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Concerns Raised Over Packed Planes, Passengers Without Masks; Las Vegas Casinos Prepare For Reopening; Dr. Lisa Rosenthal Discusses E.R. Physician Committing Suicide & How Horror In Hospitals Is Impacting Health Care Workers; Kansas Official: Man Drank Cleaner After Trump's Remarks. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired April 28, 2020 - 13:30   ET

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


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[13:34:34]

BROOKE BALDWIN, CNN HOST: For now, slot machines in Las Vegas are powered down because casinos are boarded up. But resorts there are planning for the day when they can reopen. The Venetian has laid out a series of steps on their Web site.

For more on this, let's go the CNN Security Correspondent, Josh Campbell.

Josh, what's the story and what's the plan?

Did we lose you, Josh?

Beauty of technology and doing all things virtual. We'll come back to Josh.

Meantime, JetBlue have become the first U.S. airline to require passengers to wear face coverings on flights. Effective next Monday, all customers will be asked to cover their mouth during check in, boarding, while on flight and deplaning.

[13:35:17]

TSA says there has been a slight uptick in travel as states starting to lift orders. But passengers are raising alarm over packed flights. Look at this video. This American Airline flights from New York City to Charlotte, the woman who shot the video says some people weren't even wearing masks and she wasn't allowed to change her seat to social distance because the flight was full.

She is Erin Strine. She has filed a complaint and joins me now. Also, joining us, Sara Nelson, the president of the Association of Flight Attendants.

And joining me now,

Ladies, thank you so much for being with me.

Erin, I want to start with you because I know you were traveling home to attend your grandma's funeral. I'm so sorry for the loss of your dear grandmother.

But this video you took, I was shocked. I understand you were sitting there panicking by others not wearing face coverings. Tell me more.

ERIN STRINE, FILED COMPLAINT AGAINST AIRLINE: Yes, thank you for having me.

So I booked travel for my grandmother passing away recently. I wanted to be home for my parents and my dad especially. I heard airport deserted and a new people I know have been talking about the plane being empty for the most part and looking a lot of airlines Web sites and precautions they had been taking. They assumed naively it would be too much of a risk to take a flight home to be home with my family.

And boarding that flight, to see as crowded as it was, I was stunned. As you said may made an announcement to say that we would not be able to move seats and everyone would have to return seats and we would not be able to social distancing because flights were very full.

I know some flights had been cancelled so that forces more on a flight. I would feel better everyone is required to wear masks, but looking around me, many did not wear masks. It is scary.

BALDWIN: It is a striking video to see especially giving everything we are living through. You have seen something similar.

Sara, to you, you've seen something similar. You tweeted a photo of a packed four-hour flight. Who are these people and where are they going?

SARA NELSON, PRESIDENT, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FLIGHT ATTENDANTS: A couple of things. Some flights have been pulled down so there's fewer of them. There has been an uptick. And as you can see from the photo that I tweeted. Half the people are wearing masks. That's not acceptable.

Originally, and since the beginning of this, we have been promoting and flight attendance have been able to have N-95 masks to wear. That would be protection for them. We could not get enough masks for our health care workers because it's a supply chain issue there.

We need to go to a place where everyone is wearing masks on planes because that's what health care professionals and the CDC says the best way to avoid slowing the spread of the virus.

BALDWIN: Your point on face masks.

Erin, I know the American flight you were on, American, now saying they'll require hand sanitizers and for passengers and require customers to wear masks.

Let me read to the statement for you. "We are looking out for our customers while being given peace of mind while they travel with us."

Would that give you peace of mind? STRINE: It is certainly in the right direction. On my flight, at least

all crew members were wearing masks. It is good to see they were protecting themselves as well as other passengers.

Maybe they were not wearing masks and they did not have them. The idea that they could be provided by the airline, I think it is a step in the right direction.

I think JetBlue is going a step further requiring all passengers to be wearing masks on flights is a standard that other airlines should be reaching out for.

BALDWIN: It is a good thing, a step in the right direction.

Sara, I am left with the question: You think of all the recycled air on the plane and is face mask enough?

NELSON: It is not enough. JetBlue did to make this required for every single person does keep everyone safer. I am specifically thinking of the people I represent who don't have a choice about whether or not they travel. It is our job. We are essential workers. So we have to come to work and because the information that we have been getting about the virus have involved.

[13:40:07]

We know now that if everyone is wearing a face covering, that protects everyone better. If I can wear one and you are not, you can potentially be infecting me.

So this has to be consistent and what we have told the government, there needs to be a requirement across the board, across aviation like all aviation policies that's federally mandated.

And complies with the rest of the world which, frankly, is heads above us here. Canada put this in place a week ago. Other countries around the world have had this in place for several weeks and months.

We need to be leaders among the world and take the best precautions for our health and safety.

BALDWIN: As I was sick, I heard from a handful of flight attendants. They are worried and they're on the frontline. We appreciate them.

And you got to stand up for them and make sure everybody is healthy, and passengers as well.

Sara and Erin, thank you very much.

Let's go back to Las Vegas. We've got Josh Campbell now.

We were talking about the plans for the famous venetian casino to reopen. How are they planning to do this?

JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Brooke, nearly every casino in Las Vegas city are filled with cameras. Up to this point, the focus has been you, the consumer, whether you are a cheater or trying to scam the house.

But we are hearing from the Venetian it will include surveillance on your health. They'll be installing thermal cameras at all points of entry. When you arrive, this camera will take your temperatures in the way the hotel is calling non-evasive way.

If you have a temperature, you will then be directed to secondary screening where security personnel will try to confirm that high temperature. If that's the case, you will be directed to medical care.

In addition to those techniques we are seeing, you will see a different layout of the casino floor. Gone will be the days of people at cards tables shoulder to shoulder, at slot machines.

Taking these measures to ensure the health of everyone. Yet to see, Brooke, if those who like to gamble will be willing to gamble with their health.

BALDWIN: Josh, thank you, in Las Vegas.

Up ahead, Kansas health officials say a man drank cleaner after the president's disinfectant remark. Hear how the president is responding to the increase in cases of people doing that.

Plus, an E.R. doctor returned to work after getting sick herself, then she took her own life. Her story and how the horror inside hospitals is impacting health care workers, next.

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[13:47:23]

BALDWIN: Her father calls Dr. Lorna Breen a hero in the trenches of the COVID-19 frontline. Breen, the emergency room director at New York's Presbyterian Allen Hospital. returned to work a week and a half after contracting the virus herself. She's a casualty of the pandemic after she died by suicide.

In an interview with the "New York Times" the father says this to his late daughter. Quote, "She tried to do her job and it killed her." Adding, "Make sure she's praised as a hero because she was."

With me now Dr. Lisa Rosenthal, an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University.

Dr. Rosenthal, welcome.

This is just squeezes on your heart, you know? A colleague of Dr. Breen told "The Times" while doctors are familiar, daily and dealing with tragedies, they have to worry about getting sick themselves and getting their family and friends sick and they don't have to treat their co-workers on the other side of the curtain.

What kind of mental toll is that taking?

DR. LISA ROSENTHAL, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF PSYCHIATRY AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES, NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY: Thank you for having me.

You're right. This pandemic is throwing us on a curve to what is already a stressful job. It is too early to know that the true toll this is going to take.

But we can look at what is known about the stresses working within medicine and health care, and make some assumptions based on that.

BALDWIN: I know that you say the burn out for health care workers was already an issue before the coronavirus pandemic. How was it being addressed and have you seen any changes?

ROSENTHAL: Burn out is something that's been around for a long time but we think the rates are growing.

The good news is there's more and more attention being paid to them and there are a lot of different organizations working on it. American Psychiatric Association is one. There are many health care organizations that are internally trying to address burn out within their workers.

Burn out is a strange phenomenon. It is not the same as depression but it exists on a continuum with depression. And it is characterized by feelings and cynicism, exhaustions and professional burn out really takes a toll. We know emergency medicine physicians are at the highest risk for burnout.

BALDWIN: Just because I imagine they're seeing so many, so fast all the time and just the worse of the worse rolling through those doors.

[13:50:08]

I got a follow-up question for you. This struck us. You told my producers that violence against health care workers has been soaring. How so?

ROSENTHAL: Well, how so is a hard question to answer. I think that civil discourse is not common in our society anymore. And health care workers become very intimately involved with total strangers, and it can be volatile.

Of course, emergency medicine workers of all kinds face patients who are intoxicated, or very injured or have faced assaults themselves.

We did a survey at our institution, and about 80 percent of the health care workers? The Emergency Department said that in the preceding 12 months they had been either physically or verbally assaulted.

BALDWIN: That's awful.

ROSENTHAL: It's horrible. And then when you add the pandemic with health care shortages, and very, very complex medical decision-making with potential life-changing outcomes, the stress level is quite high.

BALDWIN: We need to keep this issue, shine a light on what's happening, and also talk about what's being done as the health does that care workers in in the throes of things we haven't seen in our time.

Dr. Rosenthal, thank you so much for now. We'll continue the conversation something other time.

Meantime, in New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo went off a bit ago on the world's lack of action to stop the spread from China. Hear what he says went wrong.

As the small business relief program suffers a chaotic rollout, the Treasury secretary calls it outrageous that big companies, like the Los Angeles Lakers, got money. But how did they get it in the first place?

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[13:56:42]

BALDWIN: No surprise here. Hillary Clinton will endorse Democratic presidential candidate, Joe Biden. Clinton tweeted she will be a special guest at Biden's virtual town hall this afternoon. It marks the latest in a series of high-profile Democrats lining up behind Joe Biden, including Senator Bernie Sanders and President Barack Obama.

Now a troubling story out of Kansas. Health officials say a man drank cleaning product over the weekend because of advice he had received. They didn't specify what advice that was. But it follows comments by President Trump last week asking out loud at a briefing, ingesting disinfectants or injecting them could fight coronavirus.

Kansas and other states are reporting an increase in cases related to sanitizing chemicals since the president's remarks.

Here's what President Trump said yesterday on whether he felt responsible.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I can't imagine why. I can't imagine why.

UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: Do you take any responsibility?

TRUMP: No, I don't. I can't imagine. I can't imagine it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BALDWIN: Let's go straight to Ryan Young.

Ryan, the president said he was being sarcastic when he made those comments, but it does not change the fact that some people took him seriously.

RYAN YOUNG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: First, welcome back, my friend.

BALDWIN: Thank you. YOUNG: We're talking about cleaning products we're using even more now

that the coronavirus is out and about. You're talking about state officials who are having to deal with this.

The state of Kansas, the calls are up 40 percent because of this. They're having to talk to the people, like that man who said he got advice and started drinking the chemical. He didn't say what chemical but they had to put out a warning.

Take a listen what they did yesterday.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. LEE NORMAN, SECRETARY, KANSAS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH: We've seen a bit of an increase with more than a 40 percent increase in cleaning product cases, including a fellow over the weekend who drank a product because of the advice he received. We're doing what we can to counter- message.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

YOUNG: Also Lysol put out a statement that said, "We must be clear, under no circumstances, should any disinfectant products be administered to the body." The statement going on.

But of course, when we see some of these products, you smell them in the air, you know how strong there are.

In the state of Illinois, somebody tried to use detergent as a nasal cleaner. Someone else tried bleach as a mouthwash.

Brooke, this all has ramifications because people are listening to advice from other folks. They're doing things dangerous for their body.

BALDWIN: That is really frightening. Folks, don't do it.

Ryan Young, I appreciate that.

Just into CNN, new rules for the U.S. Supreme Court as the justices gear up for their first-ever phone hearings. It all takes off next month. Under a new policy, the justices will no longer be able to interrupt one another or the lawyers arguing before them.

Instead, they ask questions in order of seniority, beginning with the chief justice, John Robert. They'll ask all of their questions before the next justice begins.

Of the 10 cases expected to be heard by the high court in the coming weeks, one of the most anticipated involves President Trump's efforts to keep his financial records out of hands of Congress.

[14:00:04]

We roll on. You're watching CNN's special coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. I'm Brooke Baldwin. Thank you for being with me.