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Fundraising Veteran Gets Thousands Of Cards For 100th Birthday; U.K. Death Toll Much Higher Than Daily Stats Showed; U.K. Ramps Up Drive-Through And At-Home Testing; Coronavirus Pandemic; British Farms Hurt By Lack Of Seasonal Migrant Workers; Furloughed British Workers Turning To Farm Work; Sweden Insists Keeping Economy Open Is Right Approach; Greece To Ease Lockdown Measures Starting May 4; Russia Extends Quarantine To May 11, Fearing New Wave; South Africa Using HIV Lessons To Fight Covid-19; El Salvador Authorizes Lethal Force Against Gangs; Shocking Images Emerge From El Salvador Prisons; U.N. Emboldened Myanmar Military Committing War Crimes; Retired Farmer Sends N95 Mask To New York Governor. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired April 29, 2020 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TOM FOREMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: -- and they are closed. Restaurants are bustling and silent too. You can get your nails done or maybe not.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Confused? Well, it's far from an open and shut case.
As this hour, we explore the global struggle to balance between staying home and the urge to get back to normal.
Then.
That choice less easy in Lebanon than almost anywhere else as the virus fuels ongoing anger and protest of a rising hunger and poverty.
And we look at how South Africans are learning from the HIV epidemic to fight today's global pandemic.
Well, after weeks of lockdown restrictions, leaders around the world face one of the biggest decisions in a generation, to lift lockdown measures and risk the further spread of the coronavirus, or keep lockdowns in place and push their economies further into Great Depression misery.
Well, the number of coronavirus victims keeps rising, and you can see the numbers on the right. More than three million people have been infected around the world, with about a third of them right here in the United States.
More than 58,000 people have died in the U.S., despite that a growing number of states are taking steps to lift restrictions. Even California, which adopted some of the earliest and toughest lockdown measures, could soon reopen some businesses and schools.
Here is Governor Gavin Newsom speaking on Tuesday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): Around businesses, and around issues of schools and childcare centers, I want to make this clear. We believe we are weeks, not months, away from making meaningful modifications to that indicator and in this space. Weeks, not months.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Now, this isn't just an American phenomenon. Of course, in Europe, two of the countries hardest hit by the virus are looking to get their economies back up and running.
Starting May 11th, France will begin lifting some of its lockdown measures. And before that, still starting on Monday some stores and restaurants will be allowed to reopen in Spain.
But in other countries, lockdown measures continue to be extended. And in some cases, we are seeing the economic effects of the pandemic boil over into chaotic scenes. Hunger protests in Lebanon have turned violent in several major cities. And you can see demonstrators here throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails at banks in the city of Tripoli, and clashing with security forces.
The country was already in economic freefall. And now, a government- imposed lockdown over the coronavirus is sending food prices through the roof. The government believes nearly three quarters of the population is in need of financial aid.
So, let's get more now on the impact of all of this with our correspondents Jomana Karadsheh, normally based out of Istanbul for CNN. She joins us now. And John Defterios, our emerging markets editor in Abu Dhabi. Good to see you both.
So, Jomana, let's start with you. I do want to get an idea of the latest information you have on these hunger protests and what the government is planning to do to help the people who do need food and other basic necessities.
JOMANA KARADSHEH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, we have heard from Lebanese media and people on the ground saying that the protests have continued for another night in several Lebanese cities in the capital Beirut. People marched there. They also protested outside the Central Bank headquarters. Also, some dramatic scenes in the south in the city of Sidon.
But the most intense and violent protests continue in the northern city of Tripoli. That is Lebanon's poorest country. There are hundreds of protesters gathered in the evening outside the Central Bank headquarters there. They lobbed rocks and Molotov cocktails at that building. They clashed
with security forces who are using rubber bullets and tear gas to try and disperse those protesters.
And according to health officials on the ground, they say that several protesters were injured. Some were treated on the scene, others taken to hospital.
[03:04:59]
It's a very desperate situation there, Rosemary. As you mentioned, the economic situation in the country, the country's economy has always been fragile in recent months, as we have seen since the country's popular uprising back in October, it has really been struggling. So, it's been hit really hard.
Like other economies around the world by the lockdown, by the shutdown that happened with the coronavirus pandemic. And people there say they are fed up, they are desperate, they are hungry, they are unable to pay rent, feed their children. So, they are back on the streets right now, putting the government in a very tough position right now.
And you know, if you look at the figures before the pandemic, the World Bank was estimating that, projecting that about 45 percent of Lebanon's population would be below the poverty line in 2020. Following the crisis, we are hearing from government officials now that they expect 75 percent of all Lebanese are going to require financial aid now. Rosemary.
CHURCH: Unbelievable. And John Defterios, let's go to you now. Just how volatile is this situation in Lebanon? And what are the concerns across the region given the impact this pandemic is having on the global economy?
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN BUSINESS EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Yes. Lebanon is a prime example, I think, Rosemary, of what not to be doing right now in an economic crisis, because as Jomana was suggesting, it contracted six and a half percent in 2019. And the International Monetary Fund has said that it's going to be double that negative 12 percent in 2020.
It has the third highest debt of GDP level of banking system that's under strain and rising food costs because the lira is plummeting right now. And that's why you have protesters on the street.
But there is a common link here in the broader region because of lower oil prices. They have all hurt these economies because they benefited from the higher prices of $60 or above. Ten to 20 dollars just doesn't work.
And in 2019, we saw a protest in Iraq, Iran, Algeria, Sudan, and Lebanon. So, no surprise they are going to be the first to get hit again with high tensions and high youth unemployment.
In fact, the regional director of the International Monetary Fund said we are in uncharted territory. A disaster not just for the region, but globally. And we are going to get a snapshot today from the United States in the Q1, the front end of what they say is the second and third round of challenges, according to the IMF, in 2020.
An economic adviser to the White House spoke to us yesterday ahead of this Q1 report. Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The GDP tomorrow will probably be a negative number. And then that will be just the very tip of the iceberg. A few months of negative news, it's unlike anything you've ever seen.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Third quarter, it's obviously a transition quarter. But I think it's going to be OK. Maybe better than OK. And then I think fourth quarter will be great. And I think next year is going to be tremendous year for this country.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEFTERIOS: For our viewers that are watching there, you saw that the president left out the second quarter. That's the Great Depression. A loss of probably, Rosemary, between a third to 35 and 38 percent of GDP.
So, the first quarter results maybe as much as a negative 9 percent. Four times that amount in the second quarter. Not surprising that the president wanted to skip over the worst of the bad news that the Americans are facing right now.
CHURCH: Yes, absolutely, I mean, just horrifying the possibilities there. And Jomana, just quickly to you, in the U.S. we are seeing people lining up at food banks. Is there any equivalent in Lebanon? Any safety net to help people get through this difficult time?
KARADSHEH: The government says that it is working on a plan, Rosemary, that they are going to try and deliver aid to people. That they are going to try and, you know, put together a list of people who will require support from the government.
But the situation is complicated there by the politics of that country. And that is one of the main reasons why you see people so angry and so frustrated with their government, something that triggered those anti- establishment protests late last year.
You know, some aid deliveries, we're told, were delayed because of political wrangling in the country in recent days. And it's not just the Lebanese people. It's who require support in terms of providing them with food right now with that sort of aid, Rosemary.
We are also talking to some migrant workers in that country who are stranded. About 250,000 domestic workers in that country from Asia and from African countries too. And their situation is quite desperate, too.
You know, I spoke to some women recently who say that basically they don't know how they are going to feed their children. They are right now, getting charity, some aid from various organizations.
[03:10:00]
You know, some advocacy groups have turned for the first time ever into food aid deliveries to try and assist people there. So, it's a very complicated situation on the ground. The government says this is a very difficult situation. But they are promising to try and work through it. Of course, all complicated by Lebanon's politics as always, Rosemary.
CHURCH: Yes, absolutely. And of course, the domino effect is just horrendous.
John, just back to you. We are learning that British Airways may be forced to cut 12,000 jobs due to a collapse in business from the pandemic. The airline says it needs to restructure the company in order to weather this crisis.
Its parent company, AIG, which also includes Spanish Airline Iberia, reported $579 million in first quarter operating losses. And it warns losses in the second quarter will be significantly worse.
So, John, this news comes as flight bans and other restrictions are threatening to bankrupt airlines around the world. How bad do you think this will get?
DEFTERIOS: Well, if you are going to pick a sector that's at the eye of the hurricane of the coronavirus, this is it, the airline sector for what you are talking about, Rosemary. The business travel is nearly dried up. Many citizens around the world, I would say 95 percent have not made any plans for the summer months because we don't even know if their destinations are going to be open.
So, I don't think it's surprising that be ahead or push ahead with the restructuring by the parent group AIG, and the other carriers will be facing the same. That's about 30 percent of their workforce, as you're suggesting.
We know that Air France is under pressure. Same thing with Lufthansa in Germany. And the European Union is trying to divide something similar to the United States, how do you help these former state carriers that are now private companies and trade publicly, in some instances, to get through what is a huge, huge storm.
Now in the United States the bailout is in two trenches. Fifty billion dollars overall, 25 billion each time. Low interest rate loans because the president, President Trump thought this was very vital when the economy opens up again.
So, you had this commerce. You have business moving again. They haven't landed on that in Europe, but we know the layoffs are right with us as we speak because of that second quarter I talked about.
CHURCH: Yes. Such a concern. John Defterios and Jomana Karadsheh, thank you both of you for joining us and for those live reports. I appreciate it. And as these hunger protests rage in Lebanon, in the United States, President Donald Trump is trying to keep the food supply chain afloat. He signed an executive order under the Defense Production Act, compelling large meat processing plants to remain open during this pandemic.
The move comes as many people across the country are struggling to put food on the table.
In Arkansas, residents waited in a long line of cars to take part in a drive-up food distribution, but the supply couldn't actually meet the demand. The food banks says it ran out of food just one hour into that event.
Well, governors are trying to get their states back up and running, but their plans are all over the place.
John Foreman -- Tom Foreman, rather, has the story.
FOREMAN: The beaches are open and they are closed. Restaurants are bustling and silent too. You can get your nails done or maybe not.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR GLENN JACOBS, KNOX COUNTY, TENNESSEE: You can't keep the economy dormant. A lot of people are suffering.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: Amid calls to reopen the American economy states are responding. And a patchwork of rules are spreading as haphazardly as the virus itself, making it hard to know what is being enforced by whom and where.
Take Tennessee where counties are getting to decide.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We're just glad to be back.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: Andy Martial (Ph) is confident social distancing will keep everyone healthy at his grocery and eatery. But a short drive away.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTOPHER HARTLAND, OWNER, COOL SPRINGS BREWERY: Business was down 90 percent.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: Christopher Hartland knows about the rules limiting seating and recommendations for masks. But he knows this too.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) HARTLAND: Many restaurants who have enforce them which means people will go to the other restaurants that aren't enforcing them and seat thereby and be served by people without masks. I just don't feel comfortable opening up.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: In Florida, the governor was stung by criticism of overflowing beaches early on. Now he's crowing about ending the lockdown in a few days.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): Everyone in the media was saying Florida was going to be like New York or Italy. And that has not happened.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: Nearby, Georgia's governor is pushing the most aggressive reopening plan and like some other governors, overriding local rules to the contrary. Happy business owners are promising to follow safety advice.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NJERI BOSS, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC RELATIONS, WAFFLE HOUSE: You want to be here to make sure that everybody who wants to and has the opportunity to can take care of themselves and their family. That's the American way.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FOREMAN: But the move is terrifying those who fear a resurgence of the virus could soon follow and overwhelm hospitals.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR KEISHA LANCE BOTTOMS (D-GA): What we are essentially saying in Georgia is go bowling and we'll have a bed waiting on you. That's not what our approach should be to COVID-19.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[03:15:07]
FOREMAN: From community sports to elective medical procedures, to limited retail sales. It's all coming back here and there in fits and starts. Met with everything from go slow determination in Massachusetts where reopening plans were just delayed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR MARTY WALSH (D), BOSTON: We can't afford to make any mistakes.
(END VIDEO CLIP) FOREMAN: To frontier fatalism in South Dakota where the governor was
given a makeshift parade for her efforts to keep the state open come what may.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. KRISTI NOEM (R-SD): This virus will spread more. There will be more positives, which is just a fact that we need to realize will happen.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Well the issue of states reopening versus remaining close is the top political question at the moment.
CNN politics senior writer Zachary B. Wolf looks at what reopening economies might mean for infections. And he does this by looking at Sweden, which never shut down its economy. And you can find his analysis at cnn.com.
Well, the U.S. President makes a new claim about coronavirus testing, as the country crosses one of its bleakest milestones yet. We'll have more after this short break. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone.
Well, in the United States, more states and cities are moving forward with plans to reopen their economies even as the country continues to past one sobering marker after another.
According to Johns Hopkins University, the virus has now killed more than 58,000 people nationwide. That is higher than the total number of U.S. troops killed in the Vietnam War.
The U.S. has also confirmed more than one million infections. But U.S. President Donald Trump claims that's simply because the country has been much better at testing than anyone else. Although here is no evidence to back up that claim.
In fact, experts says the U.S. needs to ramp up its testing capability. Earlier, President Trump claimed the country would be able to do so soon.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I hear you saying you are confident you can surpass five million tests per day. Is that --
TRUMP: Well, we're going to be there very soon. If you look at the numbers, it could be that we are getting very close. I mean, I don't have the exact numbers. We would have had them if you ask me the same question a little while ago because people with the statistics were there. We are going to be there very soon.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: However, the U.S. has so far tested about 5.8 million people in total. That's only a little less than 2 percent of the population. But this is what the president said on Monday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
[03:19:59]
TRUMP: We've launched the most ambitious testing effort likewise on earth. The United States has now conducted more than 5.4 million tests, nearly double the number tested in any other country, more than twice as much as any other country. Think of that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Well, here is a reality check. Here is how testing in the U.S. compares to other countries. Right now, the U.S. is conducting an average of 16 tests per 1,000 people. While hard hit areas like Italy and Spain administer more than 22 tests per thousand people.
And now, as more U.S. businesses prepare to reopen their doors, health officials have this dire warning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: It's not going to disappear from the planet, which means as we get into next season, in my mind, it's inevitable that we will have a return of the virus, or maybe that it never even went away.
When it does, how we handle it will determine our fate. If by that time we have put into place all of the counter measures that you need to address this, we should do reasonably well. If we don't do that successfully, we could be in for a bad fall and a bad winter.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Now, the U.S. vice president has come under fire for visiting a renowned medical center without wearing any type of face covering. When Mike Pence toured the Mayo Clinic on Tuesday, he did so without a mask, even though the center has a policy that requires people to wear the masks.
The clinic had informed the vice president about this rule ahead of time. When asked about it, here is how Mr. Pence defended himself.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MICHAEL PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: When the CDC issued guidelines about wearing a mask, it was their recognition that people that may have the coronavirus could prevent the possibility of conveying the virus to someone else by wearing a mask. And since I don't have the coronavirus, I thought it would be a good
opportunity for me to be here, to be able to speak to these researchers, these incredible healthcare personnel, and look them in the eye and say thank you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: And it's worth noting that the vice president chose not to wear a mask despite the recommendation to do so, coming from the very coronavirus task force that he heads up.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DEBORAH BIRX, COORDINATOR, WHITE HOUSE CORONAVIRUS TASK FORCE: If there is virus in the community, or you are gathering people from different areas of a state where there may be still residual virus and no virus, if everybody wears a face mask, then you are protecting the other person.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Well joining me now, Peter Drobac, infectious diseases and global health expert at the University of Oxford. Good to have you with us.
PETER DROBAC, GLOBAL HEALTH EXPERT, OXFORD SAID BUSINESS SCHOOL: Thank, you Rosemary.
CHURCH: So, as countries across the globe start to open up their economies, the need for COVID-19 testing becomes even more urgent. President Trump insists the U.S. has done the best job at testing, although we know the numbers don't support his claim at all.
He also says the U.S. will soon be doing five million tests a day. How possible is that, given we are currently doing around 200,000 tests today?
DROBAC: Unfortunately, it's not possible. And President Trump's own testing are, came out and said that, I think, quote, "on this planet or any other planet that five million tests a day, in the short-term, is not going to be possible."
And that's unfortunate because that's at least what we need right now to be able to safely begin to reopen. If we start to reopen our economies, we know that the risk of spread will increase. And if we're not testing, much less, tracing contacts and isolating. That will allow silent spread and increase the risk of a second spike in infections.
CHURCH: Yes. That is what has concerns so many people. And in essence, what we've seen, and certainly in Georgia, is these places are opening up, people aren't necessarily going. So, it's relying on those people to be smart in these sorts of situation.
Listen to the medical experts and not politicians, right? So, I did want to ask you this. Because the whole world is waiting anxiously for a vaccine, and you are at the University of Oxford, where human clinical trials are currently underway and new tests already show the vaccine was effective in monkeys.
It all sounds hopeful, of course. What sort of timeframe do you think we are looking at? And how will they determine who gets this vaccine first, if this all works?
DROBAC: Well, the trial here in Oxford of course is very exciting. It's based on a vaccine that's already been tested for other viruses at least to be safe. And that very small animal data that you mentioned looks promising.
[03:25:00]
So, humans are being enrolled as we speak. And we hope that the trial will have results in some months. Now some of the leaders have give -- of this trial have given very optimistic projections that by September they may have results and efforts are being made to do some early manufacture of that vaccine. I think that's a cause for optimism.
At the same time, we have to remember that this is, you know, this is something that is brand-new. That normally, the development of a vaccine takes years. And I still think that we are safer, we are smarter to be prepared for a longer time horizon, for effectively having a vaccine available.
We've been hearing that number 18 months for a long time. And I'd love to be surprised and have something come sooner than that, but I wouldn't bet on it. I think we still really have to expect that this is going to be a longer, a longer away.
CHURCH: Right. And just very quickly on that, how would you determine who gets it first? And how you get the whole world vaccinated?
DROBAC: Exactly. And so, we are talking about billions of people really needing this vaccine. And last week, some really important steps were made in this direction with the World Health Organization, the U.N., and many countries in Europe and across the world to agree on a framework for cooperation and working together to make sure that the vaccine could be distributed to the places most in need and to be distributed fairly and equitably.
We need to avoid a situation in which rich countries hoard vaccines and those in poor countries and communities don't have access to the vaccine. So that kind of global cooperation is going to be so important. Unfortunately, the U.S. government was notably absent from that discussion last week.
CHURCH: Yes. We have covered that, of course. And an increasing number of people across the globe are showing interest in getting antibody tests. Because it turns out some illnesses in February may very well have been COVID-19. What percentage of the population would you expect to be immune at this time and for however long that last of course? Because there is a big question mark over that.
DROBAC: The only way to know for sure are by doing zero prevalent surveys where you randomly sample the population for antibodies. That's been done in a couple of communities in the U.S., most notably, New York where about 14 percent of the state population was found to have evidence of antibodies. And a higher percent, about 25 percent in the epicenter, New York City.
Across the country in the U.S., we don't know. If you took the rough guess, that about only one in 10 of COVID-19 cases are actually being reported, that would suggest that maybe 3 percent of the U.S. population would have evidence of past infection. That's a bit of a speculation (Technical difficulty). It tells you that it's still a small part of the overall population.
CHURCH: All right. Peter Drobac, thank you for talking with us. We do appreciate it.
DROBAC: Thank you.
CHURCH: And be sure to tune in to our next global town hall, Facts and Fears about the coronavirus, with CNN's Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta. That is on Thursday at 8 p.m. in New York. That's 8 a.m. Friday in Hong Kong.
Well there is much more ahead on CNN Newsroom.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We break the (Inaudible) this year.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That bad.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: That bad.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Farmers in the U.K are desperate for workers. It's just one of the many ripple effects of the coronavirus pandemic. And we will explain the connection next right after this short break. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:30:00]
CHURCH: Well, British World War II veteran Captain Tom Moore received at least 125,000 birthday cards as he gets ready to celebrate his 100th birthday this week. And this comes after Captain Tom raised at least $36 million for Britain's National Health Service by completing 100 laps around his garden, one for each birthday. Well done. Happy birthday.
And on a much bleaker note, new data from the British government shows the true death toll from the coronavirus is much higher than initially reported. Up until now, only deaths in hospitals were counted. The government announced Tuesday it will now include deaths in elderly care homes or private residences, as well. Meanwhile, Britain's health secretary says the government is ramping up its testing capabilities. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATT HANCOCK, BRITISH SECRETARY OF STATE FOR HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE: At the start of the month, I set a goal of 100,000 tests a day. Every day, we are ramping up this testing capacity on track to meet that goal. We are continuously opening up new drive-through centers for people who can't get to the tests, we are expanding home testing to bring the test to them. All of this has led to an increase in daily testing capacity. Which now it stands at 73,400.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: CNN's Nic Robertson joins me now, live from London. Good to see you, Nic. Let's talk about that testing there across the U.K., but also the new data. It is shocking how confident is the government that these updated figures reflect the true death toll in the country?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, the government has been presenting this daily press briefing. And that briefing it presents a graph, right compares the death rate in British hospitals with the death rate in other countries, particularly Spain, Italy, France, Germany, and the United States. And Britain, compared to other countries in northern Europe has looked recently favorable in terms of, you know, Britain's death rate has tracked that of other north European countries.
But when the government now ads in these new statistics, it's going to push Britain way above the death rate of other northern European countries. Estimates are potentially adding, you know, another 50 percent to the daily death toll. There is about one-third of all deaths are now being recorded in care homes. This has been a major concern for families who have people, loved ones, and care homes.
The government is now focusing on that. And they are going to put the spotlight on it more. They are now allowing testing for anyone in a care home. And anyone even if they don't have symptoms, workers and residents. Because the government now recognizes that the number of people dying in care homes is significant and there is a real political cost for government over this as well.
The other thing that the government is wrestling with at the moment are some of the demands on businesses. And one of the critical demands is in the food industry and in the farming industry. And there are many -- of the workers who would be here, annual migrant workers, haven't been able to get to the U.K. The government is suggesting that furloughed workers take up those positions. And what we are hearing from industry experts is that what the government is wishing for really is not going to plug that gap.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTSON: In the Garden of England, the county of Kent, a crisis looms. Lettuce harvest has begun. Row upon row, right for picking. Any other year, this would look like locked in profit, but not this.
[03:35:01] Covid-19 is killing markets and cutting off workers from farms.
McDonald's now shuttered, normally stuff there chicken wrap with this specially grown Apollo lettuce.
NICK OTTEWELL, PRODUCTION AND COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR, LAURENCE J.BETTS LTD: Potentially there's 25 or 30 tons a week of crop that's currently without having plowed.
ROBERTSON: What does the rest of the season look like?
OTTEWELL: We break even this year. Slightly under.
ROBERTSON: That bad?
OTTEWELL: That bad.
ROBERTSON: Bad is an understatement. Nick Ottewell who has managed these 1750 acres, one of the largest lettuce producers near London, for over a decade. Covid-19 isn't just costing him sales. It is cutting him off from his regular annual migrant workforce.
OTTEWELL: It is seasonal work. And British people have wanted to do seasonal work, for whatever reason. And companies like us has relied on migrant workers for decades now.
ROBERTSON: As the lockdown tightened, Ottewell helps flies some of his regular skilled Romanian seasonal workers in early. But he is still down 45 workers. The government says it is acutely aware that the fresh produce picking season is beginning now. They estimate that only one-third of the total migrant labor force is in the country, and are hoping that furloughed workers will help out with the harvest.
Ottewell is skeptical, but giving it a shot with all the 50 local emailed applicants to these (inaudible) for training. The farm needs them until the fall. Sally Penfold, 45, lost her restaurant job. Says she is good to stay.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: For me, this is security. This is money coming. And it is giving me something good and honorable to do. I. going to be outside in the sunshine.
ROBINSON: Daniel Martin, 32, furloughed civil engineer, training to be a forklift truck driver, maybe not.
DANIEL MARTIN, ACCEPTED FARM JOB: I could go back at any point, really. I have a sort of a feeling from my work that is still going to be potentially a couple of months.
ROBERTSON: Industry experts, the alliance of ethical labor providers, say a 55,000 farm job applicants following the outbreak of covid-19, only 150 got placement. Most could not commit the time. Ottewell knows he is gambling. He says, each worker costs him $1,200 to train. Money he can't spare.
OTTEWELL: I am so nervous. Because I have been working in this industry my whole career. And all of my experience tells me people are going to think they can just turn up, treated like a bit of a fun thing to try for a couple of weeks.
ROBERTSON: As we talk, some of his prayers are answered. Three Romanian's arrive, recently covid-19 unemployed, let go by a local restaurant.
OTTEWELL: They were working at an Indian restaurant. The restaurant had to shut down. The first question I asked those three was, are they going to be commit for the summer. And they said yes. So I said, OK let's go.
ROBERTSON: This is summer like no other. Will there be tossed salads? Much now depends on the British worker.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROBERTSON: So, those questions about farmworkers, about people working in the care industry, people working in looking after sick and elderly care homes, those are all questions that the Prime Minister could be facing today. Today, is Prime Minister's question time, in a couple of hours in parliament. But the big question at the moment is, is the Prime Minister going to be there to take the questions. We know, he is back in his office. So we need a clarity on that from Downing Street. Rosemary?
CHURCH: We'll watch to see if it is up to that, it can be grueling, indeed. Nic Robertson reporting live from London, many thanks.
Well, across Europe, there have been a variety of responses to the pandemic. And I just want to walk you through some of them right now. Sweden has taken a different approach to much of the world. While many countries are now looking to reopen, Sweden never actually closed. A CNN report compared it's death and infections to other European countries and found more people have died there than in neighboring nations, but Sweden's Deputy Prime Minister is defending the policy, saying the fight against covid-19 is a marathon, not a sprint. .
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ISABELLA LOVIN, SWEDISH DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: So, it is very much too early to say what strategy is the right one. But we also need to understand that we have to have these measures in place for a very, very long time. Sweden is not easing up on our measures. On the contrary, we are saying when our experts are telling us that we need more restrictions. We are ready to do that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: And in Greece, the Prime Minister says his country will start to gradually ease its strict lockdown, Monday. Businesses like hair salons and bookstores will be able to reopen.
[03:40:10]
And people will be able to move around within their counties without government permission. Here's how the Prime Minister address the nation. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KYRIAKOS MITSOTAKIS, GREEK PRIME MINISTER (through translator): Today, we can safely say that the measures we have taken have paid off. The data cannot be disputed. For days now, new cases have been contained to a minimum. More important, however, the steady decline of patients with coronavirus in hospitals.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: And despite being heavily in debt, Greece has managed to keep its coronavirus infection and death rate among the lowest in Europe. Just over 2,000 cases and 138 deaths have been reported.
Well, a new and grueling phase of the pandemic could be in store for Russia, according to President Vladimir Putin. In a televised statement, he announced self-isolation measures would continue through May 11th. Russia will eventually planned for reopening. But Mr. Putin says the country has more dire needs at the moment. And the worse is yet to come.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): The situation is still very difficult. Specialists and scientists we keep in touch with to check our actions and plans say that we are yet to pass the peak of the epidemic.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: All right. We will take a short break here. Next on CNN Newsroom, never again. South Africa vows to learn from past mistakes fighting HIV and use those lessons to tackle covid-19.
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CHURCH: Well, South Africa has a dark past when it comes to fighting viruses, in particular HIV and AIDS. The country is now hoping those lessons learned decades ago will help in this new fight against covid- 19. There are a handful of countries in Africa with more than 1,000 coronavirus cases. The ones you can see there in the red. South Africa is one of them with nearly 5,000 cases and 93 deaths.
And our David McKenzie joins us now live from Johannesburg. So, David, South Africa is using its experience with HIV/AIDS to help contain covid-19. How is that working, exactly?
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, experts have said that many countries in Africa could be eventually the hardest hit by this virus because of weaken health infrastructure and just the burden of other diseases and secondary infections that people have. Here in South Africa, Rosemary, there is a dark past with another epidemic that swept through this country in the early 2000s. But officials had been telling us that they want to learn those painful lessons. And so far, they seem to be doing this right.
[03:45:08]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MCKENZIE: In Thokoza Township, there is no denial of covid-19.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: There is s lockdown, but the clinic is open.
MCKENZIE: Only fear.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: People are just scared. Otherwise if I had corona I will die.
MCKENZIE: Here, they know exactly how a virus can destroy the very fabric of the nation. They lived through the worst of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
ANITA PATO, COMMUNITY HEALTH CARE WORKER: It was bad. It was the (inaudible) for testing. I was scared of testing. We didn't do much.
MCKENZIE: Health worker Anita Pato, wants to make sure people know that this virus is different. And so too is the government's initial response. In the early 2000s, when HIV/AIDS spread uncontrollably in South Africa, it was met by a president and health minister who failed to grasp AIDS for what it was.
THABO MBEKI, FORMER SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT: How does a virus cause a syndrome? It can't.
MCKENZIE: They failed to listen to experts when it came to lifesaving treatment.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I say garlic, I say lemon. I say eat fruit.
MCKENZIE: You remember those days and I remember them in South Africa. Were you thinking about that when covid looked to strike South Africa?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every day. Every day. You know, we can't get large numbers of people dying. You know, we came from a period where we had large numbers of South Africans dying from HIV. We can't repeat that, clearly. And we shouldn't.
MCKENZIE: So the current government listen to its own experts like Yogan Pillay, in taking decisive action. Including a swift nationwide lockdown.
YOGAN PILLAY, DEPARTMENT DIRECTOR GENERAL, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH: If we had a very robust economy that could withstand the shock, we could say that, you know, it was an easier decision to take.
MCKENZIE: It was a tough decision?
PILLAY: This was a very tough decision for the government to take, but they took it, because they didn't want to repeat the mistakes.
MCKENZIE: South Africa still has the world highest number of people living with HIV, close to 8 million. But thanks to antiretroviral and an army of community health workers, with funding and advice from the United States, the disease is no longer the death sentence it once was. 35,000 of them, trained for the fight against HIV, now containing the spread of covid-19.
So, what she is explaining to them is that even though there is a lockdown that they should go to the clinic that's open 24 hours if they feel the symptoms of covid-19.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I feel like this disease must stop. It must not control us. We have to control this corona.
MCKENZIE: And that's why here, even in the poorest communities, where social distancing is impossible, there is hope that the curve can flatten and lives can be saved.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MCKENZIE: Well, Rosemary, you look at the cause and other informal settlements across South Africa and see just how difficult a lockdown is in this scenario. South Africa faces much bigger challenges in many ways than wealthy countries like the U.S. and the U.K. But at this stage, experts say that the measures in place in that army of community health workers have really flattened the curve much more effectively than those wealthy nations. This is a long fight and there will be months of this ahead. Rosemary?
CHURCH: Yes. Indeed there will. David McKenzie, bringing us that report from Johannesburg. Many thanks.
El Salvador's president has authorized police and military to use lethal force against gangs. Dozens of people were killed throughout the country last weekend. And gang members were blamed for the violence and taking advantage of the coronavirus pandemic.
Meanwhile, new images have emerged from the country's prisons, showing a harsh crackdown on inmates. Our CNN's Matt Rivers reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It was a very shocking images coming out of El Salvador after that countries president shared images showing some changes inside the countries maximum security prisons on his Twitter account. We can show you some of these images now. You can see things like jail cells being shuttered with metal, and also inmates basically lined up on top of each other during a search of the Sao (inaudible) prison, that's about 40 miles outside of San Salvador.
The images basically show dozens of shirtless inmates with masks lining up, sitting back to front. Pretty shocking stuff there. The government basically saying that these are part of changes that they put into place after a particularly violent weekend in El Salvador which sought some 50 murders take place.
Gang members who had already been arrested are now being put in a 24- hour lockdown across the country, seven maximum security prisons. There's some additional measures including putting metal sheets over jail cells and housing prisoners who are members of different gangs together.
[03:50:09]
The president saying that they did this basically because they believe that a lot of the murders that took place over the weekend were ordered from gang members who were inside of these prisons already and that's just what's happening inside the jails. The president also gave the right to the army and the police to use lethal force against what he called quote terrorists who are carrying out imminent threats against the physical integrity of the population.
Now, human rights groups looking at this situation across the board have criticize the president here for several different reasons, not the least of which being, as you can see in these images, there is obviously no social distancing going on inside that jails.
You know, this is a president who took office last year after campaigning on curving what is undoubtedly one of the world's worst gang problems that being in El Salvador. And so, he is clearly willing to show the world that he is taking drastic, controversial, and what he would probably call necessary action to stop the spread of violence due to gangs inside his country. Matt Rivers, CNN, Mexico City.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: A U.N. human rights expert says the coronavirus pandemic is emboldening the Myanmar military to carry out what she calls war crimes during recent fighting with insurgent ethnic groups. In Rakhine State in western Myanmar. The outgoing U.N. special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar says, the military is targeting civilian ethnic minorities during the clashes with Arakan Army, a Rakhine Buddhist militant group. The military is also known as the Tatmadaw.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
YANGHEE LEE, U.N. SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON MAYNMAR: It really is taking, actually, it is emboldening the Tatmadaw more. And already, they have a strong arm. And now, they have these additional powers in the name of enforcing or preventing the spread of the pandemic. Then they are really given another layer of greater, higher level of power to do what they have done always in the past few decades, but in a more severe and horrific manner.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: CNN has reached out to the Myanmar government regarding those comments, but has not received response. Its April 21st statement on the clashes said the military is fighting against a terrorist group, which has engaged in destructive activities. The statement added that the government was deeply saddened to learn of civilian casualties in Rakhine and Chin State and says, it is resolved to continue with efforts to take the peace process to a successful conclusion. Well, a simple gift is worth 1,000 words. A farmer sent an extra face
mask he had to New York to help frontline workers. And I talked to his wife and asked her what prompted this selfless action. That's next.
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[03:55:00]
CHURCH: Well, you may remember the retired farmer from Kansas who sent a single N95 face mask to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo for someone on the front lines to use. Well, despite having fears and concerns about protecting his own family from the virus, Dennis Ruhnke wanted to help the state of New York fight. And here is the letter he sent.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D-NY): Dear Mr. Cuomo, I seriously doubt that you will ever read this letter, as I know you are busy beyond belief with the disaster that has befallen our country. I'm a retired farmer, hunkered down in northeast Kansas with my wife, who has but one lung, and occasional problems with her remaining lung. Enclosed, find a solitary N95 mask, left over from my farming days. It has never been used. If you could, would you please give this mask to a nurse or doctor in your state?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: And I spoke with that farmer's wife, Sharon Ruhnke. I asked her how she felt watching Governor Cuomo read her husband's letter in front of the entire nation.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHARON RUHNKE, WIFE OF RETIRED FARMER: The phone started ringing, and I got a message from the farm bureau here in Troy. They said they were tracking us down. And I said, why would you be tracking us down? You know, most everybody knows that we live here. And they asked if we had sent a letter. Well, the first thing he said was, did you send a letter to New York?
And I said you are going to have to tell me a little bit more, because remember, I am 70. Why did I send a letter to New York? And he said, well, did you send one to the governor? And of course, then I realized that it was the letter Dennis had sent. And some gentleman had said he had been searching the internet for hours trying to figure out which Sharon and Dennis in northeast Kansas and I'm -- you know, it's amazing. There must be several of us.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: She is wonderful. And you can catch that full interview in the next hour right here on CNN Newsroom. Thanks so much for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. I'll be back with more news in just a moment.
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