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Warnings Of A Second Peak, As Countries Begin To Reopen And Some Let Their Guard Down; Cemeteries Built In Record Time For Brazil's Growing Death Toll; The Power Of A Cough. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired May 26, 2020 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ROBYN CURNOW, CNN ANCHOR: Hi. Welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world, I am Robyn Curnow. You are watching CNN.
So just ahead --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. MIKE RYAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION HEALTH EMERGENCIES PROGRAMME: The disease can jump up at any time. We may get a second peak in this wave.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CURNOW: Warnings of a second peak, as countries begin to reopen and some let their guard down.
Then, cemeteries built in record time for Brazil's growing death toll. We take you to one of the country's worst hit areas.
And the power of a cough, how the contents of your coughs and your sneezes can travel a lot, lot further than you think.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Robyn Curnow.
CURNOW: Great to have you along. Thanks for joining me. So, a month into the global battle against COVID-19 and amid all sorts of reopening, the World Health Organization warns this could be around for much longer than we realize. It has already claimed over 350,000 lives around the world, with the number of infections approaching 5.5 million.
The head of the W.H.O. Health Emergency Programme says we are still in the middle of the first wave of the cases, and that a second peak could come months from now, during the normal flu season in some parts of the world.
So, the W.H.O. warns now, it is not the time to let your guard down.
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MARIA VAN KERKHOVE, W.H.O. HEALTH EMERGENCY PROGRAMME: All countries, need to remain on high alert here. All countries need to be ready to rapidly detect cases. Even countries that have seen a decline in cases must remain ready.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CURNOW: So, the W.H.O. says assuming the next real danger point is sometime in October or December is dangerous in itself. Another expert told CNN's Wolf Blitzer, he does think the virus could ease up though in the coming weeks, but he adds this caveat.
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CHRIS MURRAY, DIRECTOR, INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH METRICS AND EVALUATION: There is some seasonality, but it is not anywhere near as strong as flu. That does mean that we may be lulled into a false sense of things not being as bad as they could be, but if it seasonal, it mean that starting in September, and then progressively going up, it could get progressively worse right through to January.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CURNOW: Now, despite those warnings, some Americans are still refusing to take precautions, even though in 18 U.S. states, the rate of infections is still on the rise. CNN's Kyung Lah has that story.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: On Memorial Day, we remember our father, William E. Cordero.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I'll always remember Gordon Hartley.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KYUNG LAH, CNN SENIOR NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): As Americans gathered in online forums to remember the fallen on this Memorial Day, many others met in-person, willing to push boundaries on this weekend that marks the start of summer.
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STACY RUTH, OCEAN CITY, MARYLAND: Everybody is going to come back and say you should have, could have, would have. But you know the reality of it is, at the end of the day, I think we're all responsible for our own actions.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAH (voice over): In Alabama, crowds packed the sand, many ignoring social distancing.
In Southern California, this beach sits mainly empty and visitors are wearing masks. But just a short drive away, California hikers packed this canyon shoulder to shoulder.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is just not good. There's too many people in one little area.
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LAH (voice over): In response, Los Angeles County shut down the trail immediately, crowds apparent, as a cooped up country reopens from a giant pool party in Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri to this one in Daytona Beach, Florida.
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DR. CARLOS DEL RIO, EPIDEMIOLOGIST, EMORY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE: We are beginning to see an uptick in cases in Georgia and I think it's clearly a result of people relaxing social distancing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
LAH (voice over): Data shows more states are heading in the wrong direction and the weekly average of new cases while 10 states here in green are down, 22 states in yellow hold steady with 18 states in red and orange showing an increase. One of those states showing an increase in cases, Arkansas.
The Governor marking the holiday says his state is in the middle of a second peak, citing some relaxing of social distancing, but also increased testing.
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GOV. ASA HUTCHINSON (R) ARKANSAS: Today, we face another enemy. It is a deadly virus that cannot be seen. It silently attacks and kills. Almost 100,000 Americans have lost their lives within 100 days as a result of this new enemy.
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LAH (voice over): And it is far from over warns the World Health Organization.
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RYAN: We need to be also cognizant of the fact that the disease can jump up at any time. We cannot make assumptions that just because the disease is on the way down now that it's going to keep going down and then we're going to get a number of months to get ready for a second wave. We may get a second peak in this wave.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: So put away all of your fears, all of your fears.
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[02:05:09]
LAH (voice over): The patience run short among some. North Carolina protesters demanded the state open faster even as the state's numbers climb.
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UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We want all of North Carolina to be open. We want for us to be able to take care of our own health, all right? We don't want the government keeping us safe.
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LAH (voice over): The economy versus science clash weighing on local leaders, trying to contain the public health crisis.
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GOV. DOUG BURGUM (R) NORTH DAKOTA: If someone is wearing a mask, they're not doing it to represent what political party they're in or what candidates they support. They might be doing it because they've got a five-year-old child who has been going through cancer treatments.
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LAH (on camera): The State of California made two announcements about how Californians can shop as well as worship. In-person shopping will be allowed but with heavy restrictions and Californians will once again be allowed to worship in their places of worship, but only at 25 percent of occupancy.
Kyung Lah, CNN, Manhattan Beach, California.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CURNOW: Thanks for that. Now, the White House will suspend travel from Brazil starting next late Tuesday, two days earlier than planned. No explanation was given for that change, but President Trump says the move is in the country's best interest.
The ban applies to anyone who has been to Brazil within 14 days prior to trying to enter the U.S.
Brazil is now only second to the U.S. in confirmed coronavirus cases, recording close to 12,000 new cases just on Monday alone.
Well, Nick Paton Walsh reports now from Brazil from a town in the heart of the Amazon.
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NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: Well, here in Manaus, the worst hit city in Brazil, the worst hit country in Latin America, the worst hit region in the world. We've seen some startling scenes today that show the gravity of the problem.
And frankly, the enormity of the challenge here in the heart of the Amazon to get people affected by this disease to medical treatment. We've seen flights landing, bringing people in from far-flung places. We've seen startling large cemeteries built in a record amount of
time. Fifteen hundred people buried in one plot that we saw, and troublingly too, about four-fifths of them were suspected COVID cases, not people who tested positive.
And that calls to question, frankly the official numbers the Brazilian government are giving out.
It varies between states, but the full tally of 374,000 confirmed cases may not be the entire number because it doesn't always contain suspected cases as well.
Eight hundred seven people have died in the last 24 hours, and that of course is a deeply troubling number for Brazil, but may have had some possible relation, these worsening numbers to why President Donald Trump's administration has moved up the travel ban against Brazil forward 48 hours to the end of Tuesday.
That may have some impact possibly on how Brazilians feel about their situation globally. They are now the second worst impacted country on the planet. But they are possibly a week to two weeks away from the peak still.
And much criticism leveled towards Jair Bolsonaro, the Brazilian President. He called this a little flu initially, and as recently as the weekend, we see him not wearing a mask in a rally of his supporters.
A common place to see there's rallies, and common place too, for his messaging to be suggesting that it isn't as bad as everyone thinks. And that the economy is certainly a priority.
But it is quite clear here in the City of Manaus, this disease has been utterly devastating. The city is so remote from the rest of the country and having to fly and so much support to keep itself going.
The peak seems to be behind them, but even at the cemetery we were at, five bodies turned up for burials in coffins while we were there just this morning.
So, startling scenes where we are here, and a sign possibly that the worst is certainly ahead for the rest of Brazil.
Nick Paton Walsh, CNN, Manaus, Brazil.
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CURNOW: So the World Health Organization says the testing of an anti- malaria drug touted by the U.S. President as a treatment for COVID-19 has now been put on hold.
The W.H.O. has too many concerns. They say they are too many concerns about the safety of hydroxychloroquine, Mr. Trump says he took the drug himself to keep from being infected, but experts warn, it has not been proven effective against coronavirus and could be dangerous. Meanwhile, the race for a vaccine is certainly heating up, 10
candidates are now in human trials as you can see from this. The latest comes from the Maryland based biotech firm, Novavax. It is starting a phase one trial with about 130 people. Preliminary results are expected in July.
But one researcher says he wouldn't be surprised if all these trials fail. William Haseltine tells CNN we could still prevail against the virus with grit and determination. Take a listen.
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WILLIAM HASELTINE, CHAIR AND PRESIDENT ACCESS HEALTH INTERNATIONAL: Human beings through behavior, without a drug and without a vaccine can shut down this virus. The recipe is simple -- very simple. Identify those affected, identify all of those exposed, and mandatory solo isolation for 14 days in controlled conditions for those exposed. That does it with a strong stay-at-home order.
You do that, and the infections could be over in six weeks in this country. Can't Americans do that? Why can't my fellow Americans do that? That is the way to build an economy back. That is the way to create safe cities. That is a way to open schools. That's what we see in countries that do it. Why can't we do it?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[02:10:47]
CURNOW: So let's get more insight on the reality when it comes to COVID-19 vaccines, and everything else. Joining me is Dr. Esther Choo, Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at Oregon Health and Science University. Doctor, great to see you.
The previous doctor you heard there was straight talking. I know that he has been trying to work on HIV aids vaccines for decades now. We know where that's got us -- that there is not one out there yet. Do you share his concerns that it is certainly going to be far more difficult, than people are perhaps were being led to believe?
DR. ESTHER CHOO, ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE, OREGON HEALTH AND SCIENCE UNIVERSITY: To find a vaccine you mean?
CURNOW: Yes.
CHOO: Yes, I mean, to be clear, these 10 trials that have made it to being tested on humans are promising. There are over a hundred waiting in the wings that are in different phases, but preclinical phases on development. That's very exciting.
There is clearly a global race to develop a vaccine, which will be a game-changer in the way that we behave.
But, making it to the first human trials to Phase 1 trials, is the first in a long and complicated step. Most medications don't make it to the market from Phase 1 the majority of medications. Vaccines have a slightly higher rate the medications but still, no
more than a third of them will make it to market from Phase 1.
So, we can be cautiously optimistic. It still will be quite some time before we see those distributed on a global level.
CURNOW: Yes, so certainly, that's very, very cautious optimism there, but when we see all of these images over Memorial Weekend here in the U.S. of people hanging out in pools, being at the beach, being at the bar.
There is a sense of -- there you go -- sort of loitering there at dams and lakes in floaties. I mean, there really seems to be a disconnect between what folks are doing in crowds and what the world is still under threat from.
How do you think that will impact when the second peak comes that the W.H.O. is warning about? I mean, does this speed it up?
CHOO: Yes, that's a concern. I mean, we all have been preparing ourselves for a second wave sometime later in the fall, in the winter and thinking that we would get this break, this lull in the summertime to kind of recover from that first peak and sure up all of our resources, so that we are prepared to meet the second wave several months down the line along with the flu.
But actually it looks like a particularly really enthusiastic reopening that you've seen this Memorial Day and in general, for some reason this national desire to hope for the best and hope that the virus magically disappears, it really seems like we are giving the virus an opportunity to actually just -- to just become much more common more quickly than the fall and the winter and that second wave.
So, the W.H.O. is calling this a second peak, and just reminding us that the virus doesn't have to obey these rules that we set up for us.
If we change our behaviors and go out and reengage in large numbers like that without face masks and social distancing, the virus can actually shoot up to a more rapid second peak. It has the capability of doing that. So, we cannot rest on our laurels and assume that we are going to get a break from it anytime soon.
CURNOW: Yes, bearing that in mind, I mean, we are seeing -- now, you heard the reporters before we came to you that Brazil is seeing a skyrocketing number of cases. We know the President there has played down the seriousness of this virus for months.
There does seem to be a correlation between death rates and infection rates, and leaders who do not take strong and early steps. It's not just Brazil, the U.S., the U.K. and a few other countries are just two other examples of this.
How does the politics impact the public health here?
CHOO: I think a lot of us in the U.S. are feeling solidarity with Brazil right now. I mean, really confusing inconsistent messaging, a leader, who, like you said, himself does not model the behavior, like consistent facemask wearing, who was seen, I believe hugging a child at one of these large group gatherings without a facemask on.
[02:15:10]
CHOO: So just showing this kind of cavalier attitude towards social distancing, and best practice public health behaviors. Also has been at conflict with his own Health Ministers, a lot of similarities.
And really, I think that trickles down to the population showing lots of inconsistent behaviors, and not demonstrating those behaviors and then having this very, very difficult caseload and very high fatality rate.
So it is tremendously painful to watch, and we of course are experiencing it ourselves. So, hopefully, there will be some change in direction for all of these countries.
CURNOW: Okay. Thank you very much. Dr. Esther Choo, really appreciate your joining us. Associate Professor there of Emergency Medicine in Oregon. Have a lovely day. Thanks so much for your expert advice.
CHOO: Thank you, Robyn.
CURNOW: Still to come here on CNN, the British Prime Minister's Chief Adviser defends his actions after coming under fire for traveling right in the middle of their country's lockdown. It is that story.
Plus this --
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are really chasing the last pockets, and it is important for us to find them.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CURNOW: In Denmark, if you want a COVID-19 test, you can get it. How the country is making this happen.
We're in Copenhagen, next.
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CURNOW: London's ghost town scenes like this are set to disappear, with England's retail sector poised to reopen in mid-June.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the move on Monday as part of the government's second phase of relaxing lockdown restrictions. We know that stores will need to complete a risk assessment and take steps to be coronavirus secure.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister's Chief Political Adviser, Dominic Cummings said he will not resign after breaking the country's lockdown rules with a trip he took in March. Rules that he helped to write.
So, Cummings defended his actions on Monday. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DOMINIC CUMMINGS, CHIEF POLITICAL ADVISER TO BORIS JOHNSON: I can understand that some people will argue that I should have stayed at my home in London throughout. I understand these views. I know the intense hardship and sacrifice that the entire country has had to go through. However, I respectfully disagree.
The legal rules inevitably do not cover all circumstances, including those I find myself in. I thought -- and I think today that the rules including those regarding small children and extreme circumstances allowed me to exercise my judgment about this situation I found myself in.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[02:20:10]
CURNOW: Nic Robertson joins me now from London. Nic, good to see you. Certainly those comments and much of that press conference got the heckles up across the U.K. Mr. Cummings not apologizing. What next?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Yes, no apology there and no regrets. He said that he hadn't offered to resign. In fact, he said, he hadn't thought about resigning. What next is a test of what he has laid out, and that was really the game plan here that Dominic Cummings and the Prime Minister believe that Dominic Cummings, by going public in this way, by making an explanation in this way could offset some of the criticism.
I would imagine that they would hope it would offset criticism within the Conservative Party. It is more politically damaging to the Prime Minister, but in essence, the message was very clear from Dominic Cummings that people -- he was not surprised that they might be angry about this situation.
But once they knew the facts, his assessment was they wouldn't be so angry, and why did he say that? Because he was blaming the media for making mistakes on the accounting what he had been doing.
There are issues with what he said that still appears to break some rules, despite what he had said here. A trip to a beauty salon on his wife's birthday, he said to test his eyesight for driving before coming back to London. A half-hour trip in one direction, half-hour back the other direction, and also which again was against the rules of the lockdown at the time.
And also, when he discovered his wife had COVID-19 symptoms, he went home to see her and then came back to work at Number 10 Downing Street and that was very clearly against the government's explicit advice that somebody in your house has symptoms, then you all stay-at-home and self-isolate.
But you know, Boris Johnson was pressed on this at his press conference a few hours later, and in essence he said, look, Dominic Cummings has laid out his position, and I'm not going to go into that any further.
Did the Prime Minister have any regrets? Well, he seemed to shade in the same direction that it was a confusion that was created by the misreporting. Here is how the Prime Minister framed it.
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BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: At that particular stage, I had a lot on my plate and really, didn't focus on the matter until the story started to emerge in the last few days.
So, my answer to your question is, do I regret what has happened? Yes of course, I do regret the confusion and the anger and the pain that people feel.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERTSON: And of course, the judgment today is going to be what feedback is the Prime Minister going to get from his backbench MPs, and the Prime Minister and his government very focused on the things that they want to do to end the lockdown.
You just mentioned a couple of the opening, on the first of June of schools, but also farmers markets and outdoor car markets will open on the first of June, and then retail stores which is a big issue here of course, like everywhere on the 15th of June.
CURNOW: Okay, Nic Robertson, appreciate it. Thanks for that update. Good to see you there live in London.
So, with coronavirus cases and deaths on the decline in Italy, the country is moving forward with its phased reopening. Now, gyms, pools and sports centers can all reopen this week in Italy, although, there are concerns about at least night life and complaints about people not social distancing.
Authorities are getting create to help enforce the rules. Here is Delia Gallagher.
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DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Italy has a new plan for those who are out in public and not observing social distancing regulations.
The Italian Civil Protection Authority along with regional governments is organizing 60,000 volunteers. They're calling them civil assistants who will patrol streets, parks and beaches to remind people to wear facemasks and to maintain social distance.
The volunteers will be over 18. They will wear vests identifying themselves, but they will not be able to issue fines or tickets.
The Civil Protection Agency says this is a response to verified complaints over the weekend throughout Italy of social activity and night life happening without observing social distancing.
Delia Gallagher, CNN, Rome.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CURNOW: Thanks Delia for that. To Spain now where the pandemic has certainly devastated the tourism industry. Well, now as the country reopens, the government is trying to reassure travelers, it is time to come back.
Starting July the first, tourists will be allowed into Spain without a required stay-in quarantine.
Meanwhile France reported a continued decline in the number of hospitalized coronavirus patients after a spike in cases over the weekend.
Meantime, the Prime Minister announced health workers will soon get hefty pay raises. Health workers have complained about low salaries and insufficient staff over the past year.
[02:25:12]
CURNOW: We will stay in Europe, Denmark has fared better than many of its European neighbors. When the outbreak began, a shortage of testing kits meant it did not carry out widespread testing. But that is about to change. Fred Pleitgen has more from Copenhagen.
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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice- over): It was a big promise President Trump made in early March. Coronavirus tests for anyone who wants them.
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DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Anybody that wants a test can get a test.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN (voice over): A promise the President has not fulfilled to this day. But now, tiny Denmark is making exactly that possible.
People are flocking to tent centers in Copenhagen and other towns. Sarah Wiese lives in a shared apartment and says she wants to make sure she is not jeopardizing her flat mates.
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SARAH WIESE, COPENHAGEN RESIDENT: To get certainty and also so we can -- if I have it, that I can tell my friends because we have been a little bit close, too close.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN (voice over): The process is simple. Make an appointment by an app and head to the nearest testing facility. The average waiting time to get an appointment, Denmark's Health Ministry says, is less than a day.
There's even a drive-in facility where motorists get tested in their cars.
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HELLE HOSTRUP, TEST CENTER LEADER: Testing a lot, lots of people in Denmark just to be wiser, to learn about how the virus is spreading.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN (voice over): Denmark is seen as a role model for the way it is combatting the coronavirus in Europe. It shut down very early and its death toll remains low.
But the country only recently started mass corona tests to test both the presence of the virus or the antibody showing a previous infection.
Now anyone, whether they have symptoms or not, can get tested. That's to make sure there's no pockets of the virus left, Denmark's Health Minister tells me.
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MAGNUS HEUNICKE, DANISH HEALTH MINISTER: We are really chasing the last pockets and it's important for us to find them and then to really stop the spread of the virus.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
PLEITGEN (voice over): With a population of less than six million, Denmark says it easily has the capacity to test anyone who wants to be tested. The Health Ministry says the broad testing scheme is part of a larger push to gradually open up the country after beating back the virus.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Copenhagen, Denmark.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CURNOW: So, you're watching CNN NEWSROOM. Still to come, a stark contrast, President Trump and his opponent's approach to the pandemic.
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[02:30:07]
CURNOW: Welcome back. You're watching CNN. I'm Robyn Curnow. It is 30 minutes past the hour wherever you are in the world, so thanks very much for joining me.
On this Memorial Day Weekend here in the U.S., the U.S. President honored the nation's war dead. He also though launched online attacks on political enemies, promoted conspiracy theories and threatened North Carolina's Democratic Governor about the upcoming Republican National Convention.
With all of that, here is Kaitlan Collins.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): As the United States nears 100,000 coronavirus deaths, President Trump laid a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery on this Memorial Day to honor those who have sacrificed their lives.
And he vowed to fight coronavirus during a speech at Fort McHenry in Baltimore.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: In recent months, our nation and the world have been engaged in a new form of battle against an invisible enemy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS (voice over): Trump didn't wear a mask at either event unlike Joe Biden who made his first appearance in months as he visited a veteran's memorial in Delaware.
Earlier today, President Trump threatened to move the Republican national convention from North Carolina if the state's governor doesn't commit to allowing a full attendance.
The convention has been planned for months and is scheduled for late August, but the coronavirus pandemic has threatened to upend both it and the Democratic National Convention the week before.
On Twitter, Trump complained that North Carolina's Democratic Governor Roy Cooper is still in shutdown mood and unable to guarantee that by August we will allowed to hold a full convention.
Vice President Mike Pence said they may move it to a state that's further along in reopening.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We all want to be in Charlotte, we love North Carolina but having a sense now is absolutely essential because of the immense preparations that are involved.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS (voice over): Last week, Governor Cooper told CNN it wasn't a political decision.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. ROY COOPER (D), NORTH CAROLINA: This is not political, this is not emotional. This is based on health experts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS (voice over): Trump spent the weekend dedicated to fallen troops on Twitter where he aired his grievances, posted insults, promoted a baseless murder claim and amplified disparaging remarks.
As the death toll from coronavirus nears six digits, Trump complained about the media's coverage of him playing golf twice at his club this weekend.
Though he often criticized Barack Obama for golfing while in office, Trump said he was only exercising and accused the press of portraying it as a mortal sin.
Though he once predicted the death toll in the U.S. would never come close to 100,000, Dr. Deborah Birx said the White House is still operating under the idea that it could range from there to 240,000 people.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. DEBORAH BIRX, WHITE HOUSE CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE COORDINATOR With any pandemic at any time when people are fighting to save other people's lives, it's difficult to count at the early part of the epidemic.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS (voice over): On Sunday, the U.S. added Brazil to the list of countries from which travel is banned because cases there have skyrocketed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ROBERT O'BRIEN, NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISER: Because of the situation in Brazil, we're going to take every step necessary to protect the American people.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS (on camera): Now back to the President's threat about pulling that convention out of Charlotte, North Carolina, despite the money and planning that's already gone into it, we are told by Charlotte officials that they do expect to put out some kind of guidance in June about how they're hoping big events like that are going to look like because they're also juggling several major sports events, concerts, things of that nature, not just the Republican National Convention.
And there are conversations happening between the Republican National Committee and the State of North Carolina about, you know, will they test every delegate who came in the door, temperature checks -- things like that to make sure that the people who do attend that convention are safe.
Though it still seems to be determined whether or not it's actually going to go forward and in the way that the President himself has envisioned it. Kaitlan Collins, CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CURNOW: So, China's top military commander in Hong Kong says the Army is determined to safeguard national sovereignty in the city. This comes as China's central government is getting ready to pass a controversial security law for the territory.
Now, the move is widely seen as an attempt to crack down on prodemocracy activists and strip away civil liberties.
But the city's leader is dismissing those concerns saying the law will only target subversion and terrorism.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARRIE LAM, HONG KONG CHIEF EXECUTIVE: Rights and freedoms are not absolute, if we want to protect the majority of the people, then if the minority of the people, indeed a very small minority of people are going to breach the law, so organized and participate in terrorist activities to subvert the state power, then of course, we have to be bonded by the needed legislation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CURNOW: For more on all of this, I am joined by CNN's Steven Jiang in Beijing and Anna Coren in Hong Kong. Steven, I will come to you in just a moment.
Anna, hi. I mean, certainly, it seems like the threats have been escalating in recent days. What do you make of this recent announcement?
[02:35:08]
ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT Well, certainly, this announcement by the PLA Commander here in Hong Kong, Chen Daoxiang in the last couple of hours, is extremely alarming because this really just confirms everybody's fears that the PLA, the People's Liberation Army, could very well be used to arrest people in Hong Kong, under Beijing's new security law.
He gave an interview a few hours ago, and he said that the PLA is determined and confident in safeguarding national sovereignty in the city, that his troops are an important force to maintain national security in Hong Kong and that they will resolutely implement the Central Government's decision and perform defense duties according to the law, and fulfill all tasks entrusted by the party and the people.
That party is the CCP, and under this law, it will ban sedition, subversion, secession and treason, basically criminalizing the Hong Kong Protest Movement.
Now, this is deeply troubling for Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement. We spoke to Jimmy Lai who is the founder of the "Apple Daily" here in
Hong Kong, one of the loudest voices, if you like, of the opposition movement. He is deeply concerned about this -- what this is going to mean for Hong Kong's future and he believes that the only person who can save Hong Kong is the U.S. President, Donald Trump. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
COREN (voice-over): Traitor, national scum, selling out his country and his conscience. This is how China describes Hong Kong's most famous media mogul.
Jimmy Lai has been a thorn in the side of China's Communist Party for decades fighting for his city's freedoms. But now Beijing has this 72 year-old firmly in its sights.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JIMMY LAI, APPLE DAILY: We are a dictatorship. Freedom is not free. And this is a price we have to be ready for.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN (voice-over): Last month he was one of 15 activists to be arrested, along with the founding father of Hong Kong's democracy, 81 year-old Martin Lee.
Lai who owns the "Apple Daily" newspaper was charged with organizing and participating in an illegal assembly last August and intimidating a pro-Beijing reporter back in 2017. Rights groups call the arrest an attempt to silence the pro-democracy movement.
While he can't discuss the charges, this tycoon says he won't be scared or intimidated by the CCP and nor should Hong Kong protesters. Despite China's plans to enforce a controversial national security law it says is needed for its sovereignty and to fight what it calls terrorism.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAI: I can't have fear. If I have the fear, I have a fear about the consequences of whatever I do.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN (voice-over): On Sunday, thousands of protesters poured onto the streets, the first real demonstration for 2020 since COVID-19.
Voicing their opposition to this proposed legislation, banning treason, secession, sedition and subversion, ultimately criminalizing the protests that roiled Hong Kong since June last year.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: What have you been arrested for?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't know.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN (voice-over): While demonstrations were smaller than expected, police showed zero tolerance, arresting more than 180 people, mostly for unlawful assembly.
Having just set up his Twitter account on the weekend, Mr. Lai appealed to Hong Kongers, tweeting, "It is time to sacrifice. Are we prepared to sacrifice blood and tears for our future freedom? I am."
COREN (on camera): As one of the most prominent members of Hong Kong's pro-democracy movement, Jimmy Lai has always had a target on his back. His arrest last month proof of that.
But under China's new security law, he believes his media organization, the city's most vocal opposition newspaper, will be shut down and he could be spending his future behind bars.
COREN (voice-over): With Hong Kong now at risk of losing its freedom, autonomy and rule of law, Mr. Lai issued an SOS to the U.S. President, printing his letter on the front page of his newspaper.
Despite America's strained relationship with China in the midst of COVID-19 and the tenuous trade deal, Mr. Lai believes that the CCP will listen to Donald Trump.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAI: Mr. President, you're the only one who can save us. If you save us and stop China's suppressions, you also save the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COREN (voice-over): He knows it's a long shot, but one he is willing to take for his last crusade. And despite having British citizenship, Jimmy Lai says, he isn't going anywhere.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LAI: I will not leave because I'm one of the troublemakers. I can make trouble and go away. All my life would be a waste if I do that.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
[02:40:10]
COREN: Robyn, we are standing outside LegCo and police have erected water barriers right around the perimeter of the complex in anticipation of mass protests here in Hong Kong tomorrow over the National Anthem Bill that will be debated inside this building.
If enforced, it will be a crime to insult or mock the Chinese National Anthem. So, as I say, thousands are expected to turn out into the streets, but we are also hearing 3,000 police will be deployed around the city, and if the weekend is any indication, they will be showing zero tolerance towards these protesters -- Robyn.
CURNOW: Okay, thanks so much. We will continue to monitor this with you in Honk Kong, Ana.
But Steven, to you in Beijing. Clearing, as you heard from Ana's reporting, clearly Beijing on the front foot here. What do you make of the timing?
STEVEN JIANG, CNN SENIOR BUREAU PRODUCER: Well, you know from Beijing's perspective, this law is long overdue because remember, Hong Kong's sovereignty returned to Beijing almost 23 years ago, but still the local authorities are unable to enact a piece of national security legislation.
You know the last time they tried was 2003, and huge protest turnout on the streets. That is why Beijing has decided, this is the time to act now and they want to take the matter into their own hands because they increasingly see Hong Kong becoming a bastion of anti-China forces not only from local pro-democracy activists, but also a growing pro-independence movement, not to mention what they call rampant foreign interference.
Now, the protest movement Ana mentioned that began last year, still showing no sign of abating, is the latest proof in the eyes of the Beijing government. Of course, they are still working on the details as these delegates to the National People's Congress this country's rubber stamp parliament are discussing behind closed doors the details of this law.
But one thing they have revealed is, once this law is an act is enacted, one of the most powerful and secret of agencies of the government, the State Security Ministry will be able to set up operations in Hong Kong to carry out relevant provisions directly because according to state media and officials here, the Hong Kong law enforcement agencies lack professionals or officers with relevant experience and skill set.
So very alarming to the people of Hong Kong. But in the eyes of the Beijing government, this is something long overdue and they are really just running out of patience for the Hong Kong authorities to enact this on their own -- Robyn.
CURNOW: Okay, thanks for that perspective as well. Steven Jiang there in Beijing thank you.
So, you're watching CNN. Still to come, traders are returning to the New York Stock Exchange floor after two months, but business won't be as usual. Details coming up.
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[02:45:22]
CURNOW: If there was ever a symbol of America going back to work, it is this one. The New York Stock Exchange is reopening the trading floor on Tuesday. It's been all electronics since March the 23rd when two people working there tested positive for coronavirus.
And as you could see, the exchange is introducing new safety measures. Anna Stewart is watching all of the financial news for us. She joins us from London. Anna, good to see you.
What are these new measures?
ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: Well as you see, it looks like it's going to be a really subdued quiet start, only a quarter of traders will be returning today on the floor and the measures look actually quite like what we see in factories that are reopening around the world and other offices.
A lot of social distancing, temperature checks on arrival. There will be people of course, wearing facemasks throughout the trading floor, and so I think it will just be a much quieter sort of start.
We are not going to see any opening bell celebrations. There won't be any media. It will be a slow, slow start. One thing I think that is quite interesting, Robyn, is that traders today are being asked to sign a liability waiver, so if they do contract the virus while they are working at the NYSE, they can't sue the Exchange. Essentially, they are not going to be liable for anything like that.
So it does just bring into focus just how big a risk it still is. The virus is still very real and very serious.
CURNOW: You talk about the risk there, I mean, is it worth going back right now considering a lot of this can actually be done online or with electronic trading?
STEWART: I mean, this has been a big debate really, because NYSE has been operating for two months completely remotely, so much trade can be done electronically in exchanges all over the world.
The NYSE is one of those exchanges that does rely quite heavily on floor traders. They are crucial in determining final prices before the closing bell. They are thought to increase liquidity and to reduce volatility.
Also those traders that you see today, the floor traders, they tend to be from much, much smaller businesses. Businesses of just 20 people. They have been hit very hard by the closure.
So it will be -- it is a very slow restart, I think we could see all of these measures of course ramp up or reduce, I think they will just see how it goes.
Really, really important for the traders to get back today for them, but it is a risk that they will have to be willing to accept each individual and each business -- Robyn.
CURNOW: Okay, and the economic fallout certainly playing out across the world. Anna Stewart there in London. Thank you.
And on that note, the largest air carrier in Latin America is filing for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. The CEO of LATAM Airlines group says travel restrictions due to the coronavirus are the main cause of the bankruptcy.
Affiliates in Chile, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador and the U.S. will be affected, but the carrier says, the bankruptcy will not affect reservations, employee pay or flight vouchers.
So, you're watching CNN, still to come, how far can germs travel when people cough? U.S. researchers try to answer that question to determine the best social distancing practices during this pandemic.
Plus, this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The clink, clink noise of glass milk bottles banging up against the metal dividers in the wooden cases is just something I'll never forget.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CURNOW: If there is some good news, why the milkman is delivering again. You'd want to see this.
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[02:50:08]
CURNOW: So for weeks now, U.S. officials have been urging people to stand six feet or two meters apart. This has been the advice across the world, well, in order to prevent the coronavirus from spreading through coughing. But is that really a safe enough distance to slow the spread?
Randi Kaye reports now how researchers in Florida have actually conducted experiments to find out as they coughed.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Heavy cough, three, two, one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RANDI KAYE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): Inside this lab at Florida Atlantic University, two engineering professors are measuring the power of a cough.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Two, one.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE (voice over): Using a dummy, they fill its mouth with a mix of glycerin and water, then with a pump, force the dummy to cough. Then wait to see how far the droplets travel. They fill the air, visible with the green laser light simulating what
happens when we cough.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SID VERMA, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF ENGINEERING, FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY: It generates particles on the order of 10 to 20 microns, which is roughly close to what the smallest droplet sizes are when we cough.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE (voice over): Take note how quickly the simulated respiratory droplets spread. The droplets expelled traveled a distance of three feet almost immediately.
Within five seconds, the droplets were at six feet, then nine feet in just about ten seconds.
Remember, nine feet is three feet beyond the recommended social distancing guidelines.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Already reaching roughly nine feet now. It's still moving further, slowly.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE (voice over): The fog of droplets lingered in the air but kept moving forward, taking just another 30 to 40 seconds to float another three feet.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It's getting closer to 12 feet now.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE (voice over): Yes, he said 12 feet. Over and over again, the simulated droplets blew past the six-foot mark, often doubling that distance.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Okay. It has passed three feet already, approaching six feet. And it looks like it has crossed six feet. And now it has slowed down.
KAYE: How long might they linger at nine feet and 12 feet?
MANHAR DHANAK, CHAIRMAN, FAU ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT: So at nine feet, they could linger for -- provided still air -- two to three minutes, okay?
But the concentration is less than what it would be at, say, six feet by a factor of eight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE (voice over): The Professors say the droplets become less dense the further they travel, but they still hang in the air, still with the ability to carry disease.
And watch this, even when we put a simple mask on the dummy, particles still disperse from the sides of the mask though they didn't travel far.
KAYE (on camera): Certainly, if you are not wearing a mask, you are supposed to cough into your elbow. But if you cough into your hand, this is what happens. Let's turn out the lights. I'll put my hand up against the mouth of this dummy and simulate a cough.
You can see the droplets spray in all directions. They may not travel as far, maybe about three feet or so, but they spray everywhere. And they can linger in the air possibly for as long as three minutes.
KAYE (voice over): Intensity of the cough matters. So, we tested a gentle cough too. The lighter cough didn't go very far at all, about three feet. But the question remains, how close is too close?
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE (on camera): Do you think based on what you've seen in your own lab that six feet is enough for social distancing?
DHANAK: Six feet is the minimum distance that you should keep. It seems that --
KAYE: But further is better?
DHANAK: Further is better.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
KAYE (voice over): Randi Kaye, CNN, Dania Beach, Florida.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CURNOW: So, we have seen how stay-at-home orders during this pandemic have boosted sales for the likes of Amazon and Target and not for others, but it's not just online retailing that has benefited to some extent.
As Athena Jones now shows us, the milkman is delivering again.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DOUG WADE, OWNER, WADE'S DAIRY: These are fresh pints of half and half --
ATHENA JONES, CNN U.S. NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): For Doug Wade, owner of Wade's Dairy in Bridgeport, Connecticut, March was a scary time, with schools shutting down and stay-at-home restrictions, forcing many other clients to close their doors,.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WADE: And we lost 50 percent of our business literally overnight.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES (voice over): So he switched gears, supplying grocery stores facing shortages and schools ramped up programs to feed needy students stuck at home, his company regained some of the lost business.
Then --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WADE: The phone started ringing for people looking for home delivery service. Do you do this? No, we don't. We did it in the past, but after you had enough of these calls, you started saying, geez, I wonder if this could be a viable way to sell milk again?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES (voice over): The delivery service he launched has been a hit with customers like Christine Ostrowski in nearby Fairfield.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CHRISTINE OSTROWSKI, WADE'S DAIRY HOME DELIVERY CUSTOMER: It's really been a big, big boom for us because we were struggling with grocery deliveries.
It's just really eased a lot of anxiety and stress.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES (voice over): Wade's now delivers to 260 customers in some 30 towns across the state and recently bought another truck.
[02:55:10]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WADE: A hand grenade bottle that was a half pint bottle.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES (voice over): Being a milkman is in Wade's blood.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WADE: I was seven or eight years old. The clink-clink noise of glass milk bottles banging up against the metal dividers in the wooden cases is just something I'll never forget.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES (voice over): His great grandfather began making deliveries in a horse and buggy in 1893.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WADE: People would time their meals around when the milkman was coming.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES (voice over): After a century, Wade halted deliveries in 1992 as clients' habits changed. COVID-19 is shaking things up all over again and not just for Wade's.
While national numbers are scarce, producers and distributors across the country are reporting a surge in demand for home delivery.
Doorstep delivery in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania surged more than 300 families a week, another 300 or so are on a waiting list, and they're hiring more staff to try to keep up with demand.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DARYL MAST, OWNER, DOORSTEP DAIRY: We probably tripled our home delivery customers in about three or four-week time until we kind of maxed out our capacity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES (voice over): Shatto Home Delivery outside Kansas City Missouri also has a waiting list. They've seen demand rise some 230 percent since late March to more than 4,000 customers and had doubled their staff.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MATT SHATTO, SHATTO HOME DELIVERY: We've purchased four new delivery trucks and created countless new routes, probably about 14 new routes throughout the metro over that period of time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES (voice over): Each company provides no contact delivery to promote social distancing.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Would you like to have home delivery for tomorrow?
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES (voice over): And it isn't just milk, like the others we spoke to, Wade's sells a variety of dairy and nondairy products, including yogurt, cheese, eggs, fresh bread, orange juice, and meats.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The bacon will not be available until the end of May.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
JONES (voice over): The companies are hopeful that strong demand will continue even after the pandemic. Suddenly in this business, everything old is new again.
Athena Jones, CNN, Bridgeport, Connecticut.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CURNOW: And that's a good thing, hopefully, they have got the glass bottles as well. Thanks to Athena for that story.
So we know that also two astronauts will be able to escape all the worries of the pandemic this week, lucky them, as SpaceX's first astronaut mission is cleared for a Wednesday launch.
NASA says practice missions were successful, and it went quote, "very smoothly," Wednesday's launch has a 60 percent chance of bad weather, which may though improve.
The astronauts will do research, help with station maintenance and run tests on the SpaceX craft.
So thanks for your company, I am Robyn Curnow. The news continues with Rosemary. Enjoy.
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[03:00:00]
