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WHO Reports Largest Ever Uptick in COVID Cases; Russia Now in Second Place with Highest COVID Cases; Trump Visits Ford Plant Where Masks Are Required; Taiwan Leader Rejects "One Country, Two Systems" Policy; France Scrambling To Save Its Tourism Industry; Tropical Cyclone Amphan's Pulverizing Impact; Some Churches Reopening Despite Risks; Emirates Resumes Some Passenger Flights; Faith Groups Helping Members File For Unemployment; The Changing Space Of The COVID-Era Office. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired May 21, 2020 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:00]
HALA GORANI, CNN HOST (voice-over): Hello and welcome to our continuing coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. Everywhere you look, the numbers are
staggering, 5 million people have now been infected with coronavirus across the world.
Also, another 2.4 million U.S. workers filed for jobless benefits this week, bringing the total close to 40 million unemployed in America.
In Europe, we look at how one country plans to reaccelerate reopening its society.
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GORANI: We begin with a sobering COVID-19 milestone, making it clear the world has a long way to go before this deadly pandemic is under control.
According to Johns Hopkins University, global coronavirus cases have now surpassed 5 million. More than 328,000 people have now died. Meanwhile, the
World Health Organization is reporting the biggest one-day spike yet in new infections.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: In the last 24 hours, there have been 106,000 cases reported to WHO, the
most in a single day since the outbreak began.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
Those four countries are the United States, Russia, Brazil and India, of course, three of their leaders have been criticized for not taking the
virus more seriously in the early days of the outbreak.
Now Brazil, let's start with Brazil, reporting its highest number of daily cases with nearly 20,000 new infections in just 24 hours. CNN reporter
Shasta Darlington joins us from Sao Paulo with more.
Brazil really is a country where this curve is not flattening; quite the opposite.
Why?
SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's exactly right, Hala. Brazil right now is the country with the third highest number of
infections, behind United States and Russia, the total is nearing 300,000.
And yet experts here say we are far from peaking; intensive care beds in the impoverished northeast, the remote Amazon, are already at full
capacity. Here in Sao Paulo, Brazil's biggest city, the health authorities say the beds are at 90 percent capacity.
And one of the biggest problems has been these mixed messages, so on the one hand, you have governors trying to impose social isolation measures and
quarantines. But then you have the president saying Brazilians must go back to work, hunger and unemployment will kill more people than the virus.
And he, like his counterpart in the United States, has been a huge proponent of the use of chloroquine, the anti-malarial drug, to treat
COVID-19. And now he forced the health ministry to push through new guidelines, expanding the use of chloroquine.
So now it can be used to treat even mild cases of COVID-19 despite warnings from health experts inside and outside of Brazil. In fact, his second
health minister resigned last week, in part after clashing over this specific issue. These guidelines were pushed through before Bolsonaro named
his replacement. Hala?
GORANI: All right, Shasta, thank you very much for that update.
From Brazil to another country, where the number of cases is increasing every day. Early in the health crisis, Russia confidently shared with the
world that it had everything under control. But with nearly 9,000 new confirmed cases of coronavirus overnight, CNN's Matthew Chance reports
things have gotten very bad, very quickly.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: These are the first images of a batch of U.S.-made ventilators being loaded on a military
transporter bound for Moscow. Now, it's America's turn to send Russia medical aid.
U.S. officials say there is 50 in the shipments, another 150 will be sent soon. But a few months ago, it was Russia sending aid, including doctors
and medical equipment to Italy at the height of the pandemic there. From Russia with love is what Moscow called it, but for critics, it was mike
propaganda from the Kremlin.
Russia was projecting an image of control, even the U.S. got a hand out. A planeload of Russian aid sent to New York as that city became the American
epicenter of COVID-19.
[10:05:00]
CHANCE (voice-over): No matter it later emerged the Russian ventilators were unsafe, the fact that Moscow is helping America in a crisis was a P.R.
coup for the Kremlin. With extremely few recorded infections back then, Russia appeared to bask in its performance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
VLADIMIR PUTIN, RUSSIAN PRESIDENT (through translator): Thanks to the prompt measures taken in the first weeks of the epidemic, we managed to
contain the massive penetration and spread of the infection in Russia. Now, despite the potentially high level of risk, the situation is generally
under control.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHANCE: But it wasn't. And it still isn't. Perhaps the first sign was this Putin in full plane garb visiting Moscow's main coronavirus hospital in
March. Previously, it appeared unprotected. Soon, Russia had record daily infections.
The grim truth of Russia's pandemic emerging as key figures including the prime minister and Putin's longtime spokesman Dmitry Peskov were
hospitalized giving concerns about Putin's own health.
Soon, with the highest number of infections after the U.S., Russia seemed to descend into a coronavirus hell. Images of infected medics, coughing in
makeshift wards, exposed hideous conditions.
Here, a doctor is arrested, trying to deliver much-needed medical supplies. She argued the country was in denial about its coronavirus problem.
At least three more critical of the pandemic response mysteriously fell out of hospital windows more out of desperation with their workload said
colleagues in a conspiracy to silence critics as two died of their injuries.
It's why this first shipment of U.S. aid to Russia is so significant. Not just the return favor to the next worst affected country in the world, but
also an admission by Russia, finally, that it needs help.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Matthew Chance covers Russia for us, he joins us today from London.
What is this doing to President Putin's popularity inside of Russia, Matthew?
CHANCE: The response that Russia has made to the coronavirus outbreak, at first it bolstered him.
But as the grim reality of the situation in Russia with regard to its coronavirus infections started to emerge and the sort of, you know,
protests that have come about because of the economic hardship that the lockdown has created among vast sections of the Russian society and the
plight, of course, of all the medical staff, many of whom have died, as in other countries combating this virus, Vladimir Putin's popularity ratings
have been hit hard.
They have been notoriously high over the past several years, well over 80 percent on occasion. The latest polls that we have seen say they're closer
to 59 percent, which is still pretty high, of course, by Western standards but that's an all-time low for Vladimir Putin.
So it raised questions about, you know, just how much grip he's got on the country as this pandemic and this crisis there continues, Hala.
GORANI: And what is interesting is that, in these video calls that he has been taking part in, his body language is really interesting. He appears
aloof and not very interested in some of the conversations.
CHANCE: Yes, I mean, that's certainly been some of the observations that have been made of him, particularly by opposition figures and critics of
the Kremlin, saying that he's been disengaged, he's been looking bored at one point, a lot made of the fact he was twiddling with his pen while some
video conference -- while senior officials were briefing him on the status of the situation with regards to the coronavirus.
One leading opposition figure in Russia, Alexey Navalny, probably the main opposition figure in the country, has gone further than that in saying,
look, this is a guy who is supposed to be the supreme commander but looks more like a scared old granddad sheltering or hiding in his bunker.
And so that's not exactly the sort of strongman image that we're used to hearing about with Vladimir Putin and not the one the Kremlin have been
cultivating for the past couple of decades.
GORANI: Thank you very much, Matthew Chance.
Now we mentioned at the top of the show that there are more than 5 million confirmed COVID cases. Here is another number to ponder: 2.4 million
Americans filed for first time unemployment benefits last week. The nine- week total is now approaching 39 million. We're close to 40 million Americans out of work.
And take a look at this automobile plant that has repurposed its machinery to make -- to manufacture personal protective ventilators.
[10:10:00]
GORANI: So we are going to -- I just kind of lost my way here; this is Ford and GE health care, making ventilators and protective equipment. Let's
go to Joe Johns. Joe Johns is going to save me here. He's at the White House.
Let's talk a little bit about Donald Trump.
Has the president commented on these yet again just staggering jobless numbers out today?
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Not so far but he's going to be leaving in a couple of hours from the lawn here, in the helicopter.
And that would be an opportunity to try to get a comment from him about these latest numbers.
And no matter what you say, this is still the steepest deterioration in the job picture in the United States since the 1930s. The administration has a
rule, though, has been trying to paint a rosy scenario whenever it can, sometimes cherry-picking the numbers.
In fact, just yesterday, the president's top economic adviser, Larry Kudlow, was pointing to Congressional Budget Office numbers that say we
could see a 21 percent increase in growth by the end of the fourth quarter this year.
But what he wasn't saying was that the employment picture is probably not going to pick up that quickly at all because, if you also look at that CBO
update that just came out very recently, those numbers suggest we're not going to see a full recovery on jobs, even by the fourth quarter of 2021.
So here in Washington, what that means, there is a debate over whether to extend the job benefits that are sort of super charged, passed by the
Congress, signed by the president. Republicans on Capitol Hill, even the White House are suggesting they're not sure it is a good idea because
they're afraid it will be seen as a disincentive for people to work. Hala, back to you.
GORANI: So here's what I was trying to say before I went to you, Joe. There is a new model that predicts the economic recession that the United
States will be experiencing will cost Donald Trump the election in November. Oxford Economics predicts he will suffer a historic defeat as a
result of this depression, capturing only 35 percent of the popular vote.
This model has correctly predicted the popular vote in almost every election since 1948. What we always need to underline here is that the
president of the United States is not elected by popular vote. Otherwise it would be Hillary Clinton in the White House today.
How much is that a concern to the Trump administration, the fact that this recession is predicted to be, as you mentioned, long lasting?
JOHNS: There is great concern here. And if you look at the president, he's sort of been throwing out a dog's breakfast of different ideas to try to
get the public focused on anything.
But both the economic picture in the United States as well as the health picture involving the coronavirus, he's gone so far as to threaten states
that have been suggesting they would in fact let people do a lot more mail- in ballots in order to not have to go and vote in person and therefore expose themselves to the potential of even more coronavirus.
And the president has gotten a lot of pushback on that. Another bad idea, many people have suggested, because it sounds very much like the president
is perhaps even doing something illegal, as some legal observers have suggested, because it sounds a lot like extortion.
That's just one of the things the president has thrown out. You also know about the president talking about hydroxychloroquine and how he's taking
it. Again and again this week, we have seen a variety of things sort of being pulled out of President Trump's hat in order to change the subject,
if you will.
But there is great concern here at the White House about what all this is going to do if it doesn't get better very quickly. And it doesn't look like
it is going to, Hala.
GORANI: All right. Thank you very much, Joe Johns, for that, at the White House.
The Trump administration once again is picking a fight with Beijing, approving a potential $180 million arms sale to Taiwan. Washington has
already sold billions of dollars in arms to the territory as part of the 40-year-old Taiwan Relations Act.
But China considers sales like that violations of its sovereignty. The deal comes as relations between the U.S. and China have soured over the trade
war and the origins of the coronavirus.
[10:15:00]
GORANI: The Trump administration says Taiwan will use the enhanced capability to deter regional threats.
Coming up on the program, a super cyclone leaves death and destruction in its wake in India and Bangladesh. We'll get more on what has happened with
that severe weather event. We'll be right back.
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GORANI: First responders are on the scene at a naval station in Texas after a shooting put the base on lockdown.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI (voice-over): This video just coming in to us a short time ago here at CNN. The U.S. Navy responded to an active shooter at its air station in
Corpus Christi early this morning.
Officials say the suspect has been, quote, "neutralized." One member of the naval security forces was injured; the situation under control now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Governments everywhere are mapping out how to reopen after a coronavirus lockdown. But in North America, those strategies vary depending
on what city or state or county even you're in. Here is a quick roundup of our reporting in the United States and Canada.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
ERICA HILL, CNN ANCHOR: I'm Erica Hill in New York. Starting today, religious services for 10 people or less can be held across the state. The
governor saying strict social distancing and mask wearing should be enforced.
He's also allowing drive-in and parking lot services. And the governor said he's convened an interfaith advisory council to look at bringing back
religious services as the state moves forward.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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DIANNE GALLAGHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Dianne Gallagher in Atlanta. The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union says 68 of the
workers have died and more than 10,000 have either tested positive for or been exposed to COVID-19.
Now the union cautions the numbers across the country are likely much higher because these are just internal numbers that they've developed from
companies that they represent.
They continue to push for hazard pay, noting that the pandemic has not ended. Workers spoke on a press call about the challenges they're facing,
including getting customers to wear masks. One employee at a Kroger in Michigan said that masks have now become a political war, employees are
scared. The union is calling for stores to hire security.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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PETE MUNTEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Pete Muntean covering travel in Virginia. Commercial airlines are coming up with new policies to protect
passengers.
United Airlines just announced it will partner with Clorox and the Cleveland Clinic to help guide its health practices. JetBlue has said it
will keep planes less full through July 6th. United and JetBlue are the latest to come up with these policies in the absence of requirements from
the federal government.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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PAULA NEWTON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Paula Newton in Ottawa. Canada has decided to recommend that all Canadians wear nonmedical masks when out in
public. This is a change from policy a couple of months ago, when Canada's top doctor said she didn't know the benefits of wearing a mask. She says
now the science has evolved.
[10:20:00]
NEWTON (voice-over): And unlike President Trump, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau says he will be wearing a mask at all times in public when
he cannot social distance.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: All right, that's your roundup there of North America.
France now has more than 28,000 COVID-19 deaths. It is the fourth highest death toll in the world behind the U.S., U.K. and Italy.
Despite the rising numbers, France is seeing a stabilizing trend in recent days. It is a small glimmer of hope for tourism, crippled by the pandemic.
Now the French government is rolling out a bailout plan to help save the industry. Cyril Vanier joins me now live from Paris with more.
It was interesting this morning; I was watching reporters in Paris. They're doing live shots in front of basically almost semideserted landmarks that
would be bustling right now.
What is going on where you are?
CYRIL VANIER, CNN HOST: It is such a rare sight. I've actually never seen it. France is the most visited country in the world and I haven't seen a
tourist here in over two months. That in a nutshell is the problem.
There is a silver lining, it is a significant one for France, the country has a thriving and significant domestic tourism industry. But as we found
out, during the report you're about to see, some places are much better suited than others at offering socially distanced tourism options. Take a
look.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VANIER (voice-over): Stunning views, majestic castles, centuries of history. The Loire Valley is one of the crown jewels of French tourism,
drawing six million visitors a year from all over the world. An industry crippled by the coronavirus.
After a nearly two month national confinement and with borders mostly shut to outside travel, tourists are now a rare commodity. Chateau Chaumont,
once owned by the queen of France is one of the first in the region to reopen. It so calm and it is so peaceful here. It's tempting to forget that
there is a coronavirus epidemic. But of course, you can't.
In fact, the only reason the Chateau was able to reopen is because here too, there are strict social distancing guidelines. Mask on, gel on your
hands, there is a predetermine route that you must follow through the domain and the number of visitors has been kept in order to avoid crowds.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): It's been a while since we haven't been out so if feels good.
VANIER: Just a trickle of visitors today, all of them locals. Travel is still limited to a hundred kilometer radius. Martin and Jean-Marie
(inaudible), had a plan to visit Denmark (inaudible), this summer. That will have to wait.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): In a way, this period is very good. We often forget to visit these beautiful sites in France, but it's a
magnificent country.
VANIER: The Chateau does not expect to see its usual foreign visitors this summer, about a third of its business, they say. But the domain manager
does see a silver lining.
CHANTAI COLLEU-DUMOND, DIRECTOR, CHATEAU CHAUMONT (through translator): I hope that the increase in French visitors will come because they can't
travel abroad and will make up for the foreign visitors who sadly won't be able to come.
VANIER: Here in Paris, however, there is no silver lining on the horizon. The main attractions remain shut, the Eiffel Tower and the river boats are
not far from here. The sacred heart, the (inaudible), the Louvre museum. All closed. Not to mention restaurants and cafes and with power still
considered a red zone for the coronavirus, there's no telling when any of them might be allowed to reopen.
With almost 90 million tourists a year, France is the most visited country in the world. Last week, the French Prime Minister said saving the industry
was a national priority. The government's bailout package for the sector includes guaranteeing bank loans to businesses and paying 80 percent of the
salaries of furloughed workers. For Yann, owner and manager of two hotels and a restaurant in the heart of Paris, it's a lifeline. His last booking
was on March 12th.
YANN CHEVANCE, HOTEL OWNER: It's scary.
VANIER: Thanks to 250,000 euro loans, he hopes to be able to survive the next few months, but desperately needs borders to reopen and travel to pick
up.
CHEVANCE: We need people to fly again. Tourism is airplanes. No airplanes, it really limits the amount of tourism that we are going to have.
VANIER: Until then, Parisians will have the streets of the capital to themselves.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
VANIER: The tourism industry in France accounts for almost 2 million direct and indirect jobs. That is 8 percent of French GDP, so hard to
overstate how important this is to the French economy.
But of course, the tentative steps in reopening the country, be it beaches that have reopened or a chateau that we visited, all of this is contingent
on good coronavirus news.
[10:25:00]
VANIER: Right now, the number of deaths, number of people in intensive care, number of infections, all of those are trending in the right
direction. But of course, if that were to change, then the government has not ruled out reconfining the country.
GORANI: Yes. And you mentioned beaches. Apparently there are social distancing requirements on beaches. That -- just going to be very, very
difficult to navigate all these new rules. You're not used to just spreading out like that, especially on the Mediterranean beaches that can
get very, very busy.
But France isn't France without its restaurants and cafes. You mentioned in your report that we don't know how many restaurants will be open -- be able
to open and when. And maintaining two meters between patrons in a French restaurant, that is also challenging.
What is the latest on that?
VANIER: Absolutely, it is hugely challenging for the government on the one hand and for restaurant owners on the other and patrons. So the government
wants to reopen restaurants. It is not just a big part of economy, it is a huge part of the French identity as you refer to.
We expect that restaurants will be able to reopen in what we call green zones, what France calls green zones. That's parts of the country where the
virus is less present, where it has it slowed down, which is to be fair, the major part of the country, about three quarters of the country, if you
look at the French map.
Restaurants there expected to reopen June 2nd provided they are able to implement social distancing and appropriate health rules. But that's going
to be hugely challenging for restaurant owners.
How do you do that?
You know that in restaurants around the world and French restaurants, you know, you're sitting -- you're rubbing shoulders almost with your neighbor.
That is not compatible with this coronavirus epidemic. So owners have been testing anything from plastic pods to plastic walls to just distancing the
tables.
But of course, if it means, all of a sudden, welcoming only half of your patrons, then you may no longer turn a profit as a restaurant. So there are
huge challenges and we don't have all the answers to that yet.
GORANI: Right. Yes, it is not like the U.S. and other countries, where it's easier to spread out. So we'll see how that works, especially in
cities. In cities it is going to be tough. Thank you very much, Cyril Vanier.
Greece is pushing ahead with its plans to welcome tourists back to the country. The Greek prime minister says some international flights into
Athens will resume on June 15th. So we're, what, three weeks away.
Join CNN on Thursday for a special look at tourism in crisis, Richard Quest will speak with top airline and hotel CEOs as well as tourism ministers
from some of the countries that rely on visitors the most. That is tonight at 8:00 pm London time, 9:00 pm in Paris.
So we're going to take a quick break. When we come back, cyclone Amphan leaves dozens of people dead in its aftermath. We have the latest on the
developing story next.
And later, Denmark has sped up its reopening plans significantly. We'll take a look at how schools are reopening there two months before plan.
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[10:30:00]
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GORANI (voice-over): Well, that is cyclone Amphan battering the state of West Bengal in Eastern India. At least 72 people were killed, another 10 in
neighboring Bangladesh. It is not just this wind and rain that is causing the damage but a massive storm surge as well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(WEATHER REPORT)
GORANI: That is where those who have a home, some of them didn't have a home to begin with. Now there are refugee camps and things like that,
damage there as well. So a tough time for so many people. Thank you.
Denmark has accelerated its reopening plan following a steady decline of coronavirus hospitalizations since its peak on April 1st. Some public
spaces are opening two weeks early and high school students are going back to class two months before planned. CNN's Fred Pleitgen has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Math lessons from the pulpit. When the Veksoe School outside Copenhagen
didn't have enough space for all kids because of physical distancing rules, the local church became a classroom. Students don't mind.
[10:35:00]
MARIE ERIKSEN BOEGNER, STUDENT: It's different but I like it and we learn a lot.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): To help with their statistics lessons they needed a place with lots of numbers, so they just moved to the church's graveyard.
Denmark's government is encouraging as many lessons as possible outside, the teacher says.
ANETTE DA CRUZ, TEACHER, VEKSOE SCHOOL: We had to study statistics and math, so instead of doing it inside the school, now we can use the
cemetery. They can collect data and we can work with it and they get much more curious.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Denmark is rapidly reopening its schools under very strict hygiene measures. Arrival times are staggered so there aren't too
many kids at school at once.
You won't see students or teachers wearing masks, though. Instead, here at the Hendriksholm School in Copenhagen, they use police tape to make sure
children don't cross paths on the stairs and in the schoolyard children should keep at least three feet apart. And they wash their hands and
sanitize at least every two hours, a new experience for many.
ANDY CHANG JOHANSEN, STUDENT: It is a little hard to get used to but when you get used to it, it definitely feels more normal.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): With that concept, Denmark first brought the youngest students back to school and now, the older ones as well.
The head of secondary education at the Hendriksholm School, Jimmy Adetunji, says the key to making it work is trusting the kids to be responsible.
JIMMY SKOV GLASDAM ADETUNJI, HEAD OF SECONDARY EDUCATION, HENDRIKSHOLM SCHOOL: If you follow the guidelines given, if you keep distance, if you
make sure to wash your hands, keep sanitizing, coughing in your sleeve and not in hour hand and so on and so forth, I think we'll be safe.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): With many parents fearing for their kid's safety, the Danish government worked with parents and teachers groups to build
support for the plan, the country's education minister tells me.
PERNILLE ROSENKRANTZ-THEIL, DANISH HEALTH MINISTER: Without that dialogue, I think many people would have felt that it wasn't safe to send the
children to school. I think the guidelines that we would have made wouldn't have hit the target and then we would have outbreaks in different schools.
And that would have made the other parents uncertain about the situation.
PLEITGEN (voice-over): Opening schools does not appear to have led to a spike in coronavirus infections in Denmark. And while some might find math
lessons on a graveyard a bit awkward -- well, so far, Danes say their way of bringing school back is working.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Well, Fred Pleitgen joins me now live from Denmark.
It is great that the kids are back. But learning about math in a cemetery or taking -- you know, attending class in a church, this is all very, very
unusual. And these kids are having to adapt to some very unusual circumstances.
How are they reacting?
How are the parents reacting to all of this?
PLEITGEN: Yes. I think that's two very important points, Hala. The children have told us that the main thing for them, most of them said, they
were able to get out of the house again. They said it was such a long time, they were only able to speak to their friends through apps or through some
other sort of devices. So it was good for them to get out of the house.
They did say it was strange for them to go back to school and have school be so different than it was before. The kids we met in the church and who
had the lesson in the cemetery as well, they didn't mind it. They said it was actually quite nice to be in a different place, to be outside a lot.
If you look at that cemetery, it looks a lot more like a park than anything else. So those kids said it was fine for them.
The other kids in the other school, it is very different for them, to have all that police tape around, to not be allowed to go across some of those
lines and not be allowed to just go and touch anyone else and be close to anyone else, that is certainly something.
I think some of them found it challenging at the beginning. One of the interesting things we learned here from the Danes is they say if you
explain to the children why they have to do this, how important this is, then they will do it and they will be responsible with it.
And certainly at least from what the numbers are showing, certainly seems to be working.
As far as parents are concerned, that's the other big issues, you are reopening the schools as you saw the kids, not wearing any sort of masks.
The education ministry did tell us that they did spend a lot of time speaking to the parents, getting the parents' representatives to be on
board with all of that.
And the Danes have done this in a phased approach. They took the youngest back to school first, then they brought the older classes in and they say
if they would have had a spike in infections or more infections, after that first wave of people going back to school, then certainly all of this could
have gone in a very different direction.
There was a great deal of fear when the first kids did go back to school but they say now people are used to it and people do trust the system that
is in place for reopening the schools again, Hala.
GORANI: All right. Thanks, Fred Pleitgen live in Denmark.
[10:40:00]
GORANI: And you can follow the latest developments of the coronavirus pandemic in the U.S. and around the globe.
Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta host a CNN global town hall every Thursday, coronavirus facts and fears, the special will include prerecorded
remarks from Melania Trump who is expected to address the nation's students at 8:00 Thursday evening in New York. That's Friday morning in Hong Kong.
Only on CNN.
Coming up, one major airline has resumed some of its flights to a number of destinations around the world.
But how many travelers are ready to fly amid the pandemic?
We'll be right back.
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GORANI: The U.K.-based airline easyJet says its planes will start flying again starting June 15th. The airline will initially resume a small number
of flights in the U.K. and France. Stringent new rules will be in place, including mandatory face masks for all passengers, crew and ground staff.
Easyjet's CEO says there will be more flights as restrictions are lifted. And easyJet is not alone. One of the world's top airlines, Emirates, is
also resuming passenger flights out of the UAE to nine destinations. That's beginning today.
These are the first nonrepatriation flights out of Dubai since March 24th. The virus outbreak has paralyzed the airline industry across the world,
causing the demand for travel to drop rapidly. John Defterios joins me live with more on the resumption of flights by Emirates.
So are passengers as eager to fly as airlines are eager to get things going again?
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: Well, that's an interesting question, Hala. It is all about the trust factor here.
We spoke to a number of different passengers going to London and Milan today and they said, if you lay out the protocols very clearly, both for
the airline and the passengers, it does help to rebuild trust.
I think that's what we heard from the -- most of the passengers that were in the terminal today. Fascinating also that they got in with baby steps,
with nine destinations. We're used to flying 250 planes a day, not less than 10.
I'm above at headquarters here. You see all the planes that are parked. This is very important not to have them sitting idle. As you know in the
UAE, because it feeds trade, tourism, business exhibitions, finance going forward. It is more than an airline because it feeds the entire economy. It
is a third of GDP.
So they had the protocols here of thermal testing for temperature, of course. They put the Plexiglas up in check-in and immigration at the gate
as well. And also, Hala, social distancing marking that is extremely clear.
[10:45:00]
DEFTERIOS: I asked the chief operating officer, can you accelerate the rollout and move beyond what we have seen today. Is there demand for it?
Let's take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ADEL AHMAD AL REDHA, EMIRATES CEO: It is very individual (ph) and clear that the aviation sector is very important to any city, to any economic
growth and any country. And being here in Dubai makes it more important because Dubai and the United Arab Emirates they rely on the tourism, rely
on the flow of people coming in and going out.
So Emirates is launching this flight to restart, to give confidence to the people. There is a good and a green (ph) life. We can't all be locked in
one area. So we are starting this. But we are starting is very carefully with discussion with everybody. And we're taking all the measures to launch
services. People are wanting to move and we would like to facilitate for that.
DEFTERIOS: How do you rebuild trust?
So you see the markers, the Plexiglas, the distance with people checking in, same thing with immigration, hygiene kits.
Is this restoring confidence?
Is that the primary motivation at this stage?
REDHA: I think we need to accept we need to start adapting to a new normal day to day activities. Look what we're doing, look how we are keeping
distant. So there will be a new way of implementing certain hygiene or sanitization processes.
Now by doing this kind of thing, we want to reassure our staff and we want to reassure our customer that we are implementing these images (ph) to
enhance the sanitization, to enhance their safety and to ensure we are implementing a proper measure for social distance.
And we are giving them certain kits for (INAUDIBLE), for masks, for gloves, for sanitization purposes. That is to reassure and remind them, do it and
use it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEFTERIOS: He was leading by example with the gloves and the mask on. This is a very tricky window, Hala. You don't have a vaccine on to the market
yet and there is not reliable testing at the airport to give you an instant result.
So they had to put all the different health security protocols in place to build that trust back up into the market. And you might have heard this, as
we're coming out of the interview, a flight taking off here. There is movement at Dubai International.
But they need to see a lot more economically, not only with the pandemic, Hala, but also with the oil crisis that really hits this Gulf region.
GORANI: I love how we're now looking at planes in the sky, as if there is some rare exotic breed of birds or --
(CROSSTALK)
DEFTERIOS: Isn't it incredible?
GORANI: I just got to look up and think, that's a plane. I haven't heard or seen one in weeks.
(CROSSTALK)
DEFTERIOS: I just did the same. That's a plane taking off.
GORANI: Yes. Exactly. Thank you so much.
In the United States, as we have been reporting, bad economic news: millions of people out of work during this healthcare crisis are frustrated
by the difficulty of getting unemployment benefits now. Some are finding a surprising new resource to help keep the faith during the confusing
process. Vanessa Yurkevich has that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VANESSA YURKEVICH, CNN BUSINESS AND POLITICS CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): Sunday sermons look different these days at River Church in Durham, North
Carolina.
BISHOP RONALD GODBEE SR., SENIOR PASTOR, THE RIVER CHURCH, DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA: God is with you.
YURKEVICH (voice-over): That's because Bishop Ronald Godbee Sr. is now leading them online.
GODBEE: We want to make sure that we're serving you. That's right, we're here for you.
YURKEVICH (voice-over): And their mission is different, too.
GODBEE: We're seeing people come to us for things that otherwise, we wouldn't have to deal with. But they're looking for guidance and direction.
YURKEVICH (voice-over): Bishop Godbee and his team are helping parishioners file for unemployment, something the church has never done
before.
Eighteen percent of the workforce in North Carolina has filed for unemployment due to COVID-19. And the national unemployment rate for black
Americans soared to 16.7 percent in April, nearly triple the rate in February.
GODBEE: Unfortunately, we see the disparities existing in everyday life -- in the everyday life of the people. But now, we just see it exacerbating.
YURKEVICH (voice-over): The unemployment system is strained. Many Americans are still waiting to get through, leaving applicants frustrated,
without answers and praying for divine intervention. Faith groups are stepping in to help.
GODBEE: A number of people in our congregation went to apply for unemployment and couldn't log in. And so, not only were we able to provide
direction and insight, but also encouragement so that they could go back and try again. And they've been successful in their efforts.
[10:50:00]
YURKEVICH (voice-over): The Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association, a faith- based community service group, also shifted direction.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: These are the links to apply for unemployment benefits.
YURKEVICH (voice-over): The group is now holding online unemployment tutorials and blasting out a step-by-step resource guide in English and
Urdu to their 25,000 members, while also walking people through the process one-on-one.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: In the age of technology we are able to do screen sharing to help walk people through doing the applications.
YURKEVICH (voice-over): Waleed Kahn (sp) is one of those members who didn't know where to turn.
YURKEVICH (on camera): If you hadn't had the help of this group, do you think you would have gotten your unemployment?
WALEED KAHN, RECEIVED HELP FILING UNEMPLOYMENT: Maybe not.
YURKEVICH (on camera): Yes, so they were a huge help?
KAHN: Yes, absolutely.
YURKEVICH (on camera): Is helping with things like unemployment -- is that the role of a faith-based organization?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, it is because faith groups aren't just to come together once a week or five times a day and pray together. There is so
much more that happens as a result of that faith where we are there for each other. So we need to be able to rally and marshal our resources and
help each other out.
YURKEVICH (voice-over): Vanessa Yurkevich, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Still ahead, offices everywhere are reopening slowly.
But what does a COVID-era office look like?
They might look a lot like this with Plexiglas, occupancy limits and masks. We'll be right back.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
GORANI: As businesses reopen around the world, the workplace is getting a radical makeover. Gone are the days of open meeting spaces or mingling at
the water cooler, sharing desks, for instance. In the COVID world, companies are reinventing how colleagues will co-exist and, for some, the
office of the future is already here. Clare Sebastian has that story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEPHEN ROOT, ACTOR, "MILTON WADDAMS": If they move my desk one more time, then I'm quitting.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CLARE SEBASTIAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This from the movie "Office Space" is what offices used to look like. Confined spaces, minimal
contact. Over the past few decades, they have evolved to this. Open plans, social hubs, like the Salesforce tower in San Francisco.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We love to come together. We love to collaborate. We loved to have face-to-face meetings, we loved it when the officers were
crowded.
SEBASTIAN: Salesforce has spent the last eight weeks turning those principles on their head. Inspired by this model from real estate firm
Cushman and Wakefield dubbed the six feet office, it's not exactly a return to cubicles, but there are eerie similarities.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: You will see Plexiglas dividers between workstations on the open floor plans and then even meeting rooms will have the capacity
signs because they are not able to hold as many people as before. It's really about giving people visual cues to help remember about that physical
distancing.
SEBASTIAN: Plans are still being finalized, but masks will be mandatory, shifts will be staggered, temperatures checked, elevators in the company's
many towers socially distanced. Across the corporate world, high rise offices present a particular challenge.
SCOTT RECHLER, CHAIRMAN AND CEO, RXR REALTY: We are changing technology to be able to use Bluetooth to go touch list into the elevators.
SEBASTIAN: Scott Rechler runs RXR Realty, the fourth largest office landlord in Manhattan. He is reevaluating every detail of his buildings.
[10:55:00]
RECHLER: All the AGAC (ph) systems have been changed, so that they have filters -- that are highest rate filters that pull of the smallest
particles where possible. We are changing the location like for a pantries and printers that usually are in corners where getting congested to more
open spaces.
SEBASTIAN: And technology also critical to his plan.
RECHLER: We will have an app that before you even come to work, they we will be able to actually look to see what the health index of the building
is. When you go into your space, it's going to be a tool on your app that will actually monitor your extreme social distancing. And at the end of the
day, we will be able to see if you are 70 percent, 75 percent.
SEBASTIAN: Amidst all that change, there's one part of this new office reality that's already here. And that is working from home. Many companies
are planning to stagger shifts, others are telling staff you can work from home that they can keep going.
Twitter has even told its employees that if they want to, they can work from home forever. It's clear in this world where the virus is still a
threat, the ultimate trick to keeping offices safe is having fewer people in them -- Clare Sebastian, CNN, New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Not everyone would hate that idea.
As part of Spain easing a two-month lockdown, one bar in Seville found a high-tech and hands-free way to serve drinks safely. Their newest bartender
is a robot named Beer Cart. It uses a giant arm with a pincer, sorry, to fill glasses of draft beer.
The bar's owner had purchased the robot before the start of the coronavirus pandemic to help boost production but found a better use for it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): Since everything is about avoiding contact between clients, the menu has to be disposable, the oil has to be
single dose. We said, look, the robot which was going to be used for something else, is very useful.
So even with plastic disposable cups we can avoid contact. So everything has become very self-service.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well, parts of Spain have begun phase one of a four-step plan to relax one of the harshest lockdowns in Europe. Bars and restaurants that
are reopening must comply with strict hygiene rules, such as having robots serve you your drinks.
It is good to be safe. It will also be good to get back to the way things were. Quick break, we'll be right back on CNN with a lot more. Stay with
us.
END
