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Worldwide: 339,000+ Cases And 14,700+ Deaths; Much Of India Extending Public Curfew Until March 31; Retired Doctors And Nurses Joining The Fight; Stimulus Bill Fails to Move Forward; Italy Deaths Due to Coronavirus Rise; U.S. Stocks Fall; Summer Olympics Possible to Postpone. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired March 23, 2020 - 02:00   ET

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


[02:00:00]

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ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN HOST: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from here in the United States and of course all around the world. You are watching "CNN Newsroom" and I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead, U.S. lawmakers are at an impasse over a coronavirus relief bill while roughly a third of all Americans are being ordered to stay home to stop the spread.

Another surge of virus related deaths in Italy, what other countries are learning from the Italian response to the pandemic. And the virus is now serious threat to the Olympics in Tokyo. Japan's prime minister says postponing the games may be inevitable as at least two countries decide they are not sending athletes there.

Well, new infections and shutdowns as the coronavirus pandemic deepens and the world worries about another week of economic chaos. Johns Hopkins University is now reporting more than 339,000 cases globally with a death toll approaching 15,000.

Italy is suffering greatly. The virus killed another 651 people there in the past day, nearly 5,500 overall. That is more than in China. The Italian government is now asking U.S. military personnel stationed in Italy for help.

Specifically, requesting critical medical equipment like ventilators, as well as field hospitals. No response yet from the Pentagon. Now, this comes as the U.S. grapples with life under lockdown, almost one in three Americans are being ordered to stay home. The figure is only likely to rise.

The White House has now activated U.S. National Guard units for three of the hardest hit states, California, New York, and Washington State. Some 2,000 Air and Army National Guard members are working on the virus response across 23 states. That as the U.S. death toll source to 413.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I know that this is a challenging time for all Americans. We are enduring a great national trial and we will prove that we can meet the moment. I want to assure the American people that we are doing everything we can each day to confront and ultimately defeat this horrible, invisible enemy. We're at war. In a true sense, we are at war. And we are fighting an invisible enemy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: Meantime, a stimulus package failed to pass the U.S. Senate, but Republican leader Mitch McConnell is stepping up the pressure. He originally scheduled a procedural vote for Monday morning 15 minutes off the stock exchange would open. The Democrats objected to the timing and the vote has been pushed back to the afternoon.

They blocked the Republican plan Sunday, arguing it favored corporate interests too heavily. Five Republican senators are now quarantined or self-isolating so the bill needs bipartisan support to reach the 60 votes to pass.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): Legislation has many problems. At the top of the list, it includes a large corporate bailout with no protections for workers, and virtually no oversight. Also, very troubling in the bill, were significant shortfalls of money that are hospitals, states, cities, and medical workers desperately needed.

This is a public health crisis. It is inexplicable to skimp on funding to address the pandemic. We Democrats want to move forward with a bipartisan agreement. Unfortunately, the legislation has not improved enough in the past three hours to earn the necessary votes to proceed.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): So we are fiddling here, fiddling with the emotions of the American people, fiddling with the markets, fiddling with our health care. The American people expect us to act tomorrow.

And I want everybody to fully understand, if we are not able to act tomorrow, it will be because of our colleagues on the other side continuing to bicker when the country expects us to come together and address this problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[02:04:59]

CHURCH: While they all play politics, U.S. Futures plunged 5 percent on where the stimulus vote failed. That triggered a brief halt on trading. Meanwhile, Republican Rand Paul is the first U.S. Senator known to have contracted the coronavirus. A source says Paul had no symptoms, but decided to get checked out after learning he attended an event with two people who tested positive.

Well, Canada has announced they will not send athletes to compete in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. And Australia is telling their athletes to plan on competing in 2021. All of this happening as Japan admits that the 2020 games may be postponed.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has had a staunch position that the Olympics and should happen on schedule, but now the International Olympic Committee is considering rescheduling the games. And for more, I'm joined by CNN's Will Ripley in Tokyo. So Will, of course, the Japanese prime minister had stood firm for a while there. He was not going to change anything, but he is starting to rethink all of that.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, and I think a lot of people are saying it's about time, Rosemary. I mean, Japanese officials seem increasingly tone-deaf especially in recent days as a number of different countries and athletic organizations including the all powerful USA track and field and USA swimming were calling for the games to be postponed saying that no matter what the coronavirus situation is here inside Japan, which at the moment, it's not as severe as other countries.

You still have the reality that there are a lot of athletes from places like the U.S. and Europe, who will not going to have time to adequately train for a July 24th start.

And so I think that that reality, the growing chorus of calls around the world has forced Japanese officials to think of doing something that would have been unthinkable even just maybe a month ago, which is probably postponing the games. Now, when and how is still yet to be determined.

CHURCH: So, what are those numbers looking like right now? How is Japan dealing with this pandemic?

RIPLEY: Well, we know that the number of cases is now well over 1000. Japan had its biggest single day jump of deaths reported yesterday, five new deaths. Yes, the number of cases is relatively low here, but the testing levels are also relatively low.

I have to say, there were people out in the parks this weekend looking at the cherry blossoms, just like they were in D.C., packed just as close together as those pictures you saw from the beaches in Florida and Australia.

And it is concerning that social distancing is not really a thing here. Granted, Japanese culture, people don't shake hands, don't hug as much, there isn't as much physical contact. And some people wearing masks, but a lot of people weren't.

And so we just have to continue to monitor the coronavirus situation of the country. As for the Olympics, this is going to have a huge financial impact. Probably more expensive, some are saying, to postpone the games than just to cancel them altogether.

So Japan is also going to be facing a real economic challenge as a result of this. And frankly, we don't know when the details of the postponement, if that's what it turns out to be, are going to be announced. The IOC is saying because it is so complex, they might have to take up

to four weeks to figure it out with all the stakeholders and the venues and the millions of nights of hotel rooms that have been booked and all the thing shave to be cancelled and rearranged what exactly they're going to do.

So, it really is shaping up to be a big mess here, both on the Olympic side. And also, we still don't know if the coronavirus situation is under control on the ground in Japan.

CHURCH: Exactly. Well, certainly, the economic pain is being felt right across the globe in so many different ways, isn't it. Will Ripley, joining us there live from Tokyo, many thanks.

Well, Europe is seeing dramatic spikes in the number of deaths reported. Both France and the U.K. reported increases of at least 20 percent over the weekend. And German Chancellor Angela Merkel is now in self-quarantine after a doctor who treated her tested positive for coronavirus.

And here to discuss more is CNN's Hadas Gold. She joins us from London. Good to see you Hadas. So, let's start since you're there with the U.K. and it was very slow to respond to this pandemic. Why is that and how are people there responding now to the social distancing and staying home, and what new measures has the government put in place?

HADAS GOLD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary, that's right. The United Kingdom has taken a different approach to how they are combating the coronavirus. And one of the reasons they say is it is all about the science.

They said that they don't want to put down restrictions that are not backed up by science in any way. But, Boris Johnson has warned in stark terms to the public, that if they don't adhere to the recommendations right now, they are just recommendations, about social distancing, there will be more stringent measures put into place.

Now on Friday, they did close down the pubs, the restaurants, the schools, the gyms, the cafes. But over this weekend, I went out for a little bit of a walk. My friends have been telling me, sending me pictures certain parks and certain areas were packed of people.

[02:10:00]

And certain farmers markets were actually still open. And there you had crowds of hundreds milling about doing the exact opposite of what the recommendation is saying, staying six feet away from people, not congregating in big groups.

So Boris Johnson last night warned that people do not take this seriously, there will be more measures issued. These could be things like curfews. These could be things like a full lockdown. There are more and more growing calls for this because of what we saw over this past weekend, that just the recommendations don't seem to be working.

So the question now, Rosemary, seems to be not if there will be a further lockdown here in the United Kingdom, but when.

CHURCH: Yes. I mean, that seems to be the problem throughout the globe in (inaudible), people just not taking this seriously. And of course as we mentioned, the number of infections spiking across Europe, particularly Italy, what is the latest on all of those numbers and how are some of those countries responding to this pandemic?

GOLD: So Italy, a few days ago did actually have its largest spike in deaths, but actually just yesterday, that increase in deaths was 650, which is a lot, but it is a decrease from the numbers before so people are hoping that that decrease of death numbers continues in Italy.

Of course, as you mentioned earlier, Italy is pleading for help from elsewhere. They have turned to the U.S. military, asking them to not only help them with supplies, but also asking if American military members in Italy could help with the civilians.

Now, as far as I understand, they have not responded to that. But also in other parts of Europe, Spain is extending its state of emergency after having its largest single day increase of deaths of nearly 400 deaths in one day, Rosemary.

CHURCH: It's just extraordinary. Hadas Gold bringing us the very latest there from London, many thanks to you. And you heard it as mentioned, Italy asking the U.S. for military help and combating this coronavirus. They are hoping U.S. forces stationed in the country can assist by providing medical personnel and field hospitals.

The Italian defense minister also appealed to his U.S. counterpart, Mark Esper, for critical medical equipment like masks and ventilators. Of course, that is something that is needed here in the United States. Now, this comes as Italy reported more than 650 deaths from the virus over a 24-hour period on Sunday. Barbie Nadeau takes a look at why the country has been hit so hard.

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BARBIE NADEAU, CNN CONTRIBUTOR (voice-over): A convoy of military trucks passes through the northern Italian city of Bergamo. Crematorium so overwhelmed that the military is transporting the dead.

(VIDEO PLAYING)

And there are many, many dead. More have now died from COVID-19 in Italy than in all of China where the virus first emerged. That's despite Italy having far fewer overall cases. The question, why and what can America learn from it? In addition to sending a plane full of supplies, Chinese have also sent the vice president of their Red Cross, who gave this explanation.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SUN SHUOPENG, CICE PRESIDENT, CHINESE RED CROSS: You are not having very strict lock-out policy of the city because the public transportation is still working and people are still moving around, and you are still having like dinners and parties in the hotels and you are not wearing masks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NADEAU (on camera): Here in Rome, it is plain to see, officials are putting every more stringent policies in place trying to keep people home. But as you can see, there are plenty of Romans out disobeying the order.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): If I stay here every day, I risk contagion. There aren't rules. The people do not understand. It seems like Italians don't get it. They should not stand less than a meter apart.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translation): Lots of people are afraid. They are taking the situation very seriously. They go around in face masks and keep their distance. They try to avoid contact while others act like nothing is happening, like it is a normal flu. They are underestimating the problem.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

NADEAU (voice-over): Italy declared its first positive cases at the end of January. The prime minister moved quickly to declare a state of emergency. But it would not be until three weeks later on February 23rd that the government started ban public gatherings, closed schools and asked anyone who might have been exposed to self-quarantine in northern Italy, where most of the cases were at that point.

Leaders sent mixed messages, even politicians posting photos of themselves out drinking cocktails in Milan. It would not be until two weeks after that, March 8th, that the region was put on lockdown. Two- hundred and thirty-three were already dead.

Marcio Teniolo is a school teacher in San Fiorano, part of the original red zone.

MARCIO TENIOLO, SCHOOL TEACHER (through translation): Here, people have never stop dying. Every day it has been like this. We have a number of deaths that just keep increasing, exponentially.

[02:15:03]

A police car has just passed by. Maybe the first time I've heard this, they are asking the population to stay inside their homes.

NADEAU (voice-over): Italy's population is older than average. And the average coronavirus victim here is just over 80. Like other European countries, testing here has not been nearly as aggressive as in countries like Korea. Meaning, it has been much harder to trace the infection.

And as the center of the first contagion in Europe, its hospitals were immediately overwhelmed. At first, Italy's government counted on people to do the right thing. Now, they make sure they do.

DANIELA CONFALONIERI, NURSE IN MILAN: There is a high-level of contagion and we are not even counting the dead anymore. Look at the news that is coming out of Italy and take note of what the situation really is like. It is unimaginable.

NADEAU (voice-over): Take heed, Barbie Nadeau, CNN, Rome.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And we are just hours away from the U.S. markets opening. What could be ahead as investors hope for a stimulus plan from Congress? Not saying it yet.

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CHURCH: Well, U.S. investors are not happy to hear a stimulus package has not passed to help ease the economic fallout from the coronavirus. Futures plunged five percent on news the measure did not get enough votes to pass the Senate on Sunday.

That drop triggered a limit on trading. Dow and S&P 500 futures are down more than four percent. Well, at the daily White House briefing, President Trump was optimistic the economy will turn around as soon as the pandemic is controlled. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TRUMP: The greatest thing we can do is win the war. The war is against the virus. That is the war. We do that, everything, I really believe everything is going to fall into place. It's going to be beautiful. I call it a pent up demand.

People are dying to go out to a restaurant. People are dying to go on airplanes. I think there is a tremendous pent up demand. You may be surprised to the degree. I think it's going to go very rapidly because this was not a financial crisis, just the opposite. This was a medical crisis.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: But in the near term, CNN's chief business correspondent Christine Romans predicts the coming week will be grim for the U.S. economy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: This is going to be maybe the ugliest week we have ever lived through, honestly, for the economy.

You have companies, small businesses, that know that they are not going to have customers for the next number of weeks and they've got rent that is due on April 1st and they've got payroll to make. They are going to be very quick to try to lay off workers because in a normal garden-variety recession.

People hold on to their workers as long as they can because they think it's going to get better. But they know that there is going to be a period of a stopped economy, an economy stopped at the behest of the government.

But even right now, they do not know whether their bills are going to be stopped. Now, in this package that they are arguing about right now, there is, you know, two weeks of cash flow for small businesses if they pass this.

They are arguing about better unemployment benefits for people so even if you're furloughed, maybe you can get unemployment benefits. Democrats really want longer and more money for people who get unemployment. But there is still is this feeling, 11 years after the financial crisis.

The last time around, it was the companies, and the, banks who were bailed out and not the regular worker. And so Democrats are very aware that this has to -- we have to help workers who, April 1st, in just a few days, are going to have bills to pay.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And Vicky Pryce joins us now from London. She is a senior managing director for FTI Consulting, a global business advisory firm. Thank you so much for being with us. I'm hoping you can hear me. I'm not sure if you can, but what is your response to U.S. politicians failing to get this stimulus package approved at this very desperate time?

VICKY PRYCE, SENIOR MANAGING DIRECTOR, FTI CONSULTING: Well, it's very worrying for the markets, there is no doubt about this and you've already heard in the piece just before how they're reacting and we should see more of course as when they're opened properly coming later.

But there is a stimulus that is absolutely needed (inaudible) what we're seeing in Europe is that what has (inaudible) market or at least in short population, is that there is serious employment supports. In other words, if people can feel that their wages are maintained.

And the interesting thing of course is that even in the U.K., which is run by a very right wing government right now, what we have had promised is that wages will be paid up to 80 percent by the government and expecting to have firms to pay a certain amount themselves from top.

In order to keep some incomes still flowing in the pockets of people so that they feel less anxious about what happens to their jobs. The only problem of course is that we don't know how long this whole thing woll last, how much it's going to cost?

And I think in the U.S. as well, I mean, all the talk now about helping the individuals. Their realities of course, they have to put jobs to go back to or going back to so it has to be a combination of employment support as well as then showing there is some income flowing into people's pockets.

CHURCH: Yes. I mean, clearly there are some politics at play in the United States, and a lot of the problem is that there seems to be a little more support going towards going towards some of these bigger companies unless to the little man and woman that need help. So, you know, that's a lot of the problem, but what do investors want to see in that stimulus package.

PRYCE: I think they want to see that there is a possibility of a number of those firms being maintained in the future because obviously stay close and let everyone go.

The chances of their recovery later would be much more difficult because basically they will have to start recruiting and of course they may also not insist in the future. So, there has to be a package to support that.

[02:25:03]

It puts money into sectors whether we like it or not. That's going to have to happen, whether it is airline industry or manufacturing companies or, you know, we've seen here over Europe, huge problems with the entire entertainment sector of course.

So, I think the state will have to intervene probably the need some re-assurance the investors that there is going to be money going also to support those sectors. It could be in the form of sort of extra loans and some equity perhaps that the government takes. That is the sort of thing that we have seen before happen here in Europe and probably will have to happen again.

But the other thing of course that we need to be reassured is that the money that is supposed to be flowing from the federal reserve to support the banks and into the economy more generally is intensified so that they can see the benefit of it as quickly as possible.

So that again, some firms can be sustained, but the reality is as we've been hearing before, question is how fast the recovery will be after it comes, but also more importantly, how deep the recession would be which is likely to be very deep and how long it's going to last.

CHURCH: Right. And I was going to ask you that, of course, President Trump said the economy would turn around as soon as this pandemic is under control. Just very quickly, do you agree with that? Is that likely to happen?

PRYCE: The truth is so much of the national income would have gone. I mean, there's a limit to how much more people could be spending (inaudible) out. All of that spending during this period, a recession, will disappear and a lot of it isn't going to come back and then to recover the rest is going to take quite some time. So, I'm afraid, that is a bit of an optimistic scenario we're gearing about. CHURCH: Vicky Pryce, thank you so much for joining us. We do

appreciate it.

We will take a short break here. Still to come, the world is ramping up its response to the pandemic, shutdowns abound, and yet the virus just keeps spreading. I will ask an expert what it will take to stop it.

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[02:30:00]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: It is mid-afternoon in Tokyo. A very calm scene you can see there after some unsettling news. Japan is reporting its biggest single day's surge in coronavirus deaths. The virus claiming another five lives and bringing the Japanese death toll up to nearly 50 with more than 1,800 infections.

Globally, though there are now nearly 340,000 confirmed cases. That is according to John Hopkins University. The red countries you see there clearly the worst hit. They are home to tens of thousands of infections. And across the U.S., the death toll has shot past 400 with more than 34,000 confirmed cases. Natasha Chen shows us how the state and federal governments are responding.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: And through FEMA, the federal government will be funding 100 percent of the cost of deploying National Guard units.

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Sunday's announcement sends troops to Washington, California, and New York, the state's hardest hit by the coronavirus. A move that comes one week into the White House's 15-day plan to slow the spread of the pandemic.

In one week, we've seen the number of cases in the U.S. go from 4,000 to more than 30,000, and the number of deaths have gone from 72 to at least 400. It's a signal that Americans may experience quarantined life far longer than 15 days.

GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D-NY): This is literally a matter of life and death. We get these facilities up, we get the supplies, we will save lives. If we don't, we will lose lives.

CHEN: Governor Andrew Cuomo says 40 to 80 percent of people across New York State will become infected. He and other governors have been calling for more federal help.

GOV. LARRY HOGAN, (R-MD): We are getting some progress. Now, it's not nearly enough, it's not fast enough, we're way behind the curve.

TRUMP: And whatever the sage can get, they should be getting. I say we're sort of a backup for the states.

CHEN: But the President did say deliveries of medical supplies and federal medical stations with thousands of beds will be going to the hardest-hit states. So far, the shortage of such resources has prompted a new directive in some jurisdictions to test only high priority patients. Many hospitals have also stopped performing elective surgeries.

One Health Care System in New York is barring visitors from the maternity ward. No one but the mother giving birth. All the while health providers on the frontlines are bracing themselves.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm afraid I'm going to get this virus. I'm going to try my hardest not to.

CHEN: All of this makes Congress' stimulus package crucial.

SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL (R-KY): Make no mistake about it. We'll be voting tomorrow.

CHEN: But the fate of that vote could be in question as Senator Rand Paul announced he's tested positive for Coronavirus, and several other GOP senators are in self-quarantine. With them absent, the bill will need serious bipartisan support to pass. And Democrats do not agree on details of the aid given to states and large industries.

SEN. CHUCK SCHUMER (D-NY): There are issues that have not been resolved. There are serious issues.

SEN. TAMMY DUCKWORTH (D-IL): The package that the republicans have drawn up does nothing to help struggling workers. First responders need PPE equipment, personal protective equipment, and resources today to our hospitals and our first responders. There's nothing in it for them. You know, and instead it creates a $500 billion slush fund for Steve Mnuchin to, you know, hand out loans to corporations to see please.

CHEN: Meanwhile, streets are growing quiet throughout the country. Even NASA football stadiums are now becoming test sites. And as we continue facing this challenge in physical isolation, some like these high school students are finding ways to virtually stick together.

CUOMO: America is America because we always overcome adversity and challenges. We're going to overcome this. And America will be the greater for it.

CHEN: Natasha Chen, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: And with me now from Hong Kong, Dr. KG Fukuda. He is the former Assistant Director-General of the World Health Organization, and the Director of the School of Public Health at the University of Hong Kong. Thank you so much for being with us.

So many people across the globe are making sure they wash their hands thoroughly and regularly and they're ensuring they keep their social distance from each other. But a whole lot of others are not doing any of this. What would be your message to them about how contagious this COVID-19 is?

KEIJI FUKUDA, FORMER ASSISTANT DIRECTOR-GENERAL, WHO: Thank you. There's a couple of places in the world which are probably ahead of the curve and knowing what this outbreak can bring, and Hong Kong is one of them. And in Hong Kong, there have been a number of different measures such as reducing travelers coming into the city, but really importantly, measures like social distancing. So reducing meetings and reducing the gatherings of people. And then personal measures, especially hand washing and using masks have been really important.

And I think that if I was in another part of the world, I would really take a close look at the places which have experienced the outbreak and try to learn from some of the lessons which are clear here.

[02:35:37]

CHURCH: Right. Of course, we look at Italy, for instance, where there has been a total lockdown. Apparently, though, people haven't been heeding the warning to stay in their homes and hence we're seeing these incredible numbers, these incredible spikes in infections and deaths, very disturbing.

So what is it going to take do you think to stop the spread of this virus, a national lockdown perhaps in the United States or in other countries, or is that unnecessarily extreme?

FUKUDA: I think there's probably two main ingredients which are needed. On the one hand, there are going to need to be several different ways to try to reduce the outbreak. None of them is perfect. You know, we can't hermetically seal off countries or communities and social distancing and personal hygiene measures are going to be important, but they are also not perfect and cannot be done completely by everybody.

And so we have to recognize that we need a sort of layered approach or a basket approach and use all of these different means. But I think the second key ingredient is that we need the public to understand that the outbreak is serious and that they are an active participant in whether the outbreak is going to continue or whether it is going to break.

And so having people take it seriously, have them tried to follow the guidelines which are being put out there by good health authorities is really critical breaking the outbreak.

CHURCH: Yes. I mean, the message is certainly being sent out there, but it doesn't seem to be resonating with so many people, and we're all seeing it when we go outside. You see people taking no notice at all of any of the social distancing or ensuring that they stay healthy and maybe inside their homes for as long as they possibly can.

And of course, the U.S. we know has now tested more than 250,000 people and more than 10 percent of them have tested positive for the coronavirus, more than 400 have died. But so many more people have requested to be tested but have been turned away because there just aren't enough test kits or swabs. How is it possible do you think looking from the outside that the superpower is failing to get this done?

FUKUDA: Well, you know, I think that we need to do testing for a couple of different reasons. One of them is simply for medical diagnosis, another one is for the country to be able to monitor where it is in the outbreak. And so, are getting better, or are they getting worse? And I think that this is one of the places where the U.S. has stumbled, but it is trying to get back on its feet and make sure it's getting the testing done.

But I think the bigger issue which you're raising is that there are people in the states who understand it's an important issue and then there are other people who, for whatever reason, seem to believe that there's nothing going on. And I think that getting out in front of those people, to communications and really trying to reach them but also for those people to listen is going to be really critical for the U.S. to limit the outbreak.

CHURCH: Yes. I mean, we've got doctors on the front line getting sick, putting their lives at risk, and you've got kids in Florida on the beaches partying it up. It's just -- it's very -- it's very strange image. But I just -- before you go, I wanted to ask you this. Because starting Tuesday, some U.S. patients will be given anti-malarial drugs to treat the COVID-19 infection. What is your reaction to that?

FUKUDA: We definitely need trials. You know, there are a number of potential agents against the virus which causes this outbreak, but the need really good trials giving us solid data. So for example, if we take chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, which are the two anti- malarial drugs, which will be tested both in the U.S. and also by groups such as WHO, we have some anecdotal information, we have some data suggesting that they could be useful, but we need better data to show that they really work and that they can be used safely.

In SARS, we learned that people could use drugs widely, for example, steroids. And then years later we have found out that these drugs were not effective, and they really cause people long term side effects. And so, we have to really do the trials which are needed.

[02:40:19]

CHURCH: Yes, indeed. That is a real concern for sure. Dr. Keiji Fukuda, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate it. Well, you ever wonder what's going through the mind of a top U.S. infectious disease expert when President Trump misstates the facts during a news conference? Well, now we do.

In an interview published Sunday in The Journal Science, Dr. Anthony Fauci talked about the challenges of working with the Trump administration during the coronavirus pandemic. Here's how he described hearing falsehoods from the president. He said, I can't jump in front of the microphone and push him down. OK, he said it. Let's try and get it corrected for the next time. Fauci added that while he and Mr. Trump disagree on some things, the President does listen to what he has to say.

Well, the shortage of testing kits for coronavirus has given scammers an opportunity to cash in. Fake kits are being sold to people in the United States and officials are warning other countries to be on the lookout. Matthew Chance tells us how to spot the fakes and why they can be harmful to use.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: As scientists around the world race to develop coronavirus testing kits in an attempt to get a grip on this escalating pandemic, there's also been an increase in the number of scam artists exploiting the situation by offering fake and potentially dangerous tests for sale.

British authorities say that a 59-year-old man has now been charged here after a joint operation with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to seize large numbers of fake tests sent from Britain to Los Angeles after being ordered on the internet. This is what the tests look like. A plastic packets marked as COVID-19 anti-pathogenic treatments. Each containing bottles that are believed to -- believed to be extremely hazardous chemicals related to a bleaching agent, and with which uses of the fake test are instructed to wash and rinse their mouths.

Well, British police are now issuing a warning to people in the United States to stay away from using these fake tests and to get in contact if they come across any of the tests believed still to be in circulation.

CLINTON BLACKBURN, CHIEF SUPERINTENDENT, LONDON POLICE: So we know that we've recovered 42o fake kits. 60 of those were recovered out in Los Angeles on the 18th of March. There's 200 further kits that we think will be actually in circulation, a number of which we think yes, will be out in the United States.

CHANCE: Well, several warnings have been issued in Britain and France where police say the fake kits were also sold. It serves as a reminder, say police, that criminals are likely to exploit this period of global emergency and insecurity to defraud people out of their money. Matthew Chance, CNN London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Just unbelievable. We'll take a short break here. Still to come, the streets of India are nearly empty right now, all part of an ambitious nationwide plan to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. We'll explain on the other side of the break. Stay with us.

[02:45:00]

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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, India is extending its public curfew. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had originally asked the public to self-quarantine for 14 hours Sunday. Now at least 75 districts and a number of states will remain on lockdown until the end of this month. It's an ambitious plan in a country of 1.3 billion people where the usually bustling highways and markets are now mostly empty. Well, for more, I'm joined now by CNN Producer Vedika Sud in New

Delhi. Good to see you Vedika. So initially, this was going to be a 14-hour curfew. I'm not sure what that would have achieved. But now it's been extended in some places to the end of the month. How is it going to work?

VEDIKA SUD, CNN PRODUCER: Absolutely, Rosemary. It has been now -- it expands to about 75 districts in India. This includes a few states as well. What the central government did on Sunday evening was announced that same five districts. Now, these districts are the districts where there have been coronavirus confirmed cases that have been reported. So therefore, the first lockdown is in those districts as well. Some states have expanded it to the entire territory of the state as well.

This means that only essential services will be provided in the 75 districts and a few states that have voluntarily expanded to the entire territory. This, of course, means that there'll be water services, health services, and food supplies that will be allowed to function. As far as the National Capital New Delhi is concerned, Rosemary, it's on complete lockdown.

This lockdown in Delhi will go on to the 31st of March. What we also know is that no train services, no metro services, no interstate services will also apply during this period. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken to Twitter some time ago. And he has mentioned on Twitter himself that some people are not taking this lockdown very seriously. His appeal to the citizens of India to do so, like you mentioned, we're talking to a population of 1.3 billion. This is the largest democracy in the world. And this is challenging times for the country. Rosemary?

CHURCH: Sadly, it is a story we're hearing right across the globe. People are not taking this seriously. Vedika Sud, many thanks to you joining us there from New Delhi. We'll take a short break. Still to come, the coronavirus pandemic is too taking its toll on medical workers. Doctors and nurses are being asked to come out of retirement to help fill the void. And we talked to one doctor volunteering to come back in a big way. That's ahead.

[02:50:00]

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CHURCH: Retired doctors and nurses are being recruited to help fill the shortage of medical staff. Miguel Marquez has the story of one U.S. doctor going back to work.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ANNE SACKS-BERG, RETIRED DOCTOR: I am in a high-risk age group.

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: High risk but highly motivated. 67-year-old doctor An Saxberg retired last year. No longer can she watch as the COVID-19 coronavirus kills and changes the way we live.

SACKS-BERG: I feel I have a moral obligation to share my skills.

MARQUEZ: For 28 years, she was an infectious disease and palliative care physician at Huntington Hospital on New York's Long Island. It's one of nearly two dozen hospitals run by Northwell Health, New York state's largest private healthcare provider. She is exactly the sort of healthcare professional hospitals everywhere need right now.

Why, may I ask, you get emotional talking about this?

SACKS-BERG: I think it is because I feel it is a moral obligation. And I -- you know, I feel -- I have this in common with other health care workers. They're putting themselves on the line every day and going to work. This is kind of who we are and what we've made for. And it's hard to sit on the sidelines.

MARQUEZ: She is also one of thousands of Americans heeding the call, helping take on the biggest challenge the U.S. and the world has seen in generations.

SACKS-BERG: We can't imagine what it's going to be like a week or two from now. I think it's going to be -- it's going to be a bad situation and we are going to lose a lot of people.

MARQUEZ: Hospitals know what's coming. Not only are they critically short of protective masks, gloves, gowns, beds, and ventilators, they also expect doctors, nurses, and first responders to get sick and face quarantine themselves.

[02:55:01]

CUOMO: So we're asking former doctors and nurses, contact your previous employer. Department of Health will accelerate your recertification.

MARQUEZ: Northwell Health where Dr. Sacks-Berg worked for her entire career has 72,000 employees helping run 23 hospitals and nearly 800 outpatient clinics throughout New York. 75 employees have tested positive for the virus, mostly from community exposure. But a larger number, 270, have been forced to stay home and self-quarantine due to exposure.

SACKS-BERG: I've got everything I need right here.

MARQUEZ: For now, Dr. Sacks-Berg is devouring every scrap of information about the disease she can waiting for the inevitable call to return to work and get back in the game whose rules are still not fully understood.

SACKS-BERG: I don't think we have any idea of how many people are going to end up requiring hospital utilization in a very compacted period of time.

MARQUEZ: If and when a wave of critically ill patients need care, Dr. Sacks-Berg fully expects to be on the front line. Miguel Marquez, CNN, Huntington, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHURCH: Such a noble profession. We need to do our part to help all those doctors and nurses. Thank you so much for your company this hour. I'm Rosemary Church. And remember to connect with me anytime on Twitter. I'll be back with more news in just a moment. You watching CNN. Do stick around.

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CHURCH: Welcome back to our viewers joining us here in the United States and, of course, all around the world, you are watching CNN.

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