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New Day Saturday

Georgia Reopens Salons, Gyms, Bowling Alleys And Tattoo Parlors As The State Death Toll Rises; Some States Being To Reopen Despite Health Risk Warnings; Business Confront Legal Issues Reopening Amid COVID-19; Trump Refuses To Take Questions At Briefing Day After Discussing Disinfectant Injections To Fight Coronavirus; Air Pollution Drops In Major Cities As Millions Stay Home. Aired 7-8a ET

Aired April 25, 2020 - 07:00   ET

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

[07:00:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know what to do.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'm going to try it. I just feel like us as a country, we're going to have much bigger problems financially, if we don't.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VICTOR BLACKWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Good Saturday morning to you and wherever you're watching from around the world. Thank you so much for being with us. I'm Victor Blackwell.

CHRISTI PAUL, CNN ANCHOR: And I'm Christi Paul, this morning I want to tell you about some growing concerns about people's physical and mental health and the economy as well as states begin to reopen right now. According to Johns Hopkins University, at least 51,949 Americans have been killed by the coronavirus.

BLACKWELL: On Friday, we got the first look at what reopening looks like in Georgia. Governor Brian Kemp, undeterred by the criticism from around the country. He moved ahead with the most far reaching effort today to restart the economy. And mayors across the state of Georgia, a lot of them are not happy with this plan. Also, it contradicts the guidance and the models often cited by the White House. And those show that Georgia should not even start the process of reopening until June 28, but the governor, Brian Kemp, he says, Georgia is ready.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GOV. BRIAN KEMP (R-GA): We've laid our plan out to meet the phase one criteria. I think it's the right move at the right time, but I really appreciate all they're doing. We've had multiple conversations with him and the Vice President.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: In contrast to what we've seen in states such as Michigan and Wisconsin, in Georgia, there are protesters pushing back against the lifting of restrictions. Dozens of people bashing the horns, look at this. They were holding signs as they drove by the governor's mansion yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: They say that it's supposed to be two weeks of decline, and we haven't seen that. He's not even following White House guidelines. Even Trump says this is too soon. If he's saying that, then you know, that's a lot.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: And that all businesses that can open are? CNN's Martin Savidge, though takes a look at how those businesses in Georgia are handling the Governor's order.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Governor of Georgia allowed the businesses to open but he also understood that the final decision rests with the business owners and by the end of the first day, there were mixed results.

For instance, at the shopping center where we are now, there were about four businesses that could have opened, but in reality, only one of them did, the hair salon and it was definitely not business as usual. In fact, it was business unusual. There was a strange vibe today. For instance, many of the hairstylist there were dressed up looking more like people in the medical profession. There are extreme safety and sanitary measures that they have to follow.

Social distancing makes the whole situation feel strange as many of the customers have to wait outside and wait to be called in. And there are a lot of businesses That didn't open because their owner said they were afraid.

They didn't think it was the right time, worried for their employees, their customers, or just worried for themselves. Then there are the problems of finding the right protection equipment that's still in short supply. And in some cases, the businesses have to reconfigure the entire workspace to make it work with the whole social distancing idea.

It was hard for businesses not to open, and it was hard for them to open, because many of them still fear for their safety, but they're also worried about their finances. Here's what one salon owner told us about that conundrum.

TIM TIMMONS, SALON OWNER: It's not out of greed, it's, it's out of necessity. We're trying to keep our business alive and keep my staff able to survive. So, those were the reasons that we decided to go ahead and implement these changes so that we could get back to work. It's a bit of a challenge, but it's going to be something that we all just have to get used to. This is going to be the new normal for quite some time. SAVIDGE: The Governor has never called it an experiment. But in many ways, that's exactly what it felt like. And the next phase of that experiment will come on Monday, when restaurants which have been allowed to offer a carry out service will for the first time in weeks be allowed to let customers dine in, but it will be a whole different world. Martin Savidge, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

PAUL: Martin, thank you so much. One Georgia business owner has decided not to reopen just yet even though she could by the standards that the governor said. Candy Shaw owns Jamison Shaw Hairdressers in Atlanta. CANDY, thank you so much for being with us. What made you decide to delay your opening?

CANDY SHAW, OWNER, JAMISON SHAW HAIRDRESSERS: Well, there were a lot of things that went into it, but I had to realize that popular decisions aren't always right. And right decisions aren't always popular. I wanted to really protect the health and safety of my own staff. And I just really truly had to put health before here and follow the science.

[07:05:06]

PAUL: How are your staff holding up? How are the people there? I mean, they've, they've got to be torn because -- are they getting any sort of a paycheck? Are they OK?

SHAW: Yes, I mean, I'm a 60-year young business, but I have 50 chairs in my salon. So, we of course, have went to work very quickly to try to put into place all the things that funding and everything that we could use, you know, for our staff. So, yes, they are getting paid, but I think really, the reality was, for me was more about the protection of their health and safety.

PAUL: I know the governor announced this decision just this week, would that have been enough time to give you to have your salon ready based on, on the guidelines that he said and what you would need to do to reopen?

SHAW: Well, we have been working on it since the day one we closed. I mean, obviously first, when we closed, everyone thought that it would be just a 14-day quarantine. And no one even dreamed that we would go into almost six weeks now or five weeks.

And so, for us, we had already started to get on collect all those supplies. So, I'm actually ready to open as it relates to what I need in order to follow those guidelines. However, with a shelter in place until April the 30th, I just thought it was in my best interest to just take it a day at a time, again, follow the science.

I have a son who is a medical doctor at Emory and I just feel that it's the right thing to do on behalf of my staff and on, on behalf of my community.

PAUL: So, what is your son telling you and is he giving you guidance?

SHAW: Well, of course I mean, we have many phone calls, every night just following you know what they're hearing and what they're doing. But when you think about it, hairdressers are very much like a nurse.

I mean we are -- have a license of course to touch, we have a license to be in someone's personal space, and so for me not having the proper PPE or those types of things, you know, really just seemed very selfish on my part to, to be able to put someone in harm's way not knowing really if this curve has come down enough.

PAUL: Yes, I think a lot of people think of salons, like they do tattoo parlors and some of the other things that have opened thinking, how do you social distance in a setting like that? Certainly, you can be away from another customer, but it's a hands-on service. How are you going to manage that?

SHAW: Well, we're going to follow all the protocols and we have a proper preparedness plan that we've been putting together. We have -- are working very hard to find our new normal. And obviously, it's impossible right now to touch someone at a six-foot distance, we know that.

But ultimately for us, we're just, we're going to continue to take it a day at a time and follow the science. Listen, you know, this is not an easy decision a lot of businesses are struggling and hurting. I am fortunate that I have a war chest and that I have a 60-year business, we've been -- made some smart moves.

But, but at the end of the day, we'll all be able to get back in a hair salon at one point and put Humpty Dumpty back together. I mean, definitely essential, yes, it grows. Yes, this is frustrating, yes. But at the end of the day, I just can't, I just can't in all good faith, put hair before health.

PAUL: You know, it's funny because you sound like you may be speaking to customers. Have you heard from customers who are, are frustrated to not be able to get in to see your stylists?

SHAW: Well, of course I mean even from the day one when we closed many women put vanity before safety. But I you know we went to war very early on and put a show your roots campaign out there as well as support your stylist. We can't become kitchen beauticians at a time like this. We can't be curbside hair colorist. It's just not the right thing to do. I don't carry a license of being professional, and then I go against everything that I've worked very hard in my career to do.

PAUL: So you, you mentioned that you didn't feel comfortable opening up before the state home orders lifted, which is happening April 30th here in Georgia. Will you open at that time then? Is that your plan?

SHAW: You know, I wish I had an actual date but I don't. I think that like I have managed this entire process of what we've gone through, I've taken my advice day by day. I am prepared and ready to open up in a 24-hour time period, and I will make that call when I feel in my true heart that I'm 100 percent safe to go back. PAUL: Candy Shaw, some really -- some good knowledge from you this morning on how you're trying to manage all of this and just such smart words from you. Thank you for being with us. We really appreciate your insight.

[07:10:10]

SHAW: And thank you for having me.

PAUL: Absolutely. Now, in New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says all evidence suggests his state is on the downside of the curve. This past week, he thanked the 95,000 medical professionals that he says have come from inside and outside the state to help.

BLACKWELL: And our next guest is one of them. She traveled to New York from Georgia, Brandy Brown. Let's bring her in. She's a Doctor of Nursing Practice from the Atlanta area. She's with us from New York. Dr. Brown, good morning to you.

DR. BRANDY BROWN, DOCTOR OF NURSING IN ATLANTA AREA: Good morning. How are you guys?

BLACKWELL: We are well, thank you. Let me ask you, the last conversation I had you did an interview maybe about a week ago and you described a surge in New York, beds were full, hospital resources maxed out, is that the case going into this next week?

BROWN: No, actually things have calmed down quite a bit here in New York, which is, is a big yay for us. There are still a lot of patients, of course in the hospital that are still recovering from the virus, but I have actually had a good opportunity to work with some of the social workers and the discharge planning team this last week.

So, I get to see a different side of things. And, you know, just helping to coordinate with people being transferred out into some of the makeshift areas to help people recover for their quarantine and also make arrangements for people to be able to go home and continue to do better at home.

PAUL: I know there's a push now for testing. The narrative from the government has been that they haven't faced shortages, they haven't seen those. Is that true from where you have been in what you have seen?

BROWN: I have not seen any shortages with testing. I think that's more because they put a guideline on, on this. I have been working, at least on my end from here in New York working to try to set up testing there in Georgia as well, because I know we need more testing. And I guess with the reopening, it'll be needed even more, but I have not seen any shortages on that as of yet.

BLACKWELL: Let me ask you about that, because you mentioned the reopening considering what you've seen in New York. And let's, let's preface this by saying Georgia is not New York, per capita as a relates to deaths or cases, but when you heard that businesses were going to open this weekend and which ones, what went through your mind?

BROWN: Disaster waiting to happen.

BLACKWELL: Explain.

BROWN: Instance of you know -- again, it goes back to the whole scenario of everybody's not symptomatic. So, you really don't know who has symptoms and who doesn't, or who's actually infected versus who's not. And there's a limitation on how much cleaning you can really do at a bowling alley, at a gym, you know, you have actual body droplets coming off of you the whole time. So, how is that really going to be considered safe?

PAUL: So, with that in mind, how long do you plan to stay in New York and what is going to be a determining factor for you to decide when to come back to Georgia?

BROWN: I'll probably be here for another two to three weeks or so roughly. My goal is to definitely come back home because I want to help my own community. I do have my own practice there in the Gwinnett County. So, I do want to be available for my own patients and those new ones that will be arriving, arriving.

And I want to be available also to provide testing and care for those patients that may get infected because I do believe that we are going to be in the upswing here in the next week or two with the continuing opening up businesses.

BLACKWELL: Hey, Dr. Brown before I let you go, I went to your Instagram page before the show and you show some, some optimism about antibody tests. We know that there's a house committee that is questioning the antibody tests that are now out on the market, the FDA not clearing, making sure that all of those are accurate. What are your concerns and balance for us the optimism versus some of the, the suspicion that, that people should approach these antibody tests with?

BROWN: Well, I think it's really getting patients to understand what an antibody is. And it's just more or less these tests are, are really letting you know, more or less if you've already been exposed, if you have a current infection or not. So, understanding that is really where the baseline is and being able to understand why we're doing it.

But it doesn't necessarily state when you know your infection started, you know when it's going to or when it ended. So, I'm having the understanding. I think with the people that are going to actually do the testing is going to be important because I feel like during this whole time there's been a lot of fear placed in front of civilians as a whole when it comes to this.

And so, nobody's really thinking 100 percent clearly when they're trying to figure out what to do next, where to go next, who to talk to, what information is being put out there. So, just being able to understand what the concept of the antibody test is, and why it's important, and as it's still going through its processes of testing and trying to be as accurate as possible, people need to understand the basic concept of it and why it's there and why it is necessary actually.

[07:15:39]

BLACKWELL: And making sure that the tests that people are taking have been validated. Thus far, I believe the FDA has approved for their dozens on the market. So, choose carefully. Dr. Brandy Brown, from Georgia working in New York, thank you so much for what you're doing, and thanks for spending a few minutes with us.

BROWN: Thank you for having me on. Have a wonderful day, you guys.

PAUL: You as well. Take good care.

BLACKWELL: You too.

PAUL: And listen, we want to know how you and your kids are adjusting to all of this. Some kids I know are affected very differently, obviously, maybe they're having a hard time with virtual learning. Maybe they're just flying through it without any problem. But we want to hear what you're going through. Share your stories with us, what you've learned, share your pictures @VictorBlackwell and @Christi_Paul. That's on Twitter. We're also on Instagram. But it's important for us to hear from you.

BLACKWELL: Yes, we look forward to sharing the pictures and sharing the stories. I'll send one to Christi that I've seen and she'll send one to me, so keep bringing them in. Thanks so much. COVID-19 patient who spent three weeks in a medical coma is now recovering. (INAUDIBLE) left in New Jersey hospital this week for the first time in almost a month. And during that time, he was on a ventilator. A recent study from New York's largest health system now found that nearly all COVID- 19 patients who were put on a ventilator to help them breathe, died.

PAUL: But (INAUDIBLE) has beaten the odds, obviously. He's in rehabilitation in a facility there now, continuing his recovery. Listen to those cheers, though. His family tells CNN they're just so thankful for this hospital staff and just like Brandy Brown, who we just talked to. We thank each and every one of the doctors and nurses and technicians and all of you who are making moments like that a possibility.

BLACKWELL: Yes, fantastic work. Right now, sources say that aides are trying to stop the president from doing these daily task force briefings after he made this wild suggestion that potentially, scientists should test the effectiveness of injecting disinfectants to kill the coronavirus.

PAUL: Also lawsuits are being filed across the country now as businesses reopened amid COVID-19, what protections do you have as an employer, as an employee, or a customer? We have some legal advice coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:22:03] BLACKWELL: Some sharp criticism for President Trump after he told reporters that he was being sarcastic when he suggested that medical experts should look into testing the efficacy of injecting disinfectants as a treatment for the coronavirus.

PAUL: There's comments for doctors, state leaders, companies that make those products to warn Americans not to follow that suggestion.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Please, don't you -- don't inject, ingest, or even put on your body any disinfectants that you're using for cleaning purposes. It is completely inappropriate, and it's extraordinarily dangerous. People die from ingesting some of these products. So, so I really hope everyone understands. If the President was being sarcastic, it doesn't really matter. That information wasn't accurate and please don't act on it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PAUL: White House -- want to go to the White House now with CNN's Kristen Holmes who's following the latest there. Kristen, so the president saying he was being sarcastic in response to a question that was asked of him, fact check that for us will you please?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Christi, it's hard to fact check, particularly given how false it is in the statement. We heard the statement, it was in a national briefing, on television, the video playing over and over again.

And to be clear, he was linking it to what those disinfectants actually do, essentially asking scientists to look into if you ingest these disinfectants, will it clean out the coronavirus from your system, the way that these disinfectants clean things like surfaces. So, this has been a very rough 24 hours for President Trump.

Actually, I guess now we're coming on 36 hours as he and the White House have worked to really clean up those remarks because he was excoriated by medical professionals, as you just heard here, warning people that this was not only not true that you couldn't ingest these disinfectants but also that this was highly dangerous. And the President really, at some points, being ridiculed as well. Take a look here at this Vice President Biden tweet, saying: "I can't believe I have to say this, but please don't drink bleach."

This leading to the president saying that he was being sarcastic that he was just essentially being sarcastic with a reporter going back and forth seeing what they would say. But again, it was pretty clear from the view from the tape, that he was making a real suggestion to a scientist.

And I've talked to several White House officials who behind the scenes admit President Trump was not being sarcastic. And they also say that this was an unforced error that most of this stems from the fact that President Trump has a desire to look as though he is leading these medical coronavirus briefings when he has really limited medical knowledge.

PAUL: All right, Kristen Holmes, appreciate you walking us through it. Thank you so much.

BLACKWELL: Thank you, Kristen. So, there's a new study that shows just how much of an impact the coronavirus pandemic is having on the environment. We've got pictures of air pollution clearing, a reminder of the climate crisis the world still faces.

[07:25:13]

Our Bill Weir has been tracking the impact of climate change here in the U.S. before COVID-19, and he's with us live next with a look at his revealing new documentary.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

BLACKWELL: Millions of people around the world are staying home and this phenomenon seems to be having a major effect on air pollution.

PAUL: Major cities that suffer from some of the worst pollution have seen up to 60 percent reductions. Look at these pictures. This is according to one group of researchers. This is a reminder that as the world deals with a major health and economic crisis, obviously, a climate crisis is looming large as well.

[07:30:00]

BLACKWELL: CNN's Chief Climate Correspondent Bill Weir is up early with this us. Has been crisscrossing the country documenting how the global climate crisis is transforming life as we know it here in the U.S.

And tonight on CNN, his team is revealing what they found in this special documentary report. Bill, good morning to you.

BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Victor.

BLACKWELL: This new stay-at-home is having a major impact on all of us.

WEIR: It is. It is. City dwellers are seeing stars, they didn't know were up there before. People breathing easier and considering at about 100,000 Americans die every year, prematurely from air pollution, that's a positive, of course. And especially, since people in the smoggiest cities are more susceptible to COVID-19 because their lungs are compromised as well.

But, there's really no silver lining in this horrific nightmare we're living through when it comes to global warming. The heat-trapping gases: carbon dioxide, methane, that blanket around the earth that's warming us up at a scary rate still thicker than ever.

And as you mentioned, yes, I spent over a year trying -- going from the Florida Keys to Alaskan glaciers, the coast, to the heartland, to imagine how life as we know it would change with the climate crisis, and really came home realizing it's already fully underway in a lot of places.

Including in the heartland where farmers are already seeing devastating effects. Take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MATT RUSSELL, CO-OWNER, COYOTE RUN FARM, IOWA: I'm checking cattle with snow blowing into my face, and I come around the corner, and I'm hearing the frogs chirping in a snow blizzard. It was just weird. I'm like, this is what climate change is. The wrong weather, the wrong time with devastating consequences.

WEIR: Matt Russell, works Coyote Run Farm in southern Iowa, with his husband and adopted sons.

RUSSELL: This spring, we just got hammered with rain -- just hammered.

WEIR: And like their neighbor Justin Jordan, they are still reeling from the wettest 12-month period the United States has ever recorded.

RUSSELL: And you also see how short this corn is? Normally, this tassel will be at the top of my fingertips, eight feet tall.

WEIR: He took a 20 percent hit. But, at least, he had a crop. Thanks to freakish bomb cyclones and levee smashing floods, a staggering 19 million acres went unplanted across the country. And almost the third of farm income came from federal bailouts or insurance.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Holy mighty God, we thank you for this time to come together.

WEIR: We can't blame them for praying, but this is a different kind of devotional.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Then, we can put our feet into action and address climate change.

WEIR: Interfaith Power and Light is a national organization devoted to using faith to fight the climate crisis.

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And I got a -- we need to be leader in that.

WEIR: From our Matt heads the Iowa chapter.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You know, it's a majority of farmers don't believe in it. And it's -- yes, it's a sensitive issue. And it's tied back the politics to us.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And that's the sad part is this isn't rainbows and unicorns, and I think this is proven stuff.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

WEIR: I really wanted to explore the psychology of the climate crisis, why some folks in this country -- especially this country has such a hard time coming to grips with it. And it was really revealing, and I think, made me a lot more empathic to folks all over the country based on the stories that we all marinate in.

But I hope you check it out. It's a pretty sweeping look, and I'm pretty proud of it.

PAUL: if it definitely, I think it would be a job that you have seen that has changed you. Among other things that may have changed you recently, I was looking at your Instagram page yesterday to see these pictures of this beautiful baby.

We're all going through our own thing during coronavirus, and here you are becoming a new dad again with baby River?

(CROSSTALK)

WEIR: Yes, let me tell you something.

PAUL: Is that his name?

WEIR: Yes, baby River. Yes, here he is. I will -- I know it's hard to pull off, but for us, nothing has made our lockdown more delightful than focusing on this little chunk love. He was born about two weeks ago.

It was very scary, as you can imagine. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to be in the delivery room until Governor Cuomo lifted that rule changed.

My fiancee, Kelly had to wear a mask that I used when I cover wildfires. But thankfully, everybody got through it OK, and we're in swoon lagoon over here with this little dude.

PAUL: Who wouldn't be? Look at him. Oh, congratulations to you. We're so, so glad, everybody is healthy and happy, and you've got a lot of good stories to tell.

WEIR: Oh, yes. Absolutely. Got to -- got to raise this kid to be a lover of the earth, for sure.

PAUL: Oh, take good care of yourself and your beautiful family. They were so happy for you.

[07:35:04]

BLACKWELL: Thanks, Bill.

WEIR: Thank you, Christi. Thank you, Victor.

BLACKWELL: Yes.

PAUL: Of course. And remember to watch the work of Bill Weir and his team. It's tonight on CNN. This 90-minute special documentary report, "THE ROAD TO CHANGE: AMERICA'S CLIMATE CRISIS". It's at 10:00 p.m. Eastern right here on CNN.

BLACKWELL: Good to see, River.

PAUL: Yes.

BLACKWELL: I think River is officially, Christi, our youngest guest.

PAUL: It's -- I think you're probably right.

BLACKWELL: Two weeks.

PAUL: Two weeks?

BLACKWELL: Two weeks. Yes.

PAUL: I would say so.

BLACKWELL: Yes, all right.

PAUL: We'll have to wait until it happens for you, Victor. They know how to bring a baby in.

BLACKWELL: Oh, quite a long time. Still, to come, businesses that are re-opening that could face lawsuits if they don't follow health and safety guidelines to keep their employees and their customers safe.

What recourse or protection do they have? Our legal expert is with us next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:40:24]

BLACKWELL: Businesses across the country are starting to re-open, and there are a lot of legal questions. How can employers -- or how should they advise their workers to follow guidelines, keeping them and their customers as safe as possible?

Also, could businesses face negligence lawsuits if somebody gets sick or passes away? And what if I don't want to go to work?

Herewith me now is a criminal defense and constitutional attorney Page Pate. Page, welcome back.

PAGE PATE, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: Good morning, Victor.

BLACKWELL: So, let's start here from what we've heard from a lot of workers who say, I just do not feel safe going back to work. Are there are any protections for an employee who does not want to go back because they don't feel like they'll be protected or they're in some type of danger?

PATE: Well, Victor, there are some protections that an employer is going to have to put into place to make sure that the workers feel safe, the customers feel safe, and those protections are normally something that comes from OSHA.

OSHA develops guidelines for workplace safety, they do that all the time, and it's no different now. But the exact type of accommodations that an employer has to make, that's still subject to some debate.

OSHA has not come out with a specific set of guidelines, but they are looking to the CDC and the other agencies of the federal government to come up with something that's reasonable so that they can protect the employees and their customers.

And if they continue to follow those guidelines, then, yes, the workers may have some rights.

BLACKWELL: OK. Let me ask you here. There are some sticky constitutional issues in the testing and tracing. Can a person be required to disclose who they saw, where they were for the last two weeks as they try to, you know, mitigate the coronavirus?

PATE: Yes, Victor, this is very different than -- from in the past. In the past, an employer could not ask a lot of those questions. Those are questions relating to privacy. And an employer could also not ask a lot of questions about an employee's health, about their current condition, but that has now changed.

The EEOC has specifically said that an employer can make inquiries before somebody comes back to work to make sure the employee has not been sick, has not been around people who are sick.

And the employer can also run tests. They can take temperature, they can require a doctor's certification. So, there are a lot of things in place now that an employer can do and can require an employee to go through before that person can come back to work.

BLACKWELL: And that includes not allowing someone to go back to their normal workplace if -- let's say they choose not to get the first- round of whatever vaccine becomes available?

PATE: That's exactly right. Employers now have the ability to simply say, if you have not taken the test, if you are not shown to be either immune or have received the vaccine or have the proper antibodies, you cannot come back to work. The EEOC has allowed employers to now take that position.

BLACKWELL: And last one on this return to opening here. These are some of the mitigation measures that are required for businesses to open. Let's say that I go through all of these things and someone still is -- they contract the virus at my business. Am I liable?

PATE: Usually, no. If it's a worker, the worker's compensation laws allow somebody who gets injured or sick at work to claim some amount of money, but you can't sue your employer.

Same for a customer. A customer comes into a store, they get ill. It's going to be very difficult to tie that illness to that particular office or building or workplace. But, if the employer does not follow those OSHA guidelines we talked about earlier, and they are negligent, then, there may be a cause ever action that an employee can use to file a lawsuit against the employer.

BLACKWELL: And what we just showed there was specific to Georgia as businesses open over the weekend. Page Pate, always great to have the clarity. Thank you so much for being with us.

PATE: Thank you, Victor.

BLACKWELL: All right. Christi?

PAUL: Well, it's an emotional night at the NFL draft. How one prospect realized this lifelong dream after dealing with an unspeakable tragedy?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: "FOOD IS FUEL" is brought to you by Noom. Noom is based in psychology, for lasting health and weight loss results.

[07:46:17]

PAUL: I know all of us stuck at home are just trying to make the food we have last. Right? But how long should we keep those leftovers around? CNN health reporter Jacqueline Howard shows us in today's "FOOD IS FUEL"

JACQUELINE HOWARD, CNN HEALTH REPORTER: The first step is to take a close look at the ingredients, and the smell test doesn't always work. For sweet treats, most pies should be refrigerated. Especially if they have an egg, milk, or custard filling.

Don't let it sit out for more than two hours. And once in the fridge, you can keep them cool for about two days.

Says the USDA, when it comes to cakes, the big factor is frosting. If the frosting is dairy-based, it must be refrigerated, and it can generally last for a week. Outside of the fridge, it's good for about a day or two.

But what about seafood? The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, says when buying fresh fish, make sure it's refrigerated immediately, and consume it within the next two days.

Once cooked, wrap it up tightly and you can keep it in the fridge for the next three to four days.

And when it comes to take out like Chinese food or pizza, keep it in airtight containers in the refrigerator. That way, it can last for about three to four days.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:50:27]

PAUL: Well, the first round of the NFL's virtual draft had a record- breaking audience. Averaged more than 15 million.

BLACKWELL: Yes, and last night was really emotional for one of the players and their family. Coy Wire is with us now with more on that in this morning's "BLEACHER REPORT". Good morning, Coy. COY WIRE, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Victor and Christi, to you, too. These players, if they're fortunate enough to be drafted in the NFL, yes, they are some of the most physically talented athletic players in the country.

But it's their mental makeup, their drive that truly separates them, and they all have their own motivators. For Yetur Gross-Matos, the Panthers' second-round pick out of Penn State, it's his family.

Yetur was 2 years old when his father died while saving him from drowning. A few years later, his 12-year-old brother Chelal was struck by lightning and killed at a Little League game.

Well, Victor and Christi, he plays for them now. Tattoos on his arm representing them, so in a way, they were right there with them when his dream came true.

And there's Titan second-round pick, Kristian Fulton, dedicating his selection to his grandfather Louis. He died from complications from coronavirus 2-1/2 weeks ago. Fulton said it felt like grandpa was watching over me the whole time.

Now, some of the biggest names were taken in the second round, like Oklahoma's Heisman runner-up, Jalen Hurts going to Philadelphia. Wisconsin's running back Jonathan Taylor going to the Colts.

There were some recognizable names as well, though over a dozen players who have family members who played in the NFL. Like Antoine Winfield Jr., out of Minnesota. He was drafted by the Bucs. Well, his dad was a three-time pro bowler, who once intercepted a pass from Tom Brady 19 years ago. Now, his son is teammates with Brady, who still going at 42. The Winfields erupting with emotion in round two.

I was actually teammates with Jr.'s dad in Buffalo. And remember him as a 4-year-old, running around the locker room with a dad who says that this was absolutely the best feeling in the world.

Now, Bill Belichick used their Patriots first post-Tom Brady pick on Kyle Dugger, from Division II Lenoir-Rhyne. That is not, though, what had Belichick trending on Twitter. The telecast showing Belichick's home before the pick, and he's nowhere to be found. It's his dog, Nike, sitting in his seat, instead, looking at the computer.

Nike has its own Instagram account, more than 10,000 followers. This draft has been unprecedented, Victor and Christi. It's become a family affair with coaches at home with sons and daughters and their dogs. It's been quite entertaining.

PAUL: Oh, my gosh. Coy, I loved those stories about the guys. Congratulations to everybody. Thank you so much, Coy. We'll be right back.

BLACKWELL: Thanks, Coy.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[07:57:50]

PAUL: We're so grateful for the people that are dealing with the coronavirus head-on. But we know the quarantine is tough for a lot of you. It's enlightening, maybe, for some of you as well.

I call it #the reset, and we've been asking you, you know, what have you learned about myself? What have you learned about your life that in quarantine, you've learned about it and now it might stick?

BLACKWELL: Yes, we're getting to some interesting responses. I want to read one here from Steve Curles. And he wrote, "Finding out just how boring the Internet and social media can be. During the rat race, it is our anchor to connecting the world -- or connecting with the world. Now that the rat race has slowed down and we have available think time, I'm offline more and more each day, and I like it."

PAUL: I like it. Arlene Kreuter says, "This has been the perfect time to go through the years of our digital photos and make photo books. Reminds us of what's important in life, and how lucky we truly are. It's the perfect activity for quarantine. Family and friends and the time we spend together is all that truly matters. Coronavirus can't change that, but it certainly has reminded us, that time is so very precious."

BLACKWELL: Wendy Gaskill asks, "Is it lame that I discovered the joy of a full eight hours of sleep?" That is not lame. It is not at all.

PAUL: We're all celebrating that it brings this days.

BLACKWELL: Yes, and how little more sleep.

PAUL: Except on Friday and Saturday nights, obviously for us.

BLACKWELL: Yes, we don't get it. All right.

PAUL: All right.

BLACKWELL: But I'm glad you found it, Wendy. I'm glad you found it.

PAUL: Yes, absolutely. So, with children out of school, everything closed because of social distancing, neighbors in Washington, D.C. found a unique way to keep their pretty anxious kids busy.

BLACKWELL: So, almost 300 people who live there in Georgetown have joined a street safari. Look at this, they're putting stuffed animals in windows and sharing the location. And there bears, and bunnies, and frogs, everything is there. Even the puppet Lampchop -- Lambchop. Did I say Lampchop?

Lambchop is on the tour. A map guides families around the neighborhood and list the animals and the addresses where they can be found. Really creative.

PAUL: That is good stuff. My kids would love that.

BLACKWELL: All right. Love it. Next hour of your NEW DAY starts now. (BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: As the U.S. death toll crosses 50,000 lives lost, some businesses reopen to a new world.

KEMP: We will get Georgians back to work safely.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are trying to keep our business alive and keep my staff able to survive.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: These are our gloves. We'll probably run out by the end of next week.