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Virus Puts 20M People Under Travel Lockdown At Lunar New Year; Top UN Court: Myanmar Must Take Steps To Prevent Genocide; Mexico's National Guard Cracks Down On Migrant Caravan; Lockdown in China Due to Coronavirus Outbreak; Democrats Building Up Case for Impeachment Trial of President Donald Trump. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired January 24, 2020 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[02:00:00]
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NATALIE ALLEN, CNN ANCHOR: Twenty million people are on lockdown in China as a virus blamed for dozens of deaths spreads throughout Asia and the world.
GEORGE HOWELL, CNN ANCHOR: Building the case for impeachment. U.S. House Democrats focusing on abuse of power as they try to shut down a major part of President Trump's defense strategy.
ALLEN: And a landmark victory at least on paper as the U.N.'s highest court tells Myanmar it must prevent the country's Rohingya minority from being victims of mass murder.
HOWELL: Live from studio seven at CNN world headquarters in Atlanta, welcome to our viewers around the world. I'm George Howell.
ALLEN: I'm Natalie Allen. "CNN Newsroom" starts right now.
Thank you again for joining us. Our top story here, the Lunar New Year officially starts on Saturday, but the coronavirus outbreak has ruined travel plans for some 20 million people in China. Public transportation has been shut down in several major cities in Central China, putting that region on virtual lockdown.
HOWELL: That is because the coronavirus is spreading at an alarming rate. Twenty deaths have been reported in China since the virus was first detected six weeks ago. Eight hundred thirty people are infected in the nation, plus another 16 cases around the world.
ALLEN: We might not know the true scope of this health crisis. British scientists estimate there could be 4,000 infected people in Wuhan, a huge city of 11 million. China announced it has earmarked $144 million to combat the outbreak. Still, the World Health Organization says it is not yet ready to declare a global emergency.
HOWELL: Our CNN correspondent is covering every aspect of the story. David Culver was in Wuhan yesterday, and he is now back in Beijing. Steven Jiang is also in Beijing, following the government's response to this growing crisis. And in Hong Kong, Blake Essig has the safety measures being taken there to put travellers at ease.
ALLEN: Paula Hancocks is at the international airport in Seoul, South Korea with the worldwide response to the coronavirus. And in Hong Kong, Sherisse Pham looks at the economic impact this is having on global markets.
HOWELL: But first, live to Beijing where David Culver is on the story. David, you were just there in Wuhan just 24 hours ago. You were able to get out before the lockdown went into effect. Tell us more about the measures being taken to stop the virus and the kind of reaction you are seeing to this unprecedented quarantine.
DAVID CULVER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, George. Having been on the ground there in Wuhan, we still have contacts who we are in touch with, trying to get a sense of what it is like for them living under this partial lockdown and the restrictions that they are now facing, restrictions such as not even being able to attend public gatherings in venues and movie theaters. And during a time of celebrations, it is incredibly difficult.
For some, this is the only time of year that they could come together with family and this has been shattered because of this virus and the growing concerns.
There are some images that are starting to come across social media that really helped to show what the narrative is from within Wuhan. It is rather desperate and it is rather disturbing at the same time. I want to walk you through some of them. I should tell that CNN has not independently verified them. But our producers have been going through them quite meticulously. They have been looking at the images as well as the dialects. They believe them to be genuine.
The first I want to show you gives us an idea as to the lack of infrastructure given the crowds and the influx of people that they are seeing at some of these hospitals. These are tents that have been set up apparently outside of one of the hospitals. That is what the video seems to be showing. It is to accommodate the overflow.
In another video, it is a health care worker, a woman who is going along a line of potential coronavirus patients, and they are shoulder to shoulder in tight quarters. She is shouting for them to follow certain procedures but at the same time is also telling them not to be nervous.
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CULVER: This last video here, it is a patient's view, that's what it appears to show, of being treated in a hospital in Wuhan. It is rather disturbing. Imagine this: You are being treated there and you look up and you see your medical team right in front of you all wearing hazmat suits. It is uneasy but you do not blame the medical staff because, of course, they are trying to protect themselves given recent exposure for even health care workers and what we know that they have contracted the coronavirus as well.
To accommodate all of this, what is the Chinese government doing? Well, they have announced $144 million will be invested in assisting with the coronavirus. It is not clear how exactly that is going to be spent but perhaps part of it is on construction of a new hospital because we have learned through state media that there are plans to build a hospital and get this, six days' time.
I want to show you this video from state media and this is also being shared along Chinese social media. It appears to show some construction vehicles clearing a lot in Wuhan. It is here apparently where they will be constructing that hospital over the next few days. And according to People's Daily, that will open on February 3rd. It is remarkable to see, George and Natalie.
HOWELL: Those videos that you showed us certainly give us a sense of the desperation playing out there. David Culver, live for us in Beijing on the story. David, thank you.
ALLEN: Let's take a look now at how this is spreading. Cases of the virus are now confirmed in mainland China, mostly in Wuhan, but also in Beijing and other cities, but spreading continuously in other countries as well. Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Macau, Thailand, Singapore, Japan and Vietnam have all seen the coronavirus.
HOWELL: There is even one case here in the United States, a traveller who arrived in Washington State after visiting Wuhan. Officials are contacting 43 people who are considered close contacts of the patient. The fear is that this disease could spread even more because millions of people are preparing to travel for the Lunar New Year, the largest movement of people on the planet.
ALLEN: Considering that, China's government is walking a fine line to prevent panic but still contain the outbreak. CNN senior producer Steven Jiang is in Beijing with more about that. This is a massive undertaking for China, Steven.
STEVEN JIANG, CNN SENIOR PRODUCER: That is right, Natalie. As you know, everything here is a political issue and this outbreak is no exception. That is why increasingly, especially online, people tweeting (ph) their fire at officials, especially at the local level, in Wuhan, in Hubei, because it was their perceive in action, at least initially, for a month, that a lot of people think made this virus really spread far and wide and so quickly.
And, you know, remember, this is very important because we are still in the middle, as you said, of the country's busiest travel season. Let us look at some of the numbers. During this Lunar New Year travel season, three billion trips of all kinds are expected to be made. And the more relevant number is 25 million people are expected to travel through Wuhan by train.
It probably is more easily explained if you look at the map. Wuhan sits in the middle of this country, a very important railway hub. If you take trains from Wuhan, you can travel literally in every direction, reaching almost every corner of the country. It is in this contact that the local officials initial inaction allowed hundreds of thousands if not more people to leave Wuhan with little protection or knowledge about this virus. This is now considered very disturbing. Of course, they jumped from inaction or even attempt to silence people who disclose information online to these over the top measures. David and you guys were talking about locking down cities. That is a very drastic but also considered by many people too little too late or even counterproductive when it comes to stopping people to seek medical attention when they most need it. This is definitely, at least online, you are seeing a lot more frustration and anger. Natalie?
ALLEN: I understand they want accountability for this. All right, Steven Jiang for us there in Beijing. Thank you, Steven.
HOWELL: With the Lunar New Year in this peak travel time in mind, authorities in China are taking extreme measures to keep travellers there safe. Let us go live to Hong Kong where CNN's Blake Essig is following the story. Blake, it is certainly a busy time behind you, but you can see there that the people are taking measures quite seriously.
BLAKE ESSIG, CNN CORRESPONDENT: George, in fact, the people that are standing right here behind me, they have been in line for more than two hours, still not to the front of the line where these people are actually looking to get refunds, cancel their trips and get refunds.
Again, this is the busiest travel day of the year in Asia ahead of the Lunar New Year which is scheduled for tomorrow. These people are cancelling their trips and the reason we heard it over and over again is because of the concern of this rapidly spreading virus.
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ESSIG: Here specifically at the West Kowloon train station, one of the individuals, one of the two confirmed cases -- this is where the 39-year-old arrived on Tuesday. He was immediately taken -- they recognized that he had a fever and was isolated and treated. And then later on, we have had so far two confirmed cases. And just within the last two hours, there are about 119 people who are currently in hospitals here in Hong Kong with symptoms of the Wuhan coronavirus: difficulty breathing, fever, and coughing.
Tests are underway to see what transpired it if more confirmed cases end up coming out. But again, what people are doing here, specifically at the train station, any train that comes in for mainland China, people are given a questionnaire. They have to declare their health at that time. They are also screened with body temperature scanners to make sure they are not running a fever. And any train that comes through here is immediately disinfected.
So far, what we have seen are people all throughout the day, you have seen railway staff wiping down anything that has been touched. You see people wearing masks. The majority of people wear masks. Hand sanitizer is a common accessory.
And then when you talk about the bigger picture with what is going on in Hong Kong, you have so far the Lunar New Year festival and carnival have both been cancelled. There are two quarantine centers set up in town to deal with the potential outbreak that again is a real fear for people here who remember 2003, 17 years ago, during the SARS outbreak when about 300 people died.
Essentially SARS brought this city of Hong Kong to its knees both economically and again, you know, through just the fear of the spread of virus. These two viruses from the same family, this coronavirus, you talked to a lot of people here, while some people are still going through their travel, many people are deciding to do everything they can to avoid potentially interacting with people who might be affected. George?
HOWELL: Blake, I'm just curious. The scene behind you is certainly telling. Some are people with masks, some with none. Is it mandatory? Is it something that people are choosing to do given the situation? What is the situation there?
ESSIG: So far, it is actually interesting. Local media here is actually telling us that these masks, masks like these are actually running low. It is very difficult to find these in town at this point because of the fear. People are buying in bulk. And while it is not mandatory, the World Health Organization does not believe that this virus is airborne but do believe that if you get close enough to somebody who might cough or sneeze on you, that is how you can potentially contract this virus.
So people are taking the necessary precautions, constantly wiping down anything that people are touching, wearing masks, taking every precaution necessary to try to prevent the spread of this virus because as you guys talked about earlier, the actual number of people infected could be far greater than what is being reported right now in the symptoms of this, the common cold for the most part. It could be anybody. So at this point, taking the necessary precautions to protect yourself is really your best bet. George?
HOWELL: CNN correspondent Blake Essig is live for us in Hong Kong with the reporting. Blake, thank you.
ALLEN: From Hong Kong, now we take you to South Korea, which has confirmed two cases of coronavirus. CNN's Paula Hancocks is live at the airport in Seoul for us with more on the worldwide response to this outbreak. Paula?
PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Natalie, there have been 16 cases outside of mainland China at this point. Of course, the concern is that there will be more. Countries have been affected, not just in the region. You do have South Korea. There are two cases confirmed here, also Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Macau, Hong Kong, Taiwan. But also, there has been a case in the United States, one case in Washington State.
There have been more than 40 people just connected to that one individual who are now under investigation and being monitored because, of course, it is not just the individual going into another country. It is who they are close to, who they interact with. And of course, that is the way they are concerned, that it could spread quickly.
So there are increasing airport screenings that we are seeing not just in the region but around the world. In the U.S., for example, at JFK in New York, in L.A., San Francisco international airports, they have been increased the screenings that they are doing for individuals who are coming from the affected areas.
Also, the CDS in the U.S. has raised the level of travel alert to the highest level it can be. It is all but essential travel should be cancelled to those affected areas. Australia has extra screening. The United Kingdom, Heathrow Airport in London has a completely separate arrival area for passengers coming from the affected areas to try and prevent any kind of mingling with other passengers.
[02:14:58]
HANCOCKS: We also know that there will be 14 individuals who have been tested for the virus in the U.K. Five of those have been cleared. We are still waiting to hear from the other nine. There is this increased sense of testing and concern around the world.
North Korea, for example, they have closed their borders to all foreign tourists. The vast majority of the tourists to North Korea are from China. They share a significant border with China. But of course, North Korea is one of the very few countries that are able to shut their borders in that kind of respect.
So there are increasing concerns here in South Korea. Just last month, at this airport alone, there were more than half a million tourists and people that came from China. What officials here say that they are doing is they are getting a tipoff, they are getting indications of individuals who have come from that affected area, they are going to the gate, they are greeting them off the plane and taking their temperature, trying to limit the amount of interaction between a potential of infected passenger and the general passengers.
ALLEN: Yes, there got to be rattling nerves at airports around the world. Paula Hancocks for us there in South Korea. Paula, thank you for that.
HOWELL: Natalie, this is a big story, an entire city and millions of people are quarantined in the situation. The precise source of the outbreak, researchers are still trying to get to the bottom of that. One thing that they believe that could be surprising to all of this, source could be snakes.
ALLEN: Health investigators believe the virus originated in animals at a local fish market. But the market sells a lot more than seafood. Poultry, donkeys, sheep, camels, fox and reptiles were among the animals also for sale. Right now, two snakes are actually the prime suspect. Researchers say their suspicions are bolstered by the fact that there has never been a reported case of coronavirus in sea creatures.
HOWELL: Human coronavirus can usually cause mild to moderate illness, the most common signs of infection. They include fever, cough, shortness of breath, and trouble breathing. Severe cases can cause more serious illnesses such as pneumonia, kidney failure, and even death.
ALLEN: In our next hour, I will be talking with the expert about how they contain this from becoming much, much worse globally. Next here, U.S. senators are struggling to stay engaged in the impeachment trial with Donald Trump. Why Democrats spent so much time talking about Joe Biden.
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HOWELL: Here in the United States, House Democrats have one more day of opening arguments as they make their case for removing U.S. President Donald Trump from the White House.
ALLEN: But their thorough and fact-filled presentations may not be making much of an impression on weary and skeptical Republican senators. CNN's Athena Jones has that from Washington.
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REP. JERRY NADLER (D-NY): The most serious charges ever brought against the president.
ATHENA JONES, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): House Manager Jerry Nadler started the day quoting a long list of constitutional experts and invoking the framers of the Constitution.
NADLER: Abuse, betrayal, corruption. This is exactly the understanding that the framers incorporated into the Constitution.
JONES (voice-over): Democrats using visual aids to bolster their case that Trump used the power of his office to pressure Ukraine to serve his own political interests, using comments from the president's own allies, notably Attorney General Bill Barr, Alan Dershowitz, a member of his legal team, and South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham, one of the jurors in the trial to make the point that an impeachable offense does not have to be a statutory crime.
SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): I think that is what they meant by high crimes. It doesn't even have to be a crime. It is just when you start using your office and you're acting in a way that hurts people you committed a high crime.
JONES (voice-over): Now, they are also hitting Trump for blocking witnesses.
NADLER: If the president had any exculpatory witnesses, even a single one, he would be demanding their appearance here instead of urging you not to permit additional witnesses to testify.
JONES (voice-over): Texas Congresswoman Sylvia Garcia arguing Trump's motivation for demanding the investigations was the 2020 election.
REP. SYLVIA GARCIA (D-TX): When Vice President Biden became the frontrunner for the democratic presidential nomination and poll showed that he had the largest head-to-head lead against President Trump, that became a problem.
JONES (voice-over): Garcia walking the senators through the investigation Trump sought and why they were baseless and painstakingly detailed, taking aim at a GOP talking point about former Vice President Joe Biden.
GARCIA: Vice President Biden called for the removal of this prosecutor at the official direction of U.S. policy.
JONES (voice-over): And using comments from current and former Trump aides to illustrate her point.
CHRISTOPHER WRAY, DIRECTOR OF FBI: We have no information that indicates the Ukraine interfered with the 2016 presidential election.
TOM BOSSERT, FORMER WHITE HOUSE HOMELAND SECURITY ADVISER: It is not only a conspiracy theory, it is completely debunked. Former Senator Judd Gregg wrote a piece on the Hill magazine saying the three ways or the five ways to impeach oneself, and the third way was to hire Rudy Giuliani.
JONES (voice-over): Still, lead manager Adam Schiff sought to make clear the president was in the lead here.
REP. ADAM SCHIFF (D-CA): You can say a lot of things about President Trump but he is not led by the nose by Rudy Giuliani.
JONES (voice-over): Driving home the point that throughout the pressure campaign, Trump was acting in his own personal interest by again pointing to remarks he made about Ukraine in October, a clip that aired half a dozen time in the trial so far.
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Well, I would think that if they were honest about it, they would start a major investigation into the Bidens. It is a very simple answer.
SCHIFF: Here, we hear again from the president's own words what his primary objective is. His primary objective is help in his reelection campaign. Help to cheat in his reelection campaign.
JONES (voice-over): Schiff, a former federal prosecutor, also addressing the reason for all the repetition.
SCHIFF: You will see some of these facts and videos, therefore, in a new context, in a new light, in the light of what else we know and why it compels a finding of guilt and conviction. So there is some method to our madness.
JONES (voice-over): And much as they did on day one, the Democrats saved some of their most powerful arguments for prime time.
REP. HAKEEM JEFFRIES (D-NY): Read the transcript, President Trump says. We have read the transcript and it is damning evidence of a corrupt quid pro quo. This is corruption and abuse of power in its purest form.
JONES (voice-over): Athena Jones, CNN, Washington.
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HOWELL: To talk more about this, we have now Joseph Moreno. Joseph is a former prosecutor for the U.S. Department of Justice and former National Security prosecutor joining us at this hour from Washington D.C. It's good to have you with us.
JOSEPH MORENO, FORMER U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT PROSECUTOR: Hey, George. It is great to be with you tonight.
HOWELL: Look, House managers are laying out their case of abuse of power, another long night, long several-day stretch. Are they doing a good job presenting their case in your opinion?
MORENO: George, they are doing a solid job. They have a lot to work with. They have a captive audience who is literally stuck to their seats and cannot leave, cannot talk, cannot get too distracted. And they are laying out a very thorough case.
[02:24:59]
MORENO: I do think they are going a long time and ultimately you get some diminished return when you have a jury that is just sitting there for hour after hour. At some point, you do get a little repetitive. Clearly, the House manager strategy is, look, this is our window, this is our best opportunity to lay out both to the Senate and to the American people what they believe is a righteous, well supported case, and they are using every minute of every hour they have to prove that case.
HOWELL: All right. They are making the case to Senate Republicans, hoping to sway their opinions. They are also making the case to the American people, who have been watching this live here on CNN. Look, first to Republicans, many Republicans saying that they are bored, they are looking ahead at their turn to make their case. Are Democrats making a mistake with these long presentations?
MORENO: George, that is always a question with any trial, whether it is a local county trial or the greatest trial in the history of modern politics, which is the trial of the sitting president. Ultimately, do you have diminishing returns? Are you effectively going in circles at some point? Are you losing the attention of your audience?
That is always a strategy you have to figure out as a prosecutor or as a defense counsel. I think Democrats are taking the position that -- look, we only have a certain amount of time to do this. We are going to make the most of that time, the most of the evidence. We are going to lay out everything and leave nothing to chance and basically say you know what, this is our shot and we are taking the best at it right now.
HOWELL: You touched on this but to be a bit more precise and my question about it as far as the general public watching this on television -- are the optics working in favor of Democrats from your perspective?
MORENO: I got to think the Democrats have to say look, we have a thorough and comprehensive case, and whether people are watching for the full eight-hour day or tuning in for a few minutes at a time, we want to make it really clear we know our case, we know our facts, we know the law, and we are here to lay that out.
So I think it is a calculated risk, but they feel clearly it is one that is worth taking because whether people tune in for the whole thing or just small snippets or just catch a little bit on CNN, they want to make sure the American people realize it is a serious matter and should be taken seriously.
HOWELL: I've pointed this out a minute ago, Republicans there are waiting for their turn to turn a spotlight on to Joe Biden and his son Hunter for the work that Hunter did with Burisma holdings. Again, we know that there has been no evidence of any wrongdoing, but can Republicans make their case defending the president?
MORENO: Republicans clearly feel, in the matter of Hunter Biden, it is going to be embarrassing, right? It might not be relevant, it certainly not illegal, what he did, but it doesn't look great and it doesn't reflect great on his father, Joe Biden.
So Republicans clearly feel maybe they have some leverage there. And if Democrats keep pushing the case for witnesses, perhaps Republicans fall back as, you know what, you want witnesses, we want witnesses and we are going to call Hunter Biden.
If that happens, you will see a brutal fight over the relevance of Mr. Biden, whether he should appear as a witness, whether it is a complete red herring and a distraction to the Democrats' case. Ultimately Republicans probably feel that even if it is not relevant, even if it is not necessarily part of a formal defense, it is embarrassing, and perhaps they think the Democrats will back down on their demand for witnesses if they know the threat that Paul Hunter as a witness is there.
HOWELL: All this is playing out with an election before the end of this year. What would you say the political implications of what we are seeing again playing out here on television?
MORENO: Democrats probably know the reality that at the end of the day, it is going to be extremely difficult to get 20 Republicans to jump ship and to vote in favor of removing this president. I think Democrats must think the calculus is twofold.
One, again, we are going to use every minute of every hour we have to lay out this case because we believe it is a principled and righteous case. Two, they must think that over the next 10 months, not only can they use this evidence against President Trump in the campaign, but against the Republicans and say, look not only did they not hold this president accountable, they did not even want to hear the evidence, they did not want to hear from witnesses.
It was basically a one-sided partisan mockery of a trial, and I think the Democrats feel that they can get some traction from that on the political realm as well as the legal one.
HOWELL: Many more days to go, of course. Joseph Moreno, we appreciate your time and perspective. Thank you.
MORENO: Thanks, George. It is always great to join you.
ALLEN: In a moment here, more on our top story as China takes extraordinary steps to contain the outbreak of the deadly coronavirus.
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GEORGE HOWELL, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Welcome back to our viewers around the world. You're watching CNN NEWSROOM live. I'm George Howell.
NATALIE ALLEN, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: I'm Natalie Allen. Here are our top stories this hour.
HOWELL: Take a look here. These live pictures from Baghdad, it's being called the Million Man March. This anti-U.S. rally was called by the controversial cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to protest the American military presence in Iraq. Al-Sadr's move comes after Iraq's parliament passed a resolution earlier this month calling for the expulsion of all foreign troops from that country that was sparked by the U.S. strike that killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani near the Baghdad International Airport.
ALLEN: Britain's business minister is expected to meet Friday with the U.S. Ambassador to the U.K. They are expected to discuss the U.S. refusal to extradite American Anne Sacoolas charged at the U.K. with the dangerous driving death of British teenager Harry Dunn. He was killed last summer when his motorbike crashed into a car outside of military base, her car, in central England. Sacoolas left the U.K. under diplomatic immunity.
HOWELL: In the United States, Democrats have finished the day two of their opening arguments in Donald Trump's impeachment trial. On Thursday, they made the case that the President abused his power by pressuring Ukraine for his own political benefit. One more day for the Democrats, then Mr. Trump's legal team begins its rebuttal on Saturday.
ALLEN: On the eve of the Lunar New Year, some 20 million people in China are being forced to stay put because of the coronavirus outbreak. Transportation has been stopped in several major cities in central China in an effort to contain the virus, putting those areas in virtual lockdown. Right now, in China, 26 people have died from the disease with 830 others in infected, another 16 cases have been confirmed worldwide. And as we've been reporting, hospitals are struggling to cope --
HOWELL: On that, the eve of the Lunar New Year is here. Let's now bring it out David Culver in Beijing. And David, you were on one of the last trains out of Wuhan. Tell us about that experience and, you know, what is the feeling and the mood now?
DAVID CULVER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: George, having been on the ground there, we've actually still been able to keep in touch with some contacts that we made while we were there. And they're conveying that sense of urgency and really desperation that's happening right now with this overflow of hospitals, they seem to be overwhelmed, as well as the fact that the transportation within the city, public transportation in particular, has been shut down. So that prevents people who may need to get to the hospital, who rely on that from being able to go, so that's very concerning.
But it also seems that some people sense that it might come to this and they were following along with social media and expressing that concern and decided to take action when the government there and Wuhan decided to go forward with that partial lockdown.
[02:35:07]
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CULVER: A rushed checkout sparked by a 3:00 a.m. phone call. We headed to the train station as soon as we got word. The city of Wuhan, China essentially going on lockdown. Official said a deadline for 10:00 Thursday morning, all public transportation including airports, highways, and train stations to halt service out of the city, a drastic effort to contain the spreading and deadly coronavirus. As we arrived, crowds already lined up for tickets stretching out the door.
This gives you an idea of how seriously people are taking this idea to leave Wuhan and get out before public transportation is strictly limited. We've noticed a good number of people rushing to this train station. Interesting to note, this railway station is located just a few blocks away from the seafood market, the epicenter according to health officials, of this virus.
That market has been shut down for weeks guarded by security and police. Without special permission, no one in, so as to prevent any potential exposure from getting out.
Have you thought about leaving?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A bit. A bit.
CULVER: Before leaving Wuhan, we met Jan Renders, a Ph.D. student from Belgium. He went to the hospital this week not feeling well. He says they told him he had a fever and sent him to be tested for the coronavirus.
JAN RENDERS, DOCTORAL CANDIDATE IN WUHAN: They put you in this place with other people and you start thinking, well, OK, maybe -- the guy next to me is coughing, what happens, you know?
CULVER: He tested negative but he's been wearing a mask since which is now mandatory in Wuhan's public spaces, like the train station. Passing through rail security, thermal detectors monitor for possible fevers. Inside, some passengers feeling panic. SHANG XIN, SERVICE INDUSTRY WORKER, WUHAN (through translator): In such a short time, the number of cases has doubled, several times.
CULVER: Others feeling it's all been a bit overhyped.
MENG XUAN, SHOP OWNER, WUHAN (through translator): For me in Wuhan, I haven't felt that kind of tension or panic at all. I think people are OK. People are getting on with eating, drinking, and living.
CULVER: But she's leaving nonetheless. And during the Spring Festival in which families are supposed to be together, some are making the difficult choice to be apart, sending their young children outside the city limits while they stay to face the unknowns back home.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CULVER: That was perhaps probably one of the most heartbreaking aspects of this is seen a couple like that, that you saw there in the piece towards the end, sending their young son off with his grandfather here to Beijing. And we asked why they weren't going with him. They said they simply didn't want to expose their loved ones here during the festival to potential exposure. So, they were instead just setting their son and his grandfather.
Overall, there is this concern that it's a little too late for such partial lockdowns to be put in place, George, and that's been echoed on social media and health experts wonder if the containment will really work. Nonetheless, it seems to be growing now including some 20 million people.
HOWELL: David, your report just really gave us a sense of what's happening, the urgency, the desperation that people must be feeling. Again, this is a major story. Again, David, thank you for the reporting. Of course, we will stay on it and bring you more as we learn it.
ALLEN: Well, besides the obvious threat to public health, the coronavirus could do serious harm to China's economy. Sherisse Pham is covering that for us from Hong Kong. And Sherise, the economy had already been struggling before this.
SHERISSE PHAM, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely right, Natalie. This is not a good time for a new and deadly virus to break out in China. Arguably, it's probably never a good time. But for China's economy, it's particularly hard. China had been slumping, growth had been slumping, rising debt levels, and a slowing consumption pattern is really hitting China hard. And it's also -- let's not forget that the country is still struggling to get out from underneath of years-long US-China trade.
Beijing had been rolling out stimulus measures trying to get people out there and spending their money, but a deadly viral outbreak will have the opposite effect. As one economist I talked to put it, once you're scared, you're scared, you don't go out. You don't go on public transportation, you don't go to the movie theater, you start meeting up with friends at the restaurants. And all of that will have an impact on China's economy.
Now economists are saying it's a little bit too early to say and put a number on just how much of a dent this could have. But this does have precedence, right? Back in 2003, we had SARS. And the same businesses that will be affected this time around tourism, travel, restaurants, and retail, those same businesses were also hit during SARS in 2003. That had a global economic effect of some $40 billion.
And we look at China today in 2020, compared to China in 2003, everything is bigger. Chinese people spend more, they travel more. The slice of global economic pie that China makes up is a lot bigger. So if the Wuhan virus continues to grow and become more deadly and more cases are reported, that could spark more fear amongst the general population, and that could have an outsized effect on China's economy, and likely knock-on effects on the global economy as well.
[02:40:20]
HOWELL: Sherisse, pointing out this certainly taking place during a very critical time of travel. Sherisse Pham --
ALLEN: Many angles in this story and the economy is another one. Sherisse, thanks so much. Rohingya Muslims may have claimed their first victory in the legal system.
HOWELL: But coming up, we'll speak with one advocate who says there's still a long road ahead for justice to be served.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ALLEN: Rohingya Muslims are celebrating their first major legal victory since the violent crackdown by Myanmar's military. On Thursday, the UN's International Court of Justice ordered Myanmar to protect the Rohingya from genocide. The final ruling may take years but it's a black eye for Myanmar which has long downplayed any wrongdoing, and it reinforces the message that the world is watching. Michael Holmes has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: It is the first ruling by a world court on the treatment of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, and it was unanimous. On Thursday, the International Court of Justice ordered Myanmar to enact emergency measures to protect the Rohingya people from persecution and violence and gave it a tight timetable to get it done.
ABDULQAWI AHMED YUSUF, JUDGE: The court considers that Myanmar must submit a report to the court on all measures taken to give effect to this order within four months.
HOLMES: The ruling is one of the first steps in a landmark case brought to The Hague by Gambia which accuses Myanmar of genocide. The preliminary judgment is the equivalent of an injunction against Myanmar while the courts main genocide case gets underway. That decision could still be years off. Still, Gambia's Minister of Justice hailed the outcome.
ABUBACARR TAMBADOU, JUSTICE MINISTER, GAMBIA: This is a historic day today not just for international law and the international community, but especially for the Rohingya.
HOLMES: More than 740,000 Rohingya fled Myanmar after a military crackdown by the government in 2016 and 2017. Most now live in crowded refugee camps in neighboring Bangladesh. Survivors accuse Myanmar's troops of murder, rape, torture, and widespread property destruction. A U.N. fact-finding Commission on the violence cold for a genocide tribunal.
Myanmar's civilian leader and former human rights activists Aung San Suu Kyi defended the military at The Hague and asked for the case to be dropped. Suu Kyi also published an opinion piece in the Financial Times before the ruling, saying that war crimes may have been committed, but some Rohingya had exaggerated the abuses against them. The proceedings were closely watched back in Bangladesh, with most people encouraged by the findings.
[02:45:50]
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): We would like to thank the international community. We hope we'll be able to return home soon.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): The genocide is finally proved. I hope this court will further serve our people justice.
HOLMES: Justice that may only be partially fulfilled right now as the court's full decision on the question of genocide is yet to be decided. Michael Holmes, CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOWELL: To talk more about this, we now have Simon Adams. Simon, the Executive Director of the Global Center for Responsibility to Protect joining this hour via Skype from New York. It's good to have you with us.
SIMON ADAMS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, GLOBAL CENTER FOR RESPONSIBILITY TO PROTECT: Thank you. It's good to be here.
HOWELL: Simon, look, given this directive from the International Court of Justice, how do you see this impacting the overall situation?
ADAMS: Yes, look, the decision was a stark one. This is only the third time in history that a state has been taken to the International Court of Justice for breaching the Genocide Convention. And of course, the government of Myanmar has denied that a genocide is taking place. It's done everything it can to deflect and try and ignore the crimes that have taken place, the crimes that it's responsible for, but today's order really puts a line to all that and exposes the crimes and says that something has to fundamentally change in Myanmar.
HOWELL: Myanmar has essentially been told to prevent acts of genocide and to stop destroying evidence. This decision final and binding but at the same time, Simon, the court does not have the power to enforce its ruling.
ADAMS: That's right. But you know who does is the U.N. Security Council and the way that the U.N. Charter is constructed, is that those provisional measures are now relayed to the Security Council. So, the Security Council has an enormous pressure on it now, has a moral pressure, has political pressure, and it also has a legal obligation to make sure that those provisional measures are upheld, that they're fully implemented. And if they're not, it should absolutely hold Myanmar responsible.
HOWELL: This is an important punctuation, and of course, we'll see where it goes. But an important point, moment for the Rohingya at the same time, let's not forget about the Rohingya. Can you give us a sense of how the situation is for them? How are they being treated presently?
ADAMS: Yes, I mean, it's often said that the Rohingya are the most persecuted people on the face of this planet. Let's keep in mind that they've been stateless for generations, they've been stripped of every kind of civil rights and legal protection that you and I would take for granted. And the genocide that took place in 2017 with mass killings, with the destruction of entire villages, and that huge Exodus, which, you know, we all remember seeing those strings of people flooding into Bangladesh and fleeing the atrocities that were taking place, that happened in 2017.
But the situation has not ended. The persecution has not ended. And now we have a situation where about one million Rohingya marooned in the biggest refugee camp in the world in the other side of the Bangladesh border. Meanwhile, those who remain inside Rakhine State are largely confined to what really amounts to concentration camps and segregated from the rest of the population. And that's again, why today's order was so important because it says, this has to change.
HOWELL: And, you know, just a couple of months ago, the world who saw as the former democracy icon, Aung San Suu Kyi defended Myanmar at the ICJ, this back in December saying the allegations against the army, that it acted with genocidal intent, that that was incomplete and misleading. Looking ahead at the case, which again, could play out many years from now, how do you see this playing out? What do you see happening here?
ADAMS: Well, first on Aung San Suu Kyi. I mean, I think we have to just, you know, it has to be remarked upon that have full free Grace is absolutely remarkable. She's gone from being a Nobel Peace Prize winner to be somebody who's become a genocide denialist and then literally turning up in a courtroom to defend Myanmar's generals against the charge of genocide.
I mean, she should hand back her prize and we should probably melt it down and then use the money to maybe send some support to refugees in Bangladesh. But the case will continue. This is not the final judgment. This is essentially the equivalent of emergency measures or an injunction or a restraining order that you can relate it to a kind of a domestic context. So now the case will continue to play out, but I think the evidence is overwhelming that genocide has been perpetrated, and that those who are responsible for it must now be held accountable.
[02:50:24]
HOWELL: Simon Adams joining us via Skype in New York this hour. Simon, we appreciate your time. We'll, of course, continue to follow the story.
ADAMS: Thank you very much.
ALLEN: And we'll be right back with CNN NEWSROOM.
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ALLEN: Live pictures here from Baghdad where the streets as you can see are filling with what has been called a Million Man March.
HOWELL: The anti-U.S. rally there was called by the controversial cleric Muqtada al-Sadr to protest the American military presence in Iraq. Al-Sadr's moved comes after Iraq's parliament passed a resolution earlier this month, calling for the expulsion of all foreign troops from that country.
ALLEN: That was sparked by the U.S. strike that killed Iranian General Qassem Soleimani near Baghdad airport. We'll keep watching it.
HOWELL: Mexico's National Guard is clamping down on the country's southern border as a new migrant caravan tries to advance. Thousands of Central American migrants are trying to pass through Mexico to get into the United States.
ALLEN: But Mexican authorities now are under mounting pressure from the Trump administration to set up a show of force at the country's southern and northern borders. CNN's Matt Rivers has more for us from Mexico City.
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MATT RIVERS, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Once again, things are tense in the Mexico-Guatemala border. Here angry young men throw rocks at the police screaming and cursing. And years past, police would normally let migrants like these pass, but now they charge back trying to keep the latest caravan of thousands of Central American migrants from coming in and heading toward the United States.
CARLOS FERNANDO REYES FLORES, MIGRANT: I hope Mexico opens the door and let us get in because we need it.
RIVERS: The government says they found more than 2,000 people who've crossed illegally since the weekend. They can either go back home or apply for asylum or a work permit to stay in Mexico. But they're not being allowed to head north.
We don't want them to drive up north and be victims of crime, says Mexico's president. This creates a lot of controversy but we try and respect human rights.
Previous caravans of migrants over the last two years were given transit passes allowed to cross through to the United States. But Mexico now says the situation on the U.S. border is dangerous. Migrants trying to get in the U.S. are forced to wait in some of the most dangerous cities on earth and often fall victim to organized crime. Though critics say that's been the case for years. What's changed is pressure from Washington D.C.
ANA SAIZ, DIRECTOR, SIN FRONTERAS: Well, it was an immediate reaction of the Mexican authorities.
RIVERS: The Trump administration has played hardball with Mexico threatening to close the border or impose tariffs on Mexican imports if it didn't crackdown on migration. And President Lopez Obrador heard that message sending thousands of National Guardsmen to the southern border with Guatemala. A group formed by AMLO last year to combat organized crime and corruption have largely been used as border guards.
SAIZ: The National Guard was not created for this. Well, this National Guard is functioning like a wall.
[02:55:06]
RIVERS: It's resulted in a tougher track for migrants than ever before making an already perilous journey that much harder.
We don't want to leave our country because we want to, says this man, but we do it for our needs, our families, our children. We seek the American dream for the future of our family.
The Department of Homeland Security says migrant apprehensions on the southern U.S. border continue to go down and that Mexico's crackdown on migration is a big part of the reason why. Back in 2016, President Trump campaign saying he would build a wall on the border, and then Mexico would pay for it. And while that hasn't happened, it seems that the Mexican government is doing what he wants on immigration regardless. Matt Rivers, CNN, Mexico City.
HOWELL: And this ominous warning from the group Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists saying that we have never been closer to the complete and total annihilation of the earth at least metaphorically speaking.
ALLEN: The doomsday clock was reset Thursday to just 100 seconds before midnight. Midnight, symbolizing the end of the world. The group sets the clock each year to get people talking about the biggest dangers confronting the world.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JERRY BROWN, EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN, BULLETIN OF THE ATOMIC SCIENTIST: People will say, oh, you know, that's not serious. Well, the moment is serious. Tell me how else can we tell people where we're at? How else can we wake up? The Democrats, the Republicans, the Independents, the millionaires, the billionaires, the media owners who carry on their life as though they're on the Titanic about to hit an iceberg and they're not worried.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ALLEN: Climate change and the threat of nuclear weapons were the main factors moving the clock's hands this year 100 seconds. It's the closest the clock has ever been set to midnight.
HOWELL: I mean, the device certainly sends a message, doesn't it?
ALLEN: Yes, I hope so. All right, you're watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Natalie Allen.
HOWELL: And I'm George Howell. The news continues right after the break. Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOWELL: Coronavirus lockdown. More than 20 million people in China restricted from traveling outside their cities.
ALLEN: Also, containing the outbreak, the impact the virus is having on global travel.
HOWELL: And making the case, what a former federal prosecutor says.
END
