Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Newsroom

Beaches And Parks Open For Memorial Day Weekend; Arkansas Reports Second Wave In New Cases; Unemployment Rate To Increase; Travel Restriction On Brazil; Hong Kong Protests On China's National Security Law. Aired 5-6p ET

Aired May 24, 2020 - 17:00   ET

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

[17:00:00]

ANA CABRERA, CNN HOST: Thank you for joining us. I want to welcome our viewers in the U.S. and around the world. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York. And around the country this weekend people in every state are taking advantage of those loosened stay-at-home restrictions, some for the first time since this pandemic lockdown of 2020.

That means beaches are open in Florida, in California, and on the eastern shore. Parks and public spaces in Washington, D.C. are open. So are hiking trails in the national parks out west.

As for following safety guidelines and social distancing, however, people in the places we've seen are really all over the spectrum this weekend, some wearing masks and keeping to themselves while others clearly are not, despite the number of coronavirus deaths in the U.S. approaching 100,000.

(VIDEO PLAYING)

This video going viral this weekend. An extreme case of not following the medical experts' safety advice. A giant swimming pool party in Missouri. That would not be alarming at any other time, but now people, you can see, packed together, no visible masks even as health experts insist masks and social distancing will keep people safer from the coronavirus infection.

CNN reporters and crews are out on beaches all around the country this afternoon. Pete Muntean in Maryland, Natasha Chen in California and Paul Vercammen in Southern California. Pete, let's start with you in Ocean City. Hopefully you're not seeing people clustered together and ignoring the safety guidelines.

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN REPORTER: Wall, Ana, it's relatively easy to social distance at least on the beach here in Ocean City, Maryland because it's really not much of a beach day right now. Temps in the 50s. It is cold, windy, and cloudy.

But city officials here tell me that might actually be working a bit against them when it comes to the boardwalk here, although I have to tell you, it's relatively easy to social distance so long as you're paying attention here. Again, the weather is really dictating a lot of this. I want to

compare this image to those from yesterday when the weather was much better. Temps in the mid 80s. It was warm. It was sunny.

City (ph) is watching images like this, it says it's done everything it can to try and recommend that folks social distance, recommend that folks wear masks, although it says it's in a difficult position to enforce it. I spoke to Mayor Rick Meehan who says the city has done what it can and now it's on people to do their part.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

RICK MEEHAN, MAYOR OF OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND: All of our messaging is recommending and encouraging people to wear masks, but if you look at all the signs and everything we do with our message boards, it's all about social distancing, you know, doing the right thing.

Don't forget, just because you're in Ocean City, do the same things you did at home. And if everybody does that, it's going to help us move forward.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MUNTEAN: I want to show you some of the other measures that the city has taken here to remind folks to social distance. They've put signs up here along the boardwalk saying to remain 6 feet apart from one another. Also along the boardwalk, benches are blocked off, every other bench with a 2 x 4 to keep folks from getting too close to one another. The city says they just need to keep watching this as the weather improves, as the summer continues, Ana.

CABRERA: We're all adjusting to a new normal. It's almost like Mother Nature is sending a message today. It's such a stark contrast compared to what you showed us was the scene yesterday. Thank you, Pete.

Let me turn to Natasha Chen now in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, where it is clearly busier than further north today. Show us the beach scene there, Natasha, and whether people are following the CDC guidelines.

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, it's been relatively calm here. You can see that parties are actually starting to leave now, because it's cooled down, it's almost dinnertime. They're keeping their parties relatively spaced out here.

And that is what the city manager told me is working. He said, this has been an extremely peaceful weekend so far, with the exception of a shooting incident overnight in an area south of us. And actually, he said, there was another shooting in the same area last weekend.

So, he says they're trying to figure out how to stop these one-off incidents. They usually, for Memorial Day weekend, have the assistance of other jurisdictions to help patrol Myrtle Beach, but given COVID- 19, that is not the case this time. Instead, they have support from the state of South Carolina, so there are a lot of officers out.

[17:05:00] And he said city staffs have been going out to restaurants trying to enforce the state's 50 percent capacity. And he said a couple of restaurants last night had to be told to show some patrons out the door, because they were over that limit.

Another thing that I asked him about, masks. I have mine and I -- if there's no one around me during the live shot, I take it off. But otherwise, we have them on. And we seem to be the only ones doing that.

He said, it's only recommended here. And again, the governor of South Carolina is even recommending it in general. But here are what a couple of beachgoers told me about masks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes, there is some people wearing masks, but I'm not wearing one.

CHENL: OK.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: So I should have a mask, but I don't have a mask on right now.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Since I've been here, honestly, no. You're the first mask, honestly, I've seen if I'm being honest. Everybody here is just kind of letting it fly.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHEN: And we heard from the Ocean City, Maryland report that officials saying whatever you did at home, you should do when you're traveling. Well, that certainly was not happening, at least for the last couple of people you saw that we interviewed.

They drove down from Ohio to Myrtle Beach and they said, you know, in Ohio, everybody was wearing masks and they were staying home, relatively, besides work and school. Here, totally different story, Ana.

CABRERA: All right, Natasha, thank you. Paul Vercammen is in Playa del Rey, California. Paul, what are people there telling you there this Memorial Day weekend?

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, on Dockweiler Beach right here, Ana, they seem to be following the social distancing rules. Let's give you a glimpse of it. Along the water, they say you don't need your mask when you're going in and out of the water, but you can clearly see that this couple is taking a seat in front of the water and they're wearing their masks.

And the people we've been talking to all day long here on Dockweiler Beach are adhering to the rules, and here's evidence of that. When you look right behind me, we're going to talk about photography for one second. Yes, that's a compression shot. It looks like those umbrellas are stacked on each other. Now watch this (inaudible), just pan it over here. Look at all of that

empty sand. People clearly paying attention to the stay 6 feet away from each other rule. Also in talking to people here, they say they're adamant about social distancing, keeping on their masks.

The county of Los Angeles relaxed the rules for this weekend because they say the numbers are going down. The total number of hospitalizations, the total numbers of deaths, and the total percentage of people testing positives, those who have been tested, as they're testing more people now, Ana. So, so far, a very tranquil almost eerily serene scene here in Playa Vista. You would never see this on a Memorial Day weekend.

CABRERA: And 70 degrees just about there where Paul is. Good to see those folks being responsible. Paul, thank you. Thank you all.

As we've been showing you after months of being cooped up, Americans across the country are just itching to get outside, to enjoy some fresh air and sunshine. But as CNN's Sara Sidner explains, there are public health risks for every activity during a pandemic.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA SIDNER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Sun, fun, and coronavirus. How safe are we as summer pastimes beckon? Even in the great outdoors, epidemiologists warn nothing is without risk.

ANNE RIMOIN, PROFESSOR, DEPARTMENT OF EPIDEMIOLOGY, UCLA: Everything that we do has risk attached to it.

SIDNER (voice-over): This month, a report published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences said that when it comes to COVID- 19, speech droplets generated by asymptomatic carriers are increasingly considered to be the likely mode of disease transmission.

RIMOIN: It does appear that asymptomatic infection is a big driver of spread of disease. And we are still learning things about it every single day.

SIDNER (voice-over): Anne Rimoin is a virus hunter, a renowned UCLA epidemiologist who has spent decades researching in the Congo, trying to suss out the next virus and how it's transmitted. So far, this is what experts know help stop coronavirus transmission.

RIMOIN: Everybody should be staying as far apart from each other as they can and wearing masks, which will reduce spread of droplets.

SIDNER (voice-over): But is 6 feet of distance enough? A new computer model suggests it may not be. An engineering professor study of a computer model published in the Journal Physics of Fluids shows a light breeze could carry some droplets as far as 18 feet.

RIMOIN: Any data is important to be able to consider. We're literally gathering data in realtime to understand what we're doing today and tomorrow.

SIDNER (voice-over): It still isn't known how infectious those droplets could be if the virus is present.

PETER CHIN-HONG, UCSF INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST: Your absolute risk of getting it when there is like wind and you're outdoors is actually going to be very, very small.

SIDNER (voice-over): The computer model has not been scientifically tested in real-life scenarios. What has been lab tested how far droplets can disperse indoors. Think of summer vacations, airports, shopping malls and restaurants.

[17:10:00]

This is the National Institutes of Health experiment. Normal breathing without a mask under highly sensitive laser light shows no droplets light up, but when you speak, droplets light up like a Christmas tree.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Ironically, one of the phrases that produces a large number of droplets is --

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Stay healthy.

SIDNER (voice-over): And a cough indoors, scientists at Florida Atlantic University showed without a mask droplets can spread 12 feet with a simple mask, the droplets still spread, but far less.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's going to six tonight.

SIDNER (voice-over): Unfortunately for summer sports fans, enthusiastic cheering can also spew droplets further. The virus may move from one fan to another.

CHIN-HONG: It loves the nose and mouth. It's like a five-star hotel for the virus.

SIDNER (voice-over): The cheering and high fives may defeat the effort to control the virus, which explains the idea for playing in empty stadiums.

CHIN-HONG: A stadium is like an adult preschool. Sure, there are a lot of secretions and slobbering, depending on what you buy in the concession stands. People lose their inhibitions and that's part of the joy of going to the stadium.

SIDNER (voice-over): But not all is lost. A dip in the pool, still cool. According to the CDC, there is no evidence the virus can spread through pool water. But self-distancing is still key.

RIMOIN: We're going to be coexisting with this virus for a long time, maybe forever.

SIDNER (on camera): There is no doubt that we're all tired of being cooped up, but epidemiologists worry that this Memorial Day, there could be a spike in the spread of coronavirus, if people aren't careful.

Here outside the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, what you're seeing right now is not that many people so you don't necessarily have to wear a mask as long as you can self-distance more than 6 feet.

If you can't, wearing a mask is key. This will keep you safe and keep your family safe. Sara Sidner, CNN, Pasadena, California.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CABRERA: I want to bring in public health specialist Dr. Saju Matthew and CNN medical analyst and former assistant commissioner of health in New York City, Dr. Celine Gounder. Dr. Gounder, as you just saw, there are crowds gathering all over the country this weekend. Many people are not wearing masks. What's going through your mind as you see some of these images?

CELINE GOUNDER, INFECTIOUS DISEASE & PUBLIC HEALTH SPECIAIST: Well, Ana, you know, I don't think public health officials are anti-fun. We are pro-safety. And I think there are ways to balance the two. I think, you know, seeing some of the folks, for example, in the Los Angeles area on the beach and finding a way to remain at least 6 feet apart is great.

You know, it shows that we can balance safety and fun. I think there are ways to wear masks which are cheap, and frankly, not that invasive and still be able to enjoy our lives.

CABRERA: Let's listen to what Dr. Deborah Birx, the White House coronavirus response coordinator said this morning about masks.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DEBORAH BIRX, WHITE HOUSE CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE COORDINATOR: We've made it clear that there is asymptomatic spread. And that means that people are spreading the virus unknowingly. And this is unusual in the case of respiratory diseases in many cases.

So, you don't know who's infected. And so we really want to be clear all the time that social distancing is absolutely critical. And if you can't social distance and you're outside, you must wear a mask. These are items that are really critical to protect individuals.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: The message from our leading medical professionals could not be more clear about wearing a mask and social distancing. The FDA commissioner tweeted this morning, reminding Americans the coronavirus is not yet contained.

Dr. Anthony Fauci warning earlier this week, now is not the time to tempt fate and pull back completely. Dr. Matthew, where do you think breakdown in communication is as we see other images of people clearly not listening, like we showed those images out in Missouri, at Lake of the Ozarks?

SAJU MATTHEW, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: Good afternoon, Ana. You know, it's disappointing, when I look at those images, just like Dr. Gounder said, it's not about not having fun, it's about having fun responsibly. And let's think about this. Ultimately, yes, we live in a country where we can make individual decisions and that's what I love about being an American.

If I make a decision, I accept that responsibility. But Ana, when it comes to this transmissible disease that is almost approaching 100,000 deaths in America this Memorial Day weekend, we have to realize that a decision to not wear a mask not only affects me, but it can affect my mom, it can affect my best friend.

So that's really also where I have a problem is, you're making a decision to actually not only harm yourself, but to harm other people. And I also think that, Ana, we all have to be role models.

It would be surprising to you, Ana, if you were my patient and I walked in as a doctor without a mask. So I think we have to be role models and we have to be consistent with our message about wear masks and protecting others.

CABRERA: Dr. Gounder, if we start to see spikes in cases or outbreaks from this weekend, how do you contact trace, A, when the CDC estimates 40 percent of transmission is occurring before people have symptoms.

[17:15:00]

And B, when some of the cases we are going to see are likely going to lead back to a beach with thousands of people possibly, including visitors who don't even live in that community?

GOUNDER: Well, this is going to be a very challenging job in terms of the logistics of doing it. And the number one problem is that we simply don't have the staff in many states to do this.

Now, there are some states, California, for example, that are really trying to hire up a workforce, an army, so to speak, of contact tracers. Some of that is going to be in some states by hiring new people. Some of it is reallocating current state employees. Some of it is bringing in the National Guard.

But you really need boots on the ground to have people literally going from the index case to all the people that may have been exposed. And that's a huge job.

CABRERA: Dr. Matthew, is it a question of if there's going to be a spike in cases or when?

MATTHEW: I don't want to be an alarmist, Ana, but when I looked at the images that I did all day on CNN, that was the first question that came to my mind, is that I hope that we don't see a spike. And remember, Ana, there could be a lag period where you get the symptoms.

It could take about two weeks with the incubation period and then show up to the hospital. And then remember, a lot of the hospitals or CDC or state or public health departments are not necessarily reporting the numbers accurately.

So, I do worry about it. I would like to say that we're not going to see a spike. But if you realize how this virus behaves, it's inevitable to not think that there might be a spike. CABRERA: Dr. Gounder, I want to pick up on something that we just

heard there mentioned by Dr. Matthew. Public health experts agree widespread and efficient testing is imperative, but the CDC acknowledged this week that it had mixed together results from viral and antibody coronavirus tests on its website.

We also know 11 states have confirmed mixing those viral and antibody test results when they report the numbers, although a few now say they are separating out the numbers. Does it make sense to lump together diagnostic and antibody tests in reporting those numbers?

GOUNDER: Ana, the short answer to that is no. This is immunology or virology 101. Any college student who has studied this stuff would know. So, clearly, the CDC knows better. S, what concerns me here is there may be a political reason for lumping together the data.

And I think one thing we have not been very clear with the public about, the reason we test is not just to generate these numbers and to shame certain states, but it's so that we can identify who's infectious right now and so that we can isolate that person so they're not infecting other people who are uninfected.

So, it's really about blocking those chains of transmission. And if you don't know who has it now, it's impossible to do that job.

CABRERA: All right, Dr. Celine Gounder and Dr. Saju Matthew, as always, it's great to have both of you with us. Thank you and be well.

As we see people flock to the beach, crowd a pool in Missouri, we are seeing worrying data out of Arkansas. A governor says that state is already seeing a second peak and that a cluster of new cases may trace back to a high school swim party. We'll take you live to Arkansas, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:20:00]

CABRERA: I want to talk you live to Pensacola, Florida, right now. These are live images. You can see the beaches there are packed as Americans are trying to get out and enjoy their Memorial Day weekend.

We've seen images of people flocking to beaches like this one, even as public health officials insist we all must keep following social distance guidelines.

And consider what's happening in Arkansas, just a day after announcing that his state experienced a second peak in coronavirus cases, Governor Asa Hutchison is now defending his actions to ease restrictions.

On Thursday, the state reported 455 new virus cases. The first peak was just 30 days ago and a much lower number of cases then. CNN's Ed Lavendera is in Little Rock, Arkansas. Ed, what else is the governor saying? ED LAVANDERA, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, Arkansas is

one of the few states that did not issue or the governor did not issue a stay-at-home order here when this pandemic broke out. The governor says that it was in large part because the density of population in this state is so low.

But over the last few days, they have seen a rather dramatic spike in the number of cases, at least relatively speaking here, compared to what this state has seen over the course of the last two months.

The last peak came around April 15th to April 23rd. And now since on Thursday, you saw a little more than 450 cases reported, 150 on Friday, and another 160 on Saturday. The case total so far that we've seen for today are much lower, but that also could have weekend testing results, might factor into that. We don't know for sure, just yet.

But Ana, that is what we're seeing here. And that is in a state where they have begun the process of reopening. And all indications are the governor is not going to backtrack on any of that based on what these numbers are showing right now.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ASA HUTCHINSON, GOVERNOR OF ARKANSAS: We have to manage the risk. We take the virus very seriously. It's a risk. It causes death. But you can't cloister yourself at home. That is just contrary to the American spirit.

Our death rate is low compared to the rest of the country. It doesn't diminish the seriousness in which we take it, but we have to manage the risk, grow our economy. We have to come back and not just in Arkansas, but nationally, because this virus is deadly, but it's going to be with us a while. We have to manage that risk.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

LAVANDERA: And Ana, what the governor here is saying is that this second peak is attributed in large part to the larger numbers of testing that is going on here. And then one of the other reasons why some of the bright spots that the governor here sees in terms of managing this risk, as he talks about is that the low -- the hospitalization rate and the infection rate, the positive infection rate is relatively low, as well.

[17:25:01]

So, that is what the state of Arkansas here right now is seeing when it comes to this coronavirus. Ana?

CABRERA: Ed Lavendera in Little Rock, Arkansas for us. Thanks. Up next, a dire warning from the White House about the unemployment rate and how they expect it to climb. You are live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) CABRERA: In an interview with CNN this morning, President Trump's senior White House economic adviser, Kevin Hassett, painted a pretty dire picture of the nation's jobless numbers.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DANA BASH, CNN SENIOR POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Do you think employment is going to be even higher this month?

[17:29:59]

KEVIN HASSETT, SENIOR ECONOMIC ADVISER TO PRESIDENT TRUMP: Yes, it's going to be quite a bit higher. And, you know, there were some technical things that kind of messed up on an economics lecture. We go into them, but it could be, if they fix the numbers and fix the thing that they mischaracterized last time, that you'll end up with a number north of 20 percent in May.

BASH: But I just want to underscore what you're saying, is that as the president is on the ballot in November, you think there could be double-digit unemployment still?

HASSETT: I think that yes. Unemployment will be something that moves back slower. I think it could be better than that, but you know, you're going to be starting at a number in the 20s and working your way down. And so of course, you could still not be back to full unemployment by September or October. Again, if there were a vaccine in July, then I would be way more optimistic about it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: I want to show you this map, 43 states hit record-high unemployment rates last month, with the national unemployment rate hovering near 15 percent. Nearly 40 million Americans have lost their jobs since mid-March.

Joining us now, Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody's Analytics and author of "Paying the Price: Ending the Great Recession and Beginning a Great American Century." Mark, I want your reaction first to what we just heard from Kevin Hassett telling CNN this month's unemployment rate may top 20 percent.

MARK ZANDI, CHIEF ECONOMIST, MOODY'S ANALYTICS: Yes, he's right. It's going to be over 20 percent in the month of May. Of course, that doesn't do justice to the financial stress that many households are under.

If you consider all the folks that have lost hours, they're still working, they're not unemployed, but they've lost hours or those that have seen their pay cut, then approximately one-third of the workforce has been directly negatively impacted by this crisis.

That's over 50 million workers across the country. And as you point out, it's every community and it's also across almost every single industry. So, just something we've -- you know, unprecedented. Something we haven't seen ever before. CABRERA: Yes, on so many levels, it's unprecedented. What's really

interesting to me, Mark, is in Georgia. It was one of the first U.S. states to reopen, obviously, for business, about a month ago. But Georgia now leads the U.S. in terms of its proportion of workforce applying for unemployment assistance.

This is according to Labor Department statistics analyzed by CNN. Nearly 40 percent of Georgia's workforce has applied for unemployment assistance since mid-March. That's nearly two out of every five Georgia workers. This is a state that has been aggressive in reopening, Mark. How do you explain that?

ZANDI: Well, two things. One, the Georgia BLS, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the agency that actually processes the applications is having trouble processing them. So, it's one of the slower states in the country in processing applications. So it's just catching up to the wave of layoffs that occurred back a month ago, two months ago.

The other thing is that this just highlights how difficult it's going to be to get this economy going again, even when you reopen. I mean, a lot of businesses are failing. They're not going to come back. A lot of businesses will come back, but they'll have to implement social distancing rules, they won't be able to operate at full capacity.

And then, of course, a lot of people are just too nervous to go out and shop and do the kinds of things that they normally do. So, business reopening is a necessary condition for an economic recovery, but it's certainly not a sufficient one.

CABRERA: What kind of businesses won't come back?

ZANDI: Well, I think a lot of retailers, brick and mortar, mom and pop, smaller retailers. I just don't see how they're going to make it through. I mean, of course, they were struggling before this because of online competition, but -- and operating on very thin profit margins, so I just don't know how they'll survive.

A lot of businesses in leisure and hospitality, in the transportation industry, you'll see a lot of layoffs and lost jobs. You know, I also think that, you know, on the other side of this, we're going to have a lot of people that are just going to need a lot of re-education and retraining to take the jobs of the future. It's not going to be simply going back to the jobs that existed before this.

CABRERA: This experience that we're all going through right now, it's obviously changing the way we do things, the way we operate, and the way our economy is going to function moving forward. And it all comes as lawmakers in Congress right now debate another round of stimulus aid.

Listen to what President Trump's economic adviser, Larry Kudlow, had to say about the Democratic push right now to extend unemployment benefits.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) LARRY KUDLOW, WHITE HOUSE ECONOMIC ADVISER: I think we've learned in the last recession, the so-called Great Recession, that increasing and extending unemployment benefits are disincentives to work. I would rather people went back to work.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CABRERA: Mark, I know you've been advising Senate Democrats on the potential next round of stimulus spending. What are you suggesting when it comes to unemployment benefits?

ZANDI: I think they need to be extended. Look, you know, we have a 20 percent plus unemployment rate. I mean, even the advisers of the president is saying, you know, look towards the end of the year, we're still going to have double-digit unemployment.

Ana, just for context, at the very peak of unemployment in the Great Recession, the unemployment hit 10 percent. So, this is a crisis and we've got a lot of people who are unemployed, deeply unemployed. It's not about, you know, they're not taking jobs because the jobs were available.

[17:35:00]

They're not taking jobs because there aren't jobs available and that's going to be the case going forward. So, I think it's just wrong-headed to suggest that these folks aren't going to need help. And I think in the next rescue package, we are going to have to help these folks out.

And I think we should continue to do it until unemployment is well into the single digits and headed south because until then, you're going to have a lot of people that are really struggling here.

Now, you know, I think there are a lot of other ways we can help ensure that people get back to work and stay at work and reduce the disincentives. So, I'm all for thinking about better ways of doing this, but enhanced expanded unemployment insurance is a critical way. It's a, you know, it's a tried and true way. It's what we do every single time we go into recession, particularly in recessions as bad as this one.

CABRERA: We see so much the focus on reopening, that it's a choice between reopening the U.S. economy so people can get back to work or stay close for safety, health protection reasons.

But, you know, the early evidence, as we're seeing in Georgia for example, shows that reopening does not equal U.S. employment resurgence. Mark, does there need to be more safety to get consumers back before employment bounces back?

ZANDI: Yes, absolutely. I mean, I think -- look, I can't imagine this economy really getting back on track until we all feel safe. Until we feel like, if we don't go out, we're not going to get sick. So, you know, I think a vaccine is at the end of the day what we need. And until then, we're going to struggle. But it's very critical that we don't go back, see a re-intensification

of infections, have a second wave because if we do, businesses shut down or even if they don't shut down again, supposed we don't shut down businesses.

People won't go shopping, they just won't go out. They won't do what we need them to do because they're scared. The economy will go back into a deeper recession. We'll call this a depression and our fiscal problems will be measurably worse. So, you know, a critical necessary condition for a healthy economy is a healthy population.

CABRERA: Mark Zandi, always appreciate your expertise. Thanks for making it more easy for us to understand what's happening with everything economics right now.

We have some breaking news as well I want to get to right now. The White House apparently making a new proclamation aimed at stopping people coming into the country with the virus. CNN's Kristen Holmes joins us at the white house. What is the president doing, Kristen?

KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Ana, the White House just announced that they are suspending travel into the United States or at least entry into the United States for any non-U.S. citizens who have been in Brazil in the last 14 days.

Now, this of course comes as Brazil has become a hot spot with more than 300,000 cases. And I want to read you part of the statement that we got from the press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, where she says, "Today's actions will help ensure foreign nationals who have been in Brazil do not become a source of additional infections in our country. These new restrictions do not apply to the flow of commerce between the United States and Brazil."

A couple of things to know here, this again, will stop those foreign nationals from coming into the U.S. if they have been in Brazil, which is a hot spot. Yes, that is true. But as we have discussed, you know, we're still talking about how to stop the spread within our borders as you have been talking about for the last several hours to our colleagues who are all over the country.

And a big part of that is the social distancing and the masks, which many of our colleagues are not seeing on these beaches this Memorial Day weekend. And this comes at a time in which Dr. Birx, who is the head --, key component here of the task force, fighting coronavirus, the coordinator of that task force, says that people need to be very vigilant.

They need to be social distancing. They need to be wearing masks. So even though those are not restrictions or those are not laws, those are things that would also help to stop the spread here in the United States.

CABRERA: That's right, Kristen Holmes, thank you for that report. Keep us posted, obviously, as we learn more.

The death toll from the coronavirus is nearing 100,000 this week and the latest count there on the right-hand side of your screen, 97,599 have died in the U.S. And yet, take a look at some of our beached. You probably wouldn't know it. We have a live report from Pensacola Beach, next. You're live in the CNN NEWSROOM.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:40:00]

CABRERA: Large crowds, busy beaches, this holiday weekend in some coastal communities, we're seeing crowds so large, it's hard to tell there's a pandemic underway, still.

Health experts sending a reminder that the virus is not yet contained as the U.S. death tolls near a tragic milestone of 100,000, friends, family, and neighbors who have died from the coronavirus. CNN's Rosa Flores joins us live from Pensacola, Florida. And Rosa, what are you seeing there today?

ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Ana. Well, I want to show you around because you'll be able to see what people are actually doing to social distance here in Pensacola, Florida.

You can see that the umbrellas are set up more than 6 feet apart and that is by design so that families can take in the sun, but then also do it while social distancing.

Now, what you're looking at really is a downgrade of what Memorial Day weekend normally looks like in Pensacola, Florida. I talked to the county commissioner who is in charge of this particular area that represents this area.

And he says that normally there are concerts going on, people are shoulder to shoulder on this beach, but there's a lot of space. So, in the era of COVID-19, they're able to space out the umbrellas so that people can still enjoy.

Now, I flew in from Miami and the southeast part of this state accounts for about 60 percent of the cases and about 60 percent of the deaths. That's the epicenter. I checked the numbers here for Escambia County. It accounts for only 1 percent of the cases, which of course raises the obvious questions that I posed to the county commissioner that represents this area.

Is he concerned that because people are flocking to this beach, this could cause the spread of the coronavirus in his community and here's what he said.

[17:45:00]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERT BENDER, COMMISSIONER, DISTRICT 4: Something we are concerned about, that's why we closed the beaches to begin with in March. But of course, as we learned more about it, as people know more about the symptoms and what to do, we've been very fortunate that we've had a lot of testing available here, and so if people are experiencing any types of symptoms or anything like that, then they need to get tested if they come.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

FLORES: Now, as you take another live look out here, you can see that there are lifeguards on duty. According to the county commissioner, there's at least 34 lifeguards that will be out for the Memorial Day weekend.

Now, Ana, if you look around me, you'll see that social distancing is happening, but you won't seeing many masks. Masks are not required here. Social distancing is and that's what we're seeing out here on the beach. Ana?

CABRERA: Okay. Rosa flores, thank you for that look. We'll have much more on the coronavirus pandemic, but there's another developing story out of Hong Kong where thousands of protesters took to the streets today. We will tell you what they are demanding and the national security implications for the U.S., next. You're live in the "CNN Newsroom." Don't go anywhere.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:50:00]

CABRERA: Now to Hong Kong where thousands of protesters took to the streets today in opposition to a move by the Chinese government to impose a national security law, which threatens the city's autonomy and civil liberties.

The law would enable mainland Chinese national security agencies to operate in Hong Kong for the first time. With us now is CNN national security analyst Sam Vinograd.

Sam, Hong Kong was rocked by months of violent antigovernment unrest last year over an extradition law, now this. What can we expect in the days ahead?

SAMANTHA VINOGRAD, CNN NATIONAL SECURITY ANALYST: Well, Ana, China clearly doesn't feel constrained by the coronavirus. Instead, they're putting the pedal to the metal when it comes to achieving their territorial ambitions. Under an existing agreement, China agreed to give Hong Kong a high degree of autonomy through 2047.

But in practice, they've been chipping away at Hong Kong's autonomy for years. As you mentioned, last summer they tried to push through legislation that would have infringed on Hong Kong's judicial independence.

And now they're poised to pass a national security law that would, among other measures, ban sedition, ban subversion, ban foreign interference. Those are all buzz words that the Chinese Communist Party uses to quash political descent.

Now, there will likely be direct costs for the freedoms that the people of Hong Kong enjoy if legislation goes through, but there are also global ramifications. Geopolitically, this would give a rival power, China, more power and

more control and also set a precedent that China can operate with impunity. The legislation will likely pass and now the question is what, if anything is President Trump going to do about it.

CABRERA: Is there anything the U.S. could do to try to halt this legislation or take action once it's passed?

VINOGRAD: Well, the administration's track record on China is a tale of two policies. On the one hand, we have agencies like state and commerce standing up to China, issuing sanctions and tightening export controls.

And on the other hand, President Trump personally has been myopically focused on a trade deal and he's really put other issues on the back burner and (inaudible) the Chinese propaganda and praised President Xi Jinping.

Just last summer, he waffled on support for Hong Kong citing trade negotiations. Now, if he does choose to act this time, he could take immediate steps like issuing sanctions against individuals and entities associated with this attack on Hong Kong's autonomy.

The bigger question for me is whether the administration will assess that Hong Kong is no longer autonomous from China. Right now, we statutorily give Hong Kong special treatment based on an assessment that it is separate from mainland China in terms of its legal operations, commercial entities and more. If we revoke that certification, that could lead to a broader reassessment of the special relationship that we have with Hong Kong.

CABRERA: Now, we're having this discussion on Memorial Day weekend as so many service members are deployed overseas, away from their families. In Afghanistan, the Taliban has announced a three-day cease- fire. How significant is that?

VINOGRAD: Well, any rejection in violence is a good thing, but the Taliban did announce a similar cease-fire at this time in 2018 and it wasn't extended. We do have to look at the big picture here. The United States and the Taliban signed a "peace deal" in February, but it's largely stalled.

Progress on inter-Afghan negotiations, prisoner exchanges and reduction in violence really have not come to fruition. The United States, however, has lived up to its end of that deal by moving forward with troop with troop withdrawals.

We are set to meet our benchmark for phase one of this peace deal to draw down to 8,600 troops by mid-July. Now, we did learn earlier today that the Afghan president wants to accelerate prisoner exchanges in light of the Taliban announcement, so we may see modest progress on the overall deal in the days ahead.

CABRERA: All right, Samantha Vinograd, good to have you with us, as always. Thank you for your expertise and insights.

VINOGRAD: Thanks.

CABRERA: Up next, we'll take you back live to America's beaches as this Memorial Day weekend is challenging any notion of social distancing as the death toll nears 100,000 in the U.S. Scenes like this massive crowd in Daytona Beach, Florida, yesterday, and others flagrantly ignoring the pleas from health officials to maintain social distancing.

[17:54:59]

Much more straight ahead, live here in the CNN NEWSROOM. But first, just a quick programming note for you. Don't forget to join CNN's Fareed Zakaria tonight as he investigates the moment a pandemic was born. CNN's Special Report "China's Deadly Secret" starts tonight at 9:00.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[17:59:59]

CABRERA: Hello, again, to our viewers in the United States and around the world. Thank you for joining me. I'm Ana Cabrera in New York.