suspended here for a second day and then they're moving to online instruction for the rest of the week, leading up to spring break.

We also learned just this morning that Harvard University is also moving to virtual instruction. This is one of the key words here for students. And they're urging them not to come back to campus after spring break, which begins at the end of this week. And this is all about social distancing.

We know that colleges are places where students and staff and faculty live, work, study, in very close proximity to one another. And so the goal is to try to make sure people are kept far apart from one another. These are schools that are canceling not just classes, but also activities and events and gatherings and making sure not more than, say, 25 or 100 people are gathered together just to try to stop this virus.

And I should mention, these closings are taking place on both coasts, all across the country, Stanford, Princeton, Harvard, a lot of schools. And it seems like the numbers are growing by the day.

HARLOW: Yes.

SCIUTTO: All right. So of course college kids, they don't require daycare when they're at home. So for parents with kids who are in public schools across the country, elsewhere, they're suspending classes as well. Do we know how comprehensive this is so far?

JONES: Not clear so far just how many schools. It's hard to get a handle on this because it's something that is changing practically by the hour, but we know -- I believe we have a map, there are public schools, lower schools in at least more than a dozen states that have taken these steps.

We know, for instance, Fulton County, Georgia, suspended classes for the week because an employee -- some were tested positive for the coronavirus. We also saw this in a school in Sacramento County, California. And in Scarsdale here, north of New York, the school shut down to March 18th because of concerns over the coronavirus.

But of course this is an issue for parents dealing with child care and all sorts of other attending issues that come with this sort of disruption. But these schools are trying to take precautions to prevent this virus from spreading -- guys.

SCIUTTO: Fair enough. Athena Jones, thanks very much. We're going to continue to track that, of course, how it affects you.

Thirty-one more patients at the Life Care Center in Kirkland, Washington, just got positive test results. This one sort of ground zeros of this outbreak so far. CNN's Omar Jimenez, he's in Kirkland this morning.

Omar, does this now mean the majority of residents are infected with the virus and what is their health situation now given their age?

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Jim, sadly, yes, it does mean a majority of the people at this Life Care Center now are positive for the novel coronavirus. And it is a depleted majority, by the way. The first confirmed case stemming from this facility came back on February 19th. At that point, they had 120 residents total and now less than a month later, between hospitalizations and sadly deaths we are now down to 53 residents. And of course with these 31 new cases testing positive, that is well into the majority.

[09:05:04]

Now, for those that are sick inside, we did hear from the facility saying they are still being housed inside, and they say they were advised by health officials not to send them to the hospital unless they were showing, quote, "acute symptoms," so they are closely being monitored at this point. They do have -- and they did have enough tests for everybody in this facility. We're still waiting to hear the results from 20 of those tests.

But also keep in mind, there are still employees showing up day in and day out. And there aren't enough tests for them just yet -- Jim, Poppy.

HARLOW: Wow. Wow. And if everyone there have been tested so much earlier, there could have been quarantining.

SCIUTTO: Yes, I mean, not enough -- well, not enough tests for them there at a place where we know the disease is breaking out.

HARLOW: Yes.

SCIUTTO: That's just a remarkable measure of this.

HARLOW: In America. Today.

Omar, thank you for that reporting.

Some of the biggest names in tech are telling their employees to work from home.

Brynn Gingras is here with that. This is just one way the companies are trying to mitigate the spread.

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. That's right. The tech giants on both coasts now. We know about Amazon, Facebook, Microsoft, Google, all in the Seattle area asking its employees to stay home if you can and work, or really do it. And now in New York and New Jersey, the same is true for Amazon, they're asking their workers to stay home until March.

But let's be clear also the SEC, the first federal agency to ask its workers to stay home in the Washington, D.C. office after an employee there is being tested, hasn't necessarily tested positive yet, coronavirus, but is being tested for the virus.

Something also to note, you know, here in New York, the cases keep on rising. And we are hearing the mayor constantly repeats about how he understands and this is a nationwide thing, right? Not every company can make adjustments like these big tech giants. But if there is any way, especially in New York City, to alter the times that people can go to work, alter the days, just so subways aren't jampacked at rush hour.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

GINGRAS: So that we're not, you know, spreading this disease, trying to contain it.

HARLOW: Just one thing of note, Amazon has these huge fulfillment warehouses around the country with tons of workers in the same space. I've been in one in New York, in Staten Island, New York, I don't think those Amazon workers are working from home, right? You've just got the office people.

GINGRAS: Exactly.

SCIUTTO: Well, right. Those people have to be there, right?

GINGRAS: Yes.

SCIUTTO: And I'm sure business will tick up because a lot of people are buying things online now as opposed to going to the stores.

Brynn, thanks so much.

Let's speak now more with former Health and Human Services secretary, Mike Levitt, and Patrick Daniel Griffin, he's an infectious disease specialist at Columbia University.

Thanks to both of you this morning.

Mike Levitt, if I could start with you, does the country actually know how far this virus has spread? Do we have a comprehensive count? I mean, you see the numbers ticking up to hundreds. We hear of millions of tests out there. But the fact is, many people who want to be tested can't be tested. Is there a -- a comprehensive credible count of where we stand?

MIKE LEVITT, FORMER HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: One of the complications of a pandemic disease is that they happen so rarely that they're part of biologic life, they happen -- we've had three in the last 100 years. But each generation it goes long enough that people seem surprised by it. It is a very complicated matter that changes society and political and economic terms, and, yes, I feel like that we're all having to learn again as a society about the importance of doing the very basic things to preserve our health.

SCIUTTO: I get that. But other countries are responding more comprehensively early. Even in China, South Korea has a population a sixth of the United States, it's already tested 100,000 people. What is the U.S. not doing in your view that it should be doing it?

LEVITT: Well, the United States government -- they're using a plan that's been established for some time. And as this ratchets up, you can expect that there will be a more robust response. But every person needs to have a pandemic plan. It's not just the government. Every family needs to have one. Every business, every church, every city, every county.

The thing about a pandemic that's different than any other disaster is that it is happening or can happen everywhere at the same time. Most disasters, you're able to deploy people from one area to another other to help. In this one, everyone will need -- it's a very localized kind of response.

HARLOW: Dr. Griffin, one thing that I haven't heard discussed very much, and it's a question that I have being, you know, a mom of young kids, but also just for all my friends who are pregnant, what does this mean -- what does coronavirus mean for pregnant women whose immune systems may already be a bit suppressed?

DR. DANIEL GRIFFIN, INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: Yes, Poppy, I appreciate you asking that question because I know that, you know, my wife worries about this. A lot of the women that she knows worry about this.

HARLOW: Right.

GRIFFIN: And unfortunately as you point out, during pregnancy, much like many other times in life, our immune system is ratcheted down. That's part of how we tolerate a pregnancy.

HARLOW: Yes.

GRIFFIN: So I will say there is some concern, we're learning about this, and actually we're learning very quickly.

[09:10:05]

And I appreciate all the publications, all the information that's come out of China to date. You know, we do believe that there is an increased risk, but one of the -- one of the fantastic things about pregnant women is that they tend to be young. And for reasons that we don't completely understand, younger individuals seem to be spared in a large part.

We're seeing most of the mortality -- most of actually the people who are getting quite sick being older individuals and I think one of the things we've pointed out, we have yet to see a death in a child under 9 years old.

HARLOW: Right.

GRIFFIN: We're seeing that individuals in their 20s and 30s, which is when I would say, in general, most women are pregnant, they tend to actually do quite well compared to other age groups and populations with other issues.

HARLOW: OK.

SCIUTTO: That is a relief. I wonder from your perspective, your seat, Columbia, for instance, it dealt with one of the first cases here in New York, treating a patient there. Are you getting the help you need, the direction that you need as an institution from the federal government on response? Are you getting resources? Are you getting the tests that you need to get a real handle on how many people have been exposed to this?

GRIFFIN: You know, Jim, that's an excellent question. And what I described this as is we're starting to turn on the lights now is that, you know, we have not tested as many people or as quickly as we would like. And I think, you know, a lot of people would want to know. I want to know who is infected. I want to know the actual numbers.

As a clinician, there is a priority to who you want to have tested and who you want to know about. Someone who is going to potentially end up in an intensive care unit, someone who is going to end up in a hospital where you're worried about you put them in a situation where there is a lot of spread.

Those are priority for testing. We've actually, you know, to be reassuring, we've gotten those tests in a pretty quick manner. Now getting the real numbers, so we can make I think important decisions about when is it time to close schools, things like that.

HARLOW: Yes.

GRIFFIN: Those numbers of tests are not coming as quick as we would like.

HARLOW: Secretary Levitt, Jim and I were just talking about this before the show. What are we as families supposed to do? What would you do in terms of travel? Spring break is coming up. A lot of us were planning to travel even just domestically with our kids.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

HARLOW: Should we be getting on the airplane?

LEVITT: Well, the doctor mentioned there is a substantial difference in the way people approach this based on their age and their circumstance. I think CDC has made clear that there are groups of people who really ought to avoid getting on an airplane, particularly those who are elderly and those who would be planning large trips.

HARLOW: Yes.

LEVITT: So I -- and we all have to be -- make responsible decisions. We all have to do the basics like wash our hands a lot and practice good social distancing. There won't be the same answer for every person.

HARLOW: I guess I asked because if we get on a plane, young, healthy, contracted, don't have symptoms, but then pass it on to an elderly grandparent.

SCIUTTO: It's a question. Yes.

HARLOW: Right? I mean, that's the question I think a lot of us are left with.

LEVITT: Yes. That -- dealing with that in my family, I might -- my parents, for example, are in an age category that need to be very careful.

HARLOW: Yes.

LEVITT: They have lots of grandchildren who love them and that like to come and see them, and historically have. But this is a change at least for a period of time for them to be protected and for them to protect themselves.

HARLOW: Yes.

LEVITT: They need to change their behavior.

HARLOW: Yes. We really appreciate your expertise. Secretary Levitt and Dr. Griffin, thank you very much.

GRIFFIN: Thank you.

HARLOW: Still to come, showdown between Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders. Voters head to the polls today in six states in primaries that could be critical in a race that are critical, namely Michigan for the nomination.

SCIUTTO: Yes.

HARLOW: We're live.

SCIUTTO: Yes. Remember there is a presidential race going on. Plus, we're just minutes away from the opening bell, just one day after markets plunged in the biggest point drop in U.S. history. Christine Romans, she's following it for us.

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: Yes, guys. It was a really terrible day yesterday. 16 minutes until the opening bell and all indications around the world is that you will see a bounce, a Tuesday snapback here. Futures are higher, but still the Dow below 25,000 across the world. You saw rallies around the world just bouncing back on the hopes of stimulus, and the hopes that we'll one day be able to see past coronavirus and back to growing markets yet again.

Market value wiped out yesterday. Big rally in oil overnight, too. A bounce back, not taking away those losses, but oil part of the catalyst here. Yesterday's market losses, $1.87 trillion.

HARLOW: Wow.

ROMANS: Look at that. $5 trillion lost from the peak in the market. And the major averages still very dramatically below their highs, almost knocking on that territory of a bear market, guys.

HARLOW: All right.

SCIUTTO: Christine Romans, thanks very much.

We'll be right back after a short break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:15:00]

HARLOW: Soon, the next round of passengers will finally be able to leave the Grand Princess cruise ship. They're disembarking in Oakland, California, after spending days off the coast waiting to dock.

SCIUTTO: Twenty one people on board have so far tested positive for coronavirus, which means the remaining passengers are now heading for screenings and a two-week quarantine. Joining us now from Oakland, CNN national correspondent Jason Carroll. Jason, 21 so far, there are 3,500 people on that ship.

JASON CARROLL, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes --

SCIUTTO: Do they have a real sense at this point as to how far the virus has spread?

CARROLL: Well, look, this is something that is clearly going to take some time in order to get through all that, and you get all of those questions answered. One is clear though, the second wave of passengers to disembark, that should start taking place in a few hours at 11:00 a.m. Eastern, 8:00 a.m. our time. The first wave took place yesterday, that's when we saw the very sick, they were immediately taken to hospital, and then there were two bus-loads of passengers that were taken to Travis Air Force Base.

[09:20:00]

That's basically going to be the fate of the other passengers who were still on board, they were either a go-to Travis Air Force Base or to another designated facility either here in California or another place across the United States. Yesterday, we spoke to two passengers, Lori Miller and Michael Bell, spoke to them very late last night, they're very anxious to get off, they were initially told they would be in the first wave, now they're waiting to see if they're going to be on that second wave of passengers that's going to take place later on today.

Obviously, this is something that we're told is going to take a few days and obviously, there are a lot of patients, a lot of passengers who are still on board waiting to get on dry land. Poppy, Jim?

HARLOW: OK, oh, Jason, thank you very much for being there. With us now on the phone is Gina Pallotta, we spoke to her yesterday, Jason just mentioned her. She and her husband hoping to get off the ship today.

SCIUTTO: Gina, we know that you were ready to leave yesterday. That didn't happen. You know, I wonder what your plan is today, and also how you're getting information on board. Are you getting things periodically, can you trust that information, does it change? It's got to be frustrating for you and everyone else.

GINA PALLOTTA, PASSENGER ON GRAND PRINCESS CRUISE SHIP: It's very frustrating for us. We had really -- was hopeful that we would get off yesterday, and for now we're hoping we'll be let out today. Our information comes in part from announcements that the captain will do, he'll go -- come over to the PA system a couple of times a day. Unfortunately that information hasn't always been correct. And so, you know it gets to be a little frustrating. We were told to have all our bags packed yesterday, which we do.

And so, you know, we're literally just sitting in our rooms with our bags packed waiting for a knock on the door to tell us that we're up. So it's a little anxiety provoking.

HARLOW: I mean, of course it is --

SCIUTTO: For sure.

HARLOW: And what makes this all the more stressful for you, I am sure, is your husband being diabetic, we talked yesterday about how his medication was running out. I understand, I believe that it has run out, right? And you've been in touch with the governor's office about any way to get him more.

PALLOTTA: Yes. In fact, yesterday he actually got all of his medications in the evening. And we just really want to thank Josh Harder, who is our congressman, who went to the governor, Governor Newsom, and that between their two offices they were able to get it done, you know, fairly quickly yesterday. So we are just so --

HARLOW: Oh, good!

PALLOTTA: Grateful, yes.

SCIUTTO: So, now you're headed for a 14-day quarantine. You and other passengers on this ship. That is no small thing. You've already been confined in effect the quarters on board there. What preparations are you making? Have they told you to make and what kind of support are you getting?

PALLOTTA: We have just been told that because we're California residents, that we will stay in California either Travis, which is our preference, it's closer to home or Miramar which is in San Diego. The only thing they've told us is have your bags packed and have a separate smaller bag that has your medications and one change of clothes. They have not told us anything about what those accommodations will look like.

But you know, we go online and you know, we're able to pull up what the accommodations are, both of those bases. So, you know, we're getting a lot of our information from the internet and watching the --

SCIUTTO: Yes -- PALLOTTA: News shows.

SCIUTTO: Well, goodness, listen, we know it's got to be tough for you. We really do wish you the best, that it will be over soon. Gina Pallotta, thanks so much for taking the time --

HARLOW: Yes --

SCIUTTO: This morning.

HARLOW: Good luck, Gina.

PALLOTTA: Thank you very much.

SCIUTTO: Well, the fast spreading coronavirus is pushing Italy to restrict travel across the entire country now, affecting some 60 million people. We're going to be live.

HARLOW: Plus, we're moments away from the opening bell on Wall Street, what a different day-to-day, stocks set to rebound in a big way this morning, Dow futures up more than 700 points. We'll see what happens when trading resumes. This just one day after the Dow suffered its biggest point decline in a single day in history. Oil prices also looking to rebound a bit. Top of mind for investors, are we in for a repeat of 2008 or is this different? The Treasury Secretary says it's different. We'll talk about that ahead.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[09:25:00]

SCIUTTO: As the coronavirus outbreak spreads rapidly here in the U.S., there are signs that the situation could be stabilizing where it began in Wuhan, China. President Xi Jinping making his first visit to Wuhan earlier today in an apparent show of confidence that the outbreak is under control there. This as the last two field hospitals built to treat the overflow of patients at the epicenter are now closing today, a sign that, there at least it has peaked.

HARLOW: Yes, let's hope so. In Italy, government officials are taking drastic measures as the number of infected continues to climb. The entire country, that's roughly 60 million people is now on complete lockdown. Our Ben Wedeman joins us again this morning in Bologna, Italy, in the north. This is an unprecedented move by the government.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: It is unprecedented. In fact, here is the "La Republica" saying, "shock, treatment, everybody stay at home." However, not everybody is staying at home. It does appear that the sense of urgency isn't sinking in everywhere at this point.

END