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Early Start with John Berman and Zoraida Sambolin

Los Angeles Schools Launch Huge Testing-Contact Tracing Program; South Korea Coronavirus Outbreak Linked To Church; Europe Bracing For Second Wave Of Coronavirus Infections. Aired 5:30-6a ET

Aired August 17, 2020 - 05:30   ET

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


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[05:30:32]

CHRISTINE ROMANS, CNN ANCHOR: Hope this morning that a new saliva test could be a coronavirus game changer.

LAURA JARRETT, CNN ANCHOR: France, Germany, Spain are dealing with case spikes as coronavirus bounces back in Europe.

Good morning, this is EARLY START. I'm Laura Jarrett.

ROMANS: Good morning, I'm Christine Romans. It is Monday. It is 30 minutes past the hour.

And, America's second-largest school district is launching what may be the most ambitious plan yet to test students, staff, and their families for coronavirus. Los Angeles School District officials say the testing and contact tracing covers a half-million students and 75,000 staff members. They say this is a step toward reopening schools, but the infection rate in Southern California means that won't be happening soon.

Nationwide, it took just 18 days for the COVID death toll to grow by 20,000 people. It now stands at just over 170,000 dead due to coronavirus.

CNN's Natasha Chen has the latest from Atlanta.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NATASHA CHEN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (on camera): Christine and Laura, it is very shocking to see the overall numbers of more than five million cases in the U.S. and at least 169,000 people who have died in this country.

It's also important to look at the overall trends. The seven-day average of new cases has come down slightly compared to a few weeks ago, but the trend -- the seven-day average of newly-reported deaths has pretty much stayed stagnant.

And, of course, there are pockets of the country struggling with this more than others, especially in places where school districts are having to figure out how to educate students at the beginning of the fall semester while keeping those kids safe.

At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, this weekend they reported at least four coronavirus clusters.

Here in the Metro Atlanta area we're seeking K-12 public school districts temporarily closing some schools because of positive test cases. For example, in Cherokee County, they have closed, temporarily, three schools and will have them closed until August 31st -- with at least 500 students at one school having to quarantine out of precautions at Paulding County, nearby. Also, another school starting a hybrid model on Monday.

Just -- these are similar to the tough decisions educators are having to make all across the country of how to educate students will keeping them safe and healthy.

Christine and Laura, back to you.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

JARRETT: Natasha, thank you.

An Arizona school district is canceling in-person classes due to what it calls a high volume of staff absences. And, Nashville police giving thousands of warnings to people walking around without a mask.

CNN has reporters across the country bringing us the latest developments.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

MIGUEL MARQUEZ, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Miguel Marquez in Phoenix, Arizona where a school district that was meant to start in- person instruction in the suburbs here has had to call it off because there were so many teachers calling in absent.

The superintendent of the J.O. Combs School District saying that he's not sure how long the absences are going to last. And there are so many absences, not only is in-person instruction off, virtual instruction that had already been going on is also off.

Teachers concerned that the school district hasn't meant the guidelines the state has put out for when to reopen schools, despite the governing board of the school district reopening it. Teachers also concerned about the amount of PPE. They're just not comfortable enough to go back to school yet.

CRISTINA ALESCI, CNN POLITICS AND BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: I'm Cristina Alesci.

Nashville police are cracking down on people not wearing masks. Officers there have issued nearly 3,000 warnings, 25 citations, and arrested one person over the weekend. Now, that's according to a series of tweets from the Metro Nashville Police Department.

Over 30 MNPD officers patrolled Nashville's entertainment district over the weekend as part of the department's enhanced mask enforcement initiative. The agency also tweeted why are MNPD officers working to enforce our city's mask requirements? Because you or someone you know don't want to be in the hospital.

BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I'm Brynn Gingras.

The 9/11 tribute in lights in lower Manhattan will happen next month. The art installation featuring 88 lights that shine into the sky and create the shape of the twin towers was canceled last week over COVID concerns for the crew needed to produce it.

But over the weekend, the state stepped in and said it would provide the health personnel to make sure the event is held safely -- saying, quote, "This year it is especially important that we all appreciate and commemorate 9/11 -- the lives lost and the heroism displayed as New Yorkers are once again called upon to face a common enemy."

[05:35:14]

ROMANS: All right, thank you for all those reports.

A new saliva test could be a fast and inexpensive game changer. After months of frustration and delays with coronavirus testing, the saliva direct test has just been given emergency use authorization from the FDA. It was developed by Yale researchers who say it can produce results in less than three hours and has an accuracy rate on par with traditional nasal swabbing.

Now, they expect labs to charge only $10.00 per sample and say the test could become available in the coming weeks.

JARRETT: And on the vaccine front, Operation Warp Speed running into an early roadblock. The effort to produce a coronavirus vaccine in record time may see delays because researchers have not recruited enough minority test subjects.

Research shows more than half of U.S. COVID-19 cases have been among blacks and Hispanic and yet they make up only 10 percent of those registered for clinical trials. This could be a real problem as study participants are supposed to reflect the population affected. And experts monitoring the vaccine trial -- well, they could force a delay until more minorities enroll.

One doctor asked to encourage black participation tells CNN, quote, "This is a very, very tall order," noting that some are understandably skeptical of being part of research trials given the history of unethical treatments on black Americans.

ROMANS: All right.

College towns facing a potential devastating economic blow this fall -- no football. Last week, the Big 10 and Pac 12 conferences announced they're postponing their fall season until spring 2021.

University towns and local businesses, they rely on college football to generate revenue. Small businesses are already struggling because of the pandemic. Thousands of out-of-town fans typically flock to stadiums weekly during the fall, spending money at local hotels, stores, and restaurants.

For example, Happy Valley Adventure Bureau, which promotes tours near Penn State's campus, says the area stands to lose $130 million in revenue as a result of football games being postponed or canceled.

By contrast, data shows the State College, Pennsylvania community only generated about $8.9 million in total GDP last year.

The CEO of the tourism bureau told CNN, "We are essentially a white- collar factory town and our factory has shut down."

JARRETT: Well, a new spike in coronavirus cases in South Korea has been traced back to a religious service held by a church group. The government has ordered thousands of the members of the church's congregation to be tested now.

CNN's Paula Hancocks is live in Seoul with the very latest. Paula, what more do we know about this church?

PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Laura, this is an anti- government church -- a conservative church -- and the reverend really does pride himself on rallying against President Moon Jae-in. But the issue, at this point, is more than 300 of the congregation have tested positive so far, including the reverend, himself.

Now, he was at a protest just a couple of days ago, on Saturday. This was a massive protest in downtown Seoul -- some 10,000 people believed to have been there. It was a protest against the government. It was a protest that police had asked not to go ahead because of virus fears.

But the reverend was there. He did speak to the protest and he also spoke without a mask. So, clearly, there are now concerns about the fact that he has suddenly been tested and is positive.

Now, there's more than 4,000 visitors to this church. More than 1,000 of them, according to health officials, they are unable to track. So, about 500 of them -- the officials say they have police involved to try and figure out their addresses and where they are.

Now, if this sounds familiar it's because it is. Back in February and March, it was another religious group, which had thousands of positive cases with officials struggling to try and contact trace and try and contact them all.

So we really feel like we are back where we were in February and March. Certainly, officials are hoping that it doesn't get as bad as it did back then. But the health minister, himself, has said that this has the potential to be massive if it's not handled correctly -- Laura.

JARRETT: Thank you so much for that reporting.

ROMANS: All right. Europe now bracing for a second wave of coronavirus. In France, the number of positive cases is rising sharply as lockdown

measures ease and more people travel for vacation. The country reported more than 3,000 new cases Sunday, it's second-highest daily jump since mid-May.

CNN's Melissa Bell has more from Paris. And there is sort of French tradition, really, of the month of August -- you know, you get out, you get away, you go on vacation. Is that going to be a problem this year?

MELISSA BELL, CNN PARIS CORRESPONDENT: Well, it does seem to have made a difference in those countries that are typically tourist destinations for Europeans.

Of course, within the E.U. -- the Schengen area -- people can get about. And on French beaches, on Spanish beaches, you've seen a lot of European travelers who have come for their, as you say, very important summer break here to Europeans, and that does seem to have played into what we're seeing in both those countries, which are sharp rises in the number of new cases.

[05:40:14]

And, of course, that's important, Christine, because we're not looking as we were back in -- earlier this year when the lockdowns took effect here in Europe at the health systems creaking at the seams. The number of people in ICUs pretty stable, fairly low. The number of deaths still not rising sharply.

But it is those new cases that authorities are extremely worried about -- nearly 1,000 recorded over the weekend in Spain. More than 3,000 two days in a row here in France.

And what we see is that it is the demographic that is -- what we're talking about here are the younger people. People between about 20 and 45. People who had not been so affected before.

And it is the result of the fact that these economies have gotten back up and running that tourism is happening once again within the borders of the E.U. and that is leading these new cases -- hence, the new measures. Greater and greater parts of cities like Paris are now seeing the forced wearing of masks.

So authorities really trying to play catch-up and get those numbers back under control to avoid, as you say Christine, that dreaded second wave.

ROMANS: All right. Melissa Bell for us in Paris this morning -- this Monday morning. Thank you, Melissa.

JARRETT: Well, as the U.K. braces for a second wave of coronavirus, the debate over reopening schools and the need for in-person learning keeps escalating.

In Scotland, schoolchildren are returning to the classroom after months of lockdown to find a new and very different normal. CNN's Max Foster is live in London with more on this. Hi, Max.

MAX FOSTER, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Laura.

And this is an interesting case, Scotland, because while they've had a low infection rate, they've had quite a high death rate. And they are one of the first nations in Europe to go back to school. So all eyes on them to see whether they're system works.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER (voice-over): The first day of school is always emotional, but after months of lockdown, the reopening of St. Ninian's Primary in Gourock, Scotland is a new experience for everyone.

LESLEY MCCABE, HEAD TEACHER, ST. NINIAN'S PRIMARY SCHOOL, GOUROCK, SCOTLAND: This is the first time that we've had boys and girls in this school for five months.

FOSTER (voice-over): Inside, a lesson on how to navigate the school's one-way system, just one of the many COVID safety measures children and staff are now getting to grips with.

FOSTER (on camera): So, students arranged in bubbles, pretty much confined to classrooms as well -- at least compared to before, right, and this is one of yours.

The seats are all facing one direction. They have to stick to their own stationary packs. And they're eating in here, as well, at lunchtime?

MCCABE: Absolutely -- our priority is to keep the children safe. The teachers will be teaching from the front of the classroom. The children will not be collaborating in groups anymore, they'll be working in (INAUDIBLE) partners.

FOSTER (on camera): I can't see anyone with masks, but what's the rule on that?

MCCABE: There's no need for anyone to be wearing masks. But should an adult be supporting a child with their learning -- an individual -- or if they are going to be working beyond 15 minutes, then they should be wearing a mask.

FOSTER (voice-over): It's not clear what happens if a child or teacher tests positive for the virus. The school says it will take government advice on whether to send that person home or the whole bubble or, indeed, the whole school.

Father of five, Raymond Carroll, isn't concerned. He says his boys are desperate for some routine.

FOSTER (on camera): What will your kids get out of coming back to school?

RAYMOND CARROLL, FATHER OF CHILDREN WHO ATTEND ST. NINIAN'S PRIMARY SCHOOL: Structure -- structure with everything they do around a structured day. And over the past few months it's been very difficult to maintain that structure.

FOSTER (on camera): Homeschooling -- how as that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't like it.

FOSTER (on camera): No. So you're quite keen to come back? It's not always children who say they're desperate to go to school but lots of people are now, aren't they?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, but before, I didn't really like school.

FOSTER: You guys excited?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.

FOSTER (on camera): Why?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Because we're going to back to school.

FOSTER (on camera): So you're looking forward to schooling? Did you ever think you'd say that?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I never thought I would say that.

FOSTER (voice-over): Teachers here say they're also excited about being back and they feel safe, though teaching unions say that isn't the case in all schools.

MCCABE: Teachers and staff may need to adopt this new way of life. And they're ready for the challenges ahead and they're excited by them, but they'll always be very cautious.

FOSTER (voice-over): Each district, each country has its own system for reopening schools. All eyes on Scotland, though, as one of the first to be tested in this part of the world.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

FOSTER: And the system in that school, effectively, is to keep children -- confine them to their classrooms as much as possible. There's already a contradiction because the school can only really control what's happening on its own grounds. We discovered those bubbles are being mixed up on the school buses coming into the school.

So, so many issues to iron out as there are across Europe and the world.

JARRETT: So many issues. And one of the big ones, as you mentioned, is they don't really have a plan, Max, for what happens if someone actually gets the virus. Do they shut it all down? Do they shut just the classroom down? That's a really big issue here in the U.S. as well. [05:45:00]

Thank you so much for that story.

You know, Christine, I know that you're dealing with this as well, as many -- as so many parents about what to do.

And, you know, just this weekend, Dr. Sanjay Gupta published a really interesting piece about how he's decided not to send his kids back to school this fall.

ROMANS: That's right.

JARRETT: And it really seems to depend, for a lot of people, on what is the rate of transmission in your hometown.

ROMANS: So, for me, there's not a choice. The kids will be staying home and doing virtual learning, at least through the month of September because the school district just doesn't have the ventilation that the engineers say is acceptable to allow all those kids to go back to the campus.

So, that's pretty interesting to me that you've got -- I've got kids -- a kid in grade school, middle school, and a rising high-schooler, and none of them will be going to school in September.

That's the biggest question for most families.

JARRETT: Huge.

ROMANS: And I live the kids in that piece -- the one little boy who basically was ready to fire his parents as their teacher because we are all just trying to make it work.

JARRETT: Do our best.

ROMANS: Right -- all right. My kids haven't fired me yet but it's close.

All right, 45 minutes past the hour.

Tens of thousands of people in Iowa have not had power in almost a week. More on the plea for help after a sudden and powerful storm, next.

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[05:50:18]

JARRETT: Welcome back.

Two big competing protests in the capital of Belarus. A huge one demanding a new election and a much smaller one held in support of embattled President Alexander Lukashenko, the official -- the victor of the election a week ago that independent observers have said was rigged. Let's bring in senior international correspondent Fred Pleitgen, live this morning in Minsk, Belarus. Fred, such big protests over the weekend but no signs that Lukashenko --

FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

JARRETT: -- is actually backing down.

PLEITGEN: Yes, certainly not yet, anyway. And many people, Laura, are, indeed, calling the protests that happened yesterday on the part of the opposition historic, saying it was the largest protest in this country's history with about 100,000 people showing up there, all of them very much peaceful and all of them with very much a positive message, saying that Belarus wants to be an open country -- of course, calling for Alexander Lukashenko to step down.

Now, all that action is actually continuing today. There's a general strike on in this country today. The building I'm standing in front of right now is actually state T.V., which is normally a propaganda arm of the Lukashenko regime. But today, the folks here have not showed up to work. They say there are sick of censorship and they want to report truthfully on the protests and also the government detentions that are happening in this country.

At the same time, once again, Alexander Lukashenko -- he went to a factory trying to rally some of his supporters there. But apparently, from what we're hearing, he was shouted down there as well with people there saying go away. So it certainly seems as though he is losing folks here in this country by the minute.

At the same time, the big question here is what is Russia going to do? It seems as though Lukashenko is trying to drag them in -- but right now, no signs that Russia going to do that, guys.

JARRETT: All right, Fred. Thank you so much for that.

All right, we turn now to Iowa and the governor requesting the rapid approval of a presidential major disaster declaration after a storm pummeled the Midwest last week with 100-mile-per-hour winds. Gov. Kim Reynolds says the declaration will provide much-needed federal resources to boost the state and local response after that derecho left a trail of destruction.

Homes and grain storage facilities were completed destroyed, over a million customers were left without power in Iowa and Illinois, and millions of acres of farmland were damaged. Just acres and acres of cornfields completely flattened there, Christine.

ROMANS: Yes.

JARRETT: You know, there is a lot of news in the past couple of days. The postal service; the virus, of course -- but for people in the Midwest, this is the story.

ROMANS: That's the only story. When you look at some of those beautiful cornfields ready for harvest in just a few weeks, flattened by that storm, and all those grain storage bins flipped upside-down and emptied. Just a lot of pain and suffering in the Midwest. And assisted living facilities and hospitals still struggling to get back power online.

All right, 52 minutes past the hour.

Let's get a check on CNN Business this morning. Taking a look at markets around the world, Asian markets closed mixed. Tokyo down nearly one percent. European markets have opened mixed.

In Tokyo, dismal economic news out of Japan. Its economy shrank 7.8 percent in the second quarter. That's an annual rate of decline of 27.8 percent, the worst since modern records began in 1980.

Back on Wall Street, futures are pointing higher to start this trading week. Stocks finished mixed Friday. The Dow closed up 34, the S&P flat. The Nasdaq closed lower.

A big question in the coronavirus recession -- how to pay for food. Millions of Americans out of work, enhanced unemployment benefits are gone, stimulus checks have been spent.

The most recent census data shows nearly 30 million Americans said they did not have enough food at some point in the week before July 21st. Food banks report surging demand. The group Feeding America estimates 54 million Americans will be food-insecure over the next year.

And the Department of Agriculture notes the number of people receiving SNAP benefits -- food stamps -- rose almost 16 percent between March and April.

So new evidence that stimulus checks, jobless benefits, and small business relief worked. Retail sales in July returned to pre-pandemic levels. July's figures higher for a third month in a row -- though, as you can see, slowing from June.

People spent more on electronics. Spending up for gasoline, clothing, and in bars and restaurants.

The numbers add to a picture of a pandemic economy kept alive by emergency federal spending, but that spending has now dried up. And, Laura, they're not even in Washington right now talking about new stimulus. It's a real risk for the recovery ahead.

JARRETT: It's just amazing.

Well, thanks for joining us, everyone. I'm Laura Jarrett.

ROMANS: And I'm Christine Romans. Happy Monday, everybody. Have a great rest of your day. "NEW DAY" is next.

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[05:59:24]

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: The CDC says cases are steadily rising among children. Forty-five percent of those cases may be asymptomatic.

JARED KUSHNER, SENIOR ADVISER TO PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: We absolutely will be sending our kids back to school and I have no fear of doing so.

COURTNEY SMITH, PARENT: As parents, our number-one task in life is to protect our babies, and I really felt like I was dropping mine off at a death trap.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The crisis over the U.S. Postal Service and the 2020 election is escalating.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is very serious. This has to have a fair election with every vote counted.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We want to make sure that every vote counts but that only one vote counts.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ANNOUNCER: This is NEW DAY with Alisyn Camerota and John Berman.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, welcome to our viewers in the United States and all around the world. This is NEW DAY. It's Monday, August 17th, 6:00 here in New York.

END