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Broadway Actor's Wife Tearfully Says He's Going "Downhill"; Mt. Sinai Study Finds a Receptor Used by COVID-19 Is Less Common in Kids' Noses Which Could Be Why Kids Less Likely to Get It; 1,200 plus Pastors to Defy California Order, Hold In-Person Services; London's Heathrow Airport Unveiling Thermal Screening Trial for Symptoms; Mark Zuckerberg: Half of Facebook Workers May Be Remote Within Decade; Top Stories from Across the Country; What Inside of Restaurants Will Look Like as U.S. Reopens. Aired 1:30-2p ET

Aired May 21, 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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[13:31:23]

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN HOST: Broadway star, Nick Cordero, is facing yet another setback in this months'-long battle against the coronavirus. His wife tearfully sharing an update to his condition on her Instagram followers describing the situation as grim.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

AMANDA CORDERO, WIFE OF NICK CORDERO: I just had a bad morning. Unfortunately, things are going a little downhill at the moment. So I am asking, again, for all of the prayers, mega prayers. Right now. I know that this virus is not going to get him down. It's not how his story ends.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: Cordero was hospitalized in March. He's spent week on a ventilator. He developed blood clots that forced doctors to amputate his leg. And he awoke from a medically induced coma earlier this month.

Joining me now Dr. Jennifer Lee, a CNN medical analyst. She's also a clinical associate professor of emergency medicine at George Washington University.

Dr. Lee, thank you for joining me.

Cordero has suffered many things, a series of strokes, stopped his heart, septic shock and now there's another setback. Is this normal?

DR. JENNIFER LEE, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Well, first of all, Brianna. My heart goes out to Nick, his wife, Amanda, their son, Elvis. I'm praying for his recovery. We are all are. Rooting for him just encourage her to keep faith and don't give up.

You know, we don't know what this most recent downturn is she was talking about. And he's had a really severe course of COVID-19. We know about 15 percent of people who get COVID-19 will have severe COVID-19. And about 5 percent will become critically ill, like Nick did, with multiple organ systems involved in the disease process.

One of the things we recognize now with severe COVID-19 is that you can get blood clots. This virus, interestingly, seems to attack not only cells in the respiratory track, but potentially cells that line blood vessels.

Although there's still so much we don't know, we think potentially that may be why they get these clots. The clot that unfortunately led to Nick's leg needed to be amputated. We've heard stories about young people getting strokes.

And that's another thing to point out is that, you know, the severe COVID-19 is more likely in those with underlying conditions. Nick Cordero didn't have any underlying conditions. He's 41 and in great health.

It just goes to show you this virus is ruthless and can attack people in good health, young people.

KEILAR: Let's talk about the youngest people, kids. I want to ask you about kids. A study at Mt. Sinai that found a receptor used by the coronavirus to cause infections actually appears to be less common in kids' noses, which could explain why they're less likely to come down with COVID-19. What did you think about this study?

LEE: I think it's interesting, Brianna, you're right, studies that have looking at COVID-19 in different age groups still show that kids seem to get the virus less than adults. Less than 2 percent are kids. So, why? One of the hypotheses is perhaps this virus has trouble infecting kids because it can't get into the cells.

[13:35:08]

That's what the study at Mt. Sinai looked at. They looked at people from age 4 to 60. And divided them in different age groups. And those under 10 years of age did not express the receptor that the virus needs to get into this respiratory cell, as much as the older folks did. The older you are, the more you express his receptor called the ACE-2 receptor.

So, I thought this was interesting that this is potentially one reason that explains why kids get this less.

One thing, though, that's still outstanding is what about infants. Because we among kids, we know infants will get potentially the more severe COVID-19. And that, we don't know why. Because the study just went down to, again, age 4.

So, it just helps to put some of the pieces together. Still a lot that we don't know.

KEILAR: Yes. It's the more we know, the more it highlights what we don't. Dr. Lee, thank you.

LEE: Thank you.

KEILAR: As all 50 states reopen in some capacity, let's take a look at how restaurants in New York will change in the future.

Also, as more Americans lose their jobs, new numbers showing millions are missing credit card, car and house payments.

And I'll speak live to the lawyer who is representing a church that will defy California's lockdown order and reopen. Hear why.

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[13:41:20]

KEILAR: Despite the California governor's stay-at-home order, despite the fact that 3,500 Californians have died during the pandemic, and despite cases in both California and Arkansas of church services resulting in exposure, sickness and even death, there are more than 1,000 pastors who plan to hold in-person services on May 31st.

In a letter to Governor Newsom, the pastor signed a Declaration of Essentiality.

Robert H. Tyler is one of the attorneys representing a Lodi Church.

Can you -- first off, thanks for coming on, because we really want to get your perspective on this.

Tell us why these pastors are so determined to defy the order and hold services and this -- to them, as they weigh this against the risk, this is the route they want to take?

ROBERT H. TYLER, ATTORNEY FOR CHURCH: Sure. You know, here in California, I think we have more restrictive -- the orders are significantly more restrictive than elsewhere in the country. Maybe not New York or New Jersey, possibly.

But for many of these pastors, they're looking at the secondary effects of what has occurred, as a result of this coronavirus shutdown. You know, from their congregants and members of their community who committed suicide or are suffering from severe depression or anxiety, people have had job losses.

There's so many serious secondary effects that, you know, they want -- and there's no reason why a church cannot be as protective as anybody that goes to a big-box grocery store or hardware store.

In California, they even allow media -- there's a provision that makes essential entertainment studios and the like. And so, you know, I wonder, you know, if it's OK for a studio to be operating, shouldn't a church be allowed to operate?

KEILAR: How do they operate? They say they're going to observe social distancing. How do they do that? We've looked at churches operating as normal and you wonder how do you fit everybody in? How do they do this?

TYLER: Yes, not going to be the same. It's not going to be the norm. What's happening with the pastors -- I've been on many phone calls with them all.

What they're doing is saying have a social distancing plan. They will have groups of families that will be grouped together, they'll be six feet apart. So there's not going to be any serious issue that is not already faced maybe in a grocery store where they're standing in line.

But there will be disinfectant. There will be masks. No reason why they couldn't be just as protected as in a grocery store.

KEILAR: Well, if I could challenge you on that. When you think of a grocery store -- when I think of a church service, I think of something that usually lasts around an hour or two hours. And when I think of someone standing in line at the grocery store, although, you know, it's been taking maybe longer these days, but it's not an hour or two hours.

So what --

(CROSSTALK)

TYLER: Oh, I beg to differ. I'm not sure. You have Costco out there. You go to Costco, and there's a ton of people in there. There's a lot of people together in the stores.

But, you know, let's think about -- let's think about this. There's a lot of controversy over the studies as to what the best approach is, herd immunity, et cetera.

[13:45:00]

And these pastors say, hey, look, we can do this extremely safe. And we can do it more safe than any grocery store. We care about our flock, our congregants, our community more than Costco cares about their customers. This is our ministry. And we're going to be doing everything we can.

There are Jewish friends who are not able to participate in online streaming because, on Saturdays, the Orthodox, they're not allowed to use power. So is this a real substantial issue for a lot of people of faith.

And the intent is to bring warmth and comfort to the people around them. And if there's anybody that has COVID-19, they're not going to be coming. The churches are asking the elderly to not attend, people who may be more subject to COVID-19 at risk to not attend.

So, they're going to be taking all sorts of precautions that are even greater than what you see for many of these businesses that are deemed essential, when, you know, a church is just as essential.

So they should be allowed to gather together.

KEILAR: I do want to say that a lot of stores have been encouraging and putting in place limited capacities. You see lines outside of some of these stores. They're outside, not inside, as they wait for people to go in. I just want to make that very clear.

Robert --

(CROSSTALK)

TYLER: And that's exactly what the churches are going to do. The churches are going to do the same thing. They're going to limit their capacity.

I mean, I have churches saying, we'll only use 25 percent of what's allowed in our occupancy so that we can effectively distance people. They come in one door, walk out a different door. They don't even have to touch door handles to get in the building.

KEILAR: And what happens if people start getting sick?

TYLER: Oh, I can guarantee you that if there's any sort of person that might get sick -- you know, it's certainly my recommendation to these churches -- I represent hundreds of churches. It will be my recommendation that they stop meeting until they can figure that out. And come back together once it's safe again.

But, you know, we believe it is safe enough here. You know, there are counties in California where there really aren't even any COVID cases any longer. There are counties -- Mendocino County, they had one case. And that got resolved. And for the longest time, without any COVID infections, they were still shut down and churches couldn't meet. But you could still go to the grocery store and Costco.

KEILAR: Robert, thank you for coming on.

Look, we know this is such an issue for so many people. They're looking for outlets. People, their mental health, their spirituality, we've spoken to some people and they say that's the gym for them. We've heard from a lot of people, that's the church for them.

TYLER: Yes.

KEILAR: It's important for them. We know you're weighing this. And we hope everyone stays healthy. We'll be keeping an eye on this with you --

TYLER: Thank you.

KEILAR: -- as the churches look to defy the state order.

Robert Tyler, thank you so much.

TYLER: Thank you.

KEILAR: London's Heathrow Airport unveiling a thermal screening trial for symptoms. We'll see how it works.

And just in, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg makes a big revelation about the future of his workplaces that may signal what everyone's offices may look like.

And the stunning before-and-after pictures of a nurse who has spent weeks battling coronavirus. I will speak to him, live.

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[13:52:48]

KEILAR: Passengers arriving at London's Heathrow Airport may notice a few new changes. Thermal imaging cameras on tripods take the temperature of people moving through the airport. The technology is looking for signs of fever, a common symptom of coronavirus.

CNN business editor-at-large, Richard Quest, is with us.

Richard, this is in one terminal, all right, but what other safety measures are being taken?

RICHARD QUEST, CNN BUSINESS EDITOR-AT-LARGE: Yes, it's in terminal two, the queen's terminal, which is used by Star Alliance carriers, including United Airlines.

The idea is passengers coming through will pass these screens, these monitors, and if somebody is showing signs of a fever, then they will be hauled off to the side.

Look, the importance of it is, you don't have to stop. You just have to walk past through these monitors relatively slowly. For a large fast-moving area with a lot of people like an airport, this would appear to be the trick. No holding of temperature guns to the head. Just walk on through.

If successful -- and it looks like it's a good idea -- it will be moved to departures, to arrivals. It will be moved to all the other areas of the airport. And it will be used in other terminals, too.

It's all about, Brianna, getting people through the airports as fast but safely as possible and in an environment where that is just almost impossible.

KEILAR: That is keeps them so far away from the people who otherwise would have to get close to them, so it's very important.

Richard, just in now, Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg, he says that now half of the country's workers could be working remotely in the next five to 10 years.

QUEST: A revolution in the workplace is under way. There will be those people who choose to stay at home.

Twitter has already said, if you wish to stay at home and work from home permanently, that will be made possible. And I pretty much promise you, for anybody or anybody who can manage

to be productive at home -- look, even our own company, producers on our own shows, we are learning and experimenting and now deciding and voyaging the limits of what can be done with a workforce from home.

[13:55:21]

It is a revolution that has been enforced upon us, but it is happening, and there may well be people who will never go back into the office by choice.

KEILAR: It's pretty amazing.

Richard Quest, great to see you. Thank you.

And we're getting another look now at the jobs crisis in America. Another 2.4 million people filed initial unemployment claims last week. Nearly 39 million Americans have sought jobless aid since mid- March. This is fueled by the widespread shutdowns due to the coronavirus. First-time claims peaked in the last week of March.

And we have more on today's top stories from my colleagues across the country.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN CHIEF BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I'm Christine Romans, in New York. Millions of Americans have stopped paying their credit card bills and mortgages.

Credit tracker, Transunion, said a record 15 million credit cards were enrolled in hardship programs, meaning lender is allowing the credit card holder to delay their payments during the pandemic.

And 3.6 million homeowners were past due on their mortgage payments by end of April, either in a forbearance program and asked lender to delay payments or because they simply stopped paying.

DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Dianne Gallagher, in Atlanta. And 570 employees of the Tyson foods Wilkesboro, North Carolina, poultry plant tested positive for COVID-19.

But 25 percent of the more than 2200 employees who were tested, Tyson said that most of those tests took place at a three day on site testing event in early May and that any employee who tested positive received paid time off and also can't return to work until they've met Tyson and CDC standards.

The plant resumed operations on Tuesday after operating in a limited capacity for the last week.

ANDY SCHOLES, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: I'm Andy Scholes, in Georgia. Will we have football stadiums filled with fans this fall? One of the big sports questions right now.

Ohio State's athletic director telling reporters if they can't fill Ohio stadium seating more than 100,000, they've run many social distancing models they could have 20,000 to 22,000 fans at their home games. He states he knows this is not going to work everywhere but Ohio State has the capacity to do it.

Yesterday, the NCAA announced football and basketball players can return to campus for voluntary workouts starting June 1st.

KATE BENNETT, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: This is Kate Bennett, in Bethesda, Maryland. This evening, first lady, Melania Trump, will make her first solo address to the nation on the topic of the coronavirus.

She's expected to join CNN's global town hall this evening to discuss the impact the pandemic had an children and education. Again, it will be her first time addressing the nation.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KEILAR: Thank you so much to my colleagues for that reporting.

And be sure to watch the town hall for the first lady's message. You can join Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta for a look at what it will take to get kids back into the classroom. "CORONAVIRUS, FACTS AND FEARS." That is live tonight at 8:00.

Many U.S. restaurants are welcoming customers back inside this week. So how will these venues look for the next year?

I want to bring in CNN's Shimon Prokupecz. He's at the Brooklyn Chop House restaurant.

Shimon, tell us.

SHIMON PROKUPECZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, so this is Brooklyn Chop House located in Manhattan. We're in here because we wanted to give folks a look at what restaurants could look like.

And just quickly, in this restaurant, what they're going to do is use partitions all across the restaurant. There's a partition here. It's Plexiglas. And they're going to use that to separate patrons, people who come in to eat, to give them a level of safety. And also instituting policies where they Saran wrap plates and cups.

One of the big things for a lot of the restaurants is money. They're taking a big hit right now with the loss of diners, loss of revenue. So we're lucky enough to have a chef, James Beard award-winning chef of the year.

You own a restaurant in Washington, D.C. You don't own this restaurant.

Kwame Onwuachi, thanks for being here.

What is it that you, as a restaurant owner, what is it you really in terms of money? We heard a lot about PPE but there's a separate fund that you guys are hoping to get that's called the Restaurant Stabilization Fund. Why is that important? KWAME ONWUACHI, JAMES BEARD AWARD-WINNING CHEF: The Restaurant

Stabilization Fund is extremely important. Restaurants pay yesterday's bills with today's profits and we don't have any profits right now. We don't know what the next 18 months are really going to look like.

[14:00:03]

We're talking about 25 percent capacity. And then you add on all the PPE that we need to operate our restaurants.