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More Than 40,000 New Cases in Florida Since July 11; Trump: 99% of Coronavirus Cases 'Totally Harmless'; Experts: Coronavirus Can Float in Small Air Droplets; First Person Charged Under New Chinese Law to Appear in Court; Seven-Year-Old Girl Killed in Chicago Saturday; Border Closing Between Victoria and NSW in Australia; Cuba Sending Medical Teams Abroad to Help Fight COVID-19; Travel Bans Devastating Latin American Airlines; Arizona Home to Highest Infection Rate Per Capita in U.S.; New York City Enters Phase 3 of Reopening on Monday; Formula 1 Season Gears Up in Austria. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired July 06, 2020 - 00:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBYN CURNOW, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hi, and welcome to all of our viewers joining us from all around the world. I'm Robyn Curnow.

[00:00:29]

So coming up on CNN NEWSROOM, partying in a pandemic. A record- breaking surge in coronavirus cases didn't stop these people from celebrating American Independence Day sans social distancing.

Plus, a challenge to the official view of how the virus spreads. An international group of scientists says it can linger in the air and float further than we thought.

And the first person charged under China's new national security law heads to court.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is a CNN NEWSROOM with Robyn Curnow.

CURNOW: Great to have you along.

So as the new week begins in the U.S. after a holiday weekend, there are certainly new fears about the spread of the coronavirus. After the Fourth of July, it's scene like this that are worrying. Packed beaches and rising infection rates could be a deadly combination.

The concern is that partiers could pick up the virus and take it back home to family and coworkers. Most states are seeing increases in new cases. The U.S., by far, though, continues to lead the world in cases and in deaths. Hospitals in states like Arizona and Texas are filling up. Officials warn they could reach full capacity in weeks, or even days.

And it's certainly a dangerous time to be in Florida. The state reported just shy of 10,000 new infections on Sunday alone. And on Saturday, Florida broke New York's record of most cases recorded in a single day. Now local officials say things are likely to get worse before they get better, as Boris Sanchez now reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: We saw a record-breaking Fourth of July holiday weekend for the state of Florida. More than 40,000 new coronavirus cases in only the first four days of July for the Sunshine State.

Keep in mind, last month, in June, they saw 100,000 new cases, roughly, the entire month. The concern is real, and so is the demand for testing.

Outside the Miami Beach Convention Center this weekend, we saw sizeable crowds line up, both on foot and in their vehicles. Some 1,200 tests were administered. And they actually had to close early, because they ran out of tests.

Now, local officials are concerned that folks may not be following the social distancing guidelines, and that's why we're seeing the surges that we are. We spoke with the mayor of Miami Beach, Dan Gelber, who shared his concerns with us. Listen to this.

MAYOR DAN GELBER (D), MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA: How do you tell somebody they have to wear a mask and be socially distanced, when the president doesn't and hosts a rally where they're almost celebrating the lack of those simple countermeasures?

So really, we're not on the same page. There's not unity in the - you know, in our community or any community right now. And I really feel like that's the greatest challenge. If people listened and did what they -- what makes sense and what's healthy, we would get through this much better.

SANCHEZ: The big open question is what happens next? Two weeks from now, specifically, with the COVID-19 numbers.

Remember, coronavirus carries that 14-day incubation period. And after another holiday weekend in previous months, Memorial Day weekend, we saw a surge in cases nationwide, because people were ignoring social distancing. So what happens in two weeks? Will we wind up seeing even bigger numbers than the record-breaking ones we saw this weekend?

Boris Sanchez, CNN, Miami Beach.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: So the resurgence of infections in many southern U.S. states is pitting mayors of hotspot cities against their governors. The prime, prime example is Arizona.

Cases there are skyrocketing. The mayor of Phoenix criticized the governor for initially not allowing local leaders to impose face mask requirements, and she says Arizona has had no business reopening as quickly as it did. (BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR KATE GALLEGO (D), PHOENIX, ARIZONA: We opened far too early in Arizona. We were one of the last states to go to stay at home and one of the first to reemerge, and we reemerged at zero to 60. We had crowded nightclubs handing out free champagne, no masks.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: So she went on to say large family gatherings also remain a problem, and in some places, people are still waiting for eight hours to get tested.

Meantime, U.S. President Donald Trump plans to hold a rally in New Hampshire this Saturday, one of the few states where the number of coronavirus cases is actually dropping. As cases explode almost everywhere else, he has downplayed the virus during the Independence Day speech.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

[00:05:06]

DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Now we have tested almost 40 million people. By so doing, we show cases, 99 percent of which are totally harmless.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: But of course, medical experts say - say otherwise. Jeremy Diamond has more on the president's latest misleading comments - Jeremy.

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN CORRESPONDENT: President Trump, this weekend, claiming that 99 percent of coronavirus cases are totally harmless. That claim not only evidence-free, but defying reality, and it also goes against what every public health expert in the United States is trying to do right now, which is to get the American public to take this virus, and the surge in cases that we are seeing across the country, much more seriously.

Now, while the World Health Organization has estimated that, globally, the mortality rate of this virus is less than 1 percent, they also estimate that about 20 percent of people diagnosed with the virus require oxygen or hospitalization. So certainly, not harmless cases.

And of course, we know that this virus is extremely contagious. Now Dr. Stephen Hahn, a top member of the coronavirus task force, who's also the FDA commissioner, he was pressed about President Trump's claim by our colleague Dana Bash. Listen to how we responded.

DR. STEPHEN HAHN, FDA COMMISSIONER: So I'm not going to get into who's right and who's wrong. What I'm going to say, Dana, is what I said before, which is that it's a serious problem that we have. We've seen this surge in cases. We must do something to stem the tide. And we have this in our power to do it by following the guidance from the White House task force and the CDC.

DIAMOND: Now as you can see there, Dr. Hahn not wanting to directly contradict President Trump, but at the same time, making clear that this is a very serious situation.

And that is the message that we have been hearing from public health experts over the last week who have been encouraging Americans to take the social distancing, the mask wearing, all of these steps, to try and flatten this newly-rising curve.

President Trump also falsely claims, once again there, that testing is responsible for the rise in cases across the country. That is just not true and completely contradicted by the facts.

Several of the states that are seeing the biggest surges, in fact, are seeing either testing steady or declining, while the percentage of people testing positive in those tests is going up, which shows that this is not simply about an increase in testing.

Jeremy Diamond, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: We also have new insight into how the coronavirus is spread.

Even the tiniest of droplets we make when we talk or cough or sneeze can be dangerous. In fact, a group of experts say these small droplets stay in the air longer, and they can be inhaled more deeply into the lungs.

So to talk about this and other matters around coronavirus, I'm joined by Dr. George Rodriguez, a viral specialist.

Doctor, good to see you. Thanks for joining us.

DR. GEORGE RODRIGUEZ, VIRAL SPECIALIST: Thank you.

CURNOW: I want to ask you about this latest report, and I know there's so many unanswered questions about COVID. But group scientists saying that even these small airborne particles can be dangerous, and possibly penetrate deeper into the lungs.

How important is droplet size in terms of the spread?

RODRIGUEZ: Well, obviously, that's very important. We've known for a while that the droplets, the wet droplets that we excrete when we sneeze, when we talk, when we sing, are primarily the ones that carry the live virus.

Depending on the atmosphere where we are, depending on the closeness of a room, they can hang out in the room for a longer period of time than, for example, if you are outside.

That's not to say that being outside is not without harm. And that may be why we're seeing that a lot of the transmissions that are occurring are occurring in closer quarters with family members or parties, etc. So is it something, for example, as bad as Legionnaire's, where it is

in the air ducts and things like that? We don't think so. Or we think there would be a larger number of cases. But obviously, close communication, and droplets, definitely spread the infection.

CURNOW: Yes, I mean, that's -- I wanted to kind of get a practical situational example from you. So we've been getting all these pictures of people partying on beaches and in pubs over the weekend, you know, jammed together in their swimming trunks.

And then -- so that's the easiest way to get COVID, or are we also saying, you can just step into an elevator or taxi after someone has left it, and still be infected by their cough or breath? I mean, can you help us in terms of these situations?

RODRIGUEZ: Well, I don't think that's -- I don't think that's absolutely clear yet. It's theoretical that you could step into an elevator and somebody has coughed, and that's still going to be hanging around for a minute or two, yes, it is possible. Thus, the reason to wear a mask.

But, the most dangerous thing is being within certain feet of people. They say six is the magic number. And doing what I'm doing, let's say that you're right here, which is speaking in close proximity. That is the most dangerous.

[00:10:06]

I personally believe that, if they were more airborne than we know, then we would have a much greater number of cases. But, again, that still needs to be investigated a lot more closely.

CURNOW: Yes, as I've said, there's still so many unanswered questions. We know that a lot of scientists are pushing the CDC and the WHO to be more verbal, to sort of be more outspoken about the possibility of airborne risks. Why is that? What are the politics around that?

RODRIGUEZ: Well, you just -- you hit the word.

CURNOW: Politics.

RODRIGUEZ: Which is politics. You know, and that is so unfortunate. I mean, when today, Dr. Hahn couldn't say that the president was wrong, to me, that's all politics.

I'm saying it. The president is wrong in saying that 99 percent of the people that get this disease, there's nothing to it. And that is what is the great crime that is being committed, is the fact that we're completely politicizing a virus that has no allegiance to any one political party or another.

People are not wearing masks as a sign of their belief, as opposed to wearing masks, not only to protect themselves, but for the kindness of protecting other people. It's really very disheartening.

CURNOW: It's disheartening. And as you say, extremely dangerous. Here in America, we look at these -- we look at the curve, and its shooting up. We're seeing what happened over Memorial Day weekend.

How concerned are you as a doctor, and where is America going here? This is almost devastating in terms of what, potentially, the outcome could be.

RODRIGUEZ: Yes. I mean, wow, you hit -- you hit sort of my feeling for the whole weekend. Seriously, it hasn't been a very positive weekend. Because we see all these photos, and we see all of these people that are almost just belligerently going against advice, almost like a scared child sort of, you know, whistling in the dark, as if nothing were going to happen.

Where is it going to go? Potentially, and very probably, in two to three weeks, we are going to see a larger spike.

And people bring up the fact that, hey, maybe death rates -- I think death rates are going down. You know, New York had 700 deaths a few days ago. One of the -- Still, you know, compared to where it was, it's nothing now. But it is still there.

And what we're seeing is many different little New Yorks throughout the country. It's now Miami. It's a little New York. Houston is a little New York. Phoenix is a little New York. So we are seeing multiple epicenters, and there are going to be more in two to three weeks, no doubt about it.

CURNOW: Dr. George Rodriguez, thank you for joining us with that sober warning. Thank you.

RODRIGUEZ: Thank you.

CURNOW: Still ahead here on CNN, he was the first Hong Kong resident to be charged under a new security law. Now a 23-year-old protestor is preparing to make his first court appearance. We'll be live at the scene with the details. That's next.

Also, there were 67 shootings in Chicago this weekend alone. The city is on track to see one of its deadliest years in decades. And it's only July. We'll talk about why this could be happening.

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[00:17:14]

CURNOW: So to Hong Kong now, where the first person to be charged under a new national security law is expected to be -- to appear in court in just a few hours' time.

Now, the man is accused of injuring officers and inciting secession at a protest against the law, which broadens China's power to crack down on dissent.

Well, Anna Coren is live in Hong Kong with more details on all of that.

Hi, Anna. Just tell us more what can we expect and also just how chilling this new law is?

ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Very chilling, Robyn. This is a city now in fear.

You mentioned this man is the first person to appear in court for breaking this new national security law. He's a 23-year-old man. We don't have many more details about him at this stage.

But he has been discharged from hospital to appear at West Kowloon Magistrate's court in the next few hours. And as you say, he was charged with incitement to secession and terrorist activities.

Now, secession, subversion, terrorism and colluding with foreign forces are all now deemed illegal here in Hong Kong.

So let me tell you what this man was doing. He was riding a motorcycle on the 1st of July when thousands of people took to the streets, protesting against this new national security law which had just been put in place.

The flag that was attached to his motorcycle said, "Independence for Hong Kong." Hong Kong independence. A flag that we have seen time and time again over the past year. Well, that flag is now illegal.

He crashed into police officers. We don't know if it was an accident or if it was deliberate. Obviously, Hong Kong police see it as a deliberate act. Hence, he has been charged with terrorist activities.

His lawyer doesn't think that he will be convicted today, but this is, you know, new times for Hong Kong. This is new territory. So we will be attending that court appearance, Robyn, and we'll find out the fate of this man.

On that particular day, 10 people in total were charged with breaking this new national security law, among the 370 people who were arrested that day. The nine others, they have been released on bail.

But there's definitely very terrifying times for the people here in Hong Kong. We've also learned that, over the weekend, libraries, public libraries here in Hong Kong, have removed the books of certain authors, including Joshua Wong, who as we know, is a high-profile activist, a former lawmaker here. He disbanded his political party, or he quit his political party, Demosisto, and then it disbanded several hours later on the 30th of June, just before that national security law was put into place.

[00:20:05]

You know, the Hong Kong government, Robyn, will say that freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, that is still allowed in Hong Kong. Well, many people would differ.

CURNOW: Yes, very uncertain times. New times, as well.

Anna Coren, good to see you. Thanks so much. Live in Hong Kong. So it wasn't just a holiday weekend in the U.S. It was also a weekend

of devastating gun violence. Many of the victims, we know, were children.

Here in Atlanta, several people were killed, including 8-year-old Secoriea Turner. She died just across the street from where Rayshard Brooks was killed by police weeks ago and where widespread protests broke out.

Atlanta's mayor says it's not enough to protest against police violence. She wants the community to do more than that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAYOR KEISHA LANCE BOTTOMS (D), ATLANTA, GEORGIA: We've talked a lot about what we are demanding from our officers and our communities. We've protested. We've demonstrated. We've been angry. We've cried. We've demanded action.

Well, now we're demanding action for Secoriea Turner and for all of the other people who were shot in Atlanta last night and over the past few weeks, because the reality is this. These aren't police officers shooting people on the streets of Atlanta. These are members of the community shooting each other.

And in this case, it is the worst possible outcome. There were two other people who were actually shot and killed last night and several others. Enough is enough.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: And an 11-year-old boy was killed on Saturday night in Washington, D.C. Davon McNeal was shot in the head outside his aunt's house.

His grandfather says the family was supposed to be out of town, but they canceled the trip because of the pandemic, only for Davon to be killed right in their own backyard.

And then in Chicago, a 7-year-old girl visiting her grandmother was fatally shot on Saturday while playing with a group of kids. She's among 67 people who were shot this weekend in the city. That's according to a CNN affiliate, WLS.

Thirteen people, including a 14-year-old girl.

So Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot tweeted this about the 7-year-old, saying, she "joined a list of teenagers and children whose hopes and dreams were ended by the barrel of a gun."

Well, CNN's Omar Jimenez takes a look at the rise in violence there.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Enough is enough!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Enough is enough!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Enough is enough!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Enough is enough!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Enough is enough!

OMAR JIMENEZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): It's become an all too familiar scene at the intersection of coronavirus and gun violence in Chicago.

(on camera): Compared to last year, shootings up 40 percent. Homicides up more than 30 percent. So just point blank, what is happening right now?

MAYOR LORI LIGHTFOOT (D), CHICAGO: All these forces are coming together at the same time and making it very difficult.

JIMENEZ (voice-over): Officials point to months of people cooped up indoors. First responders, including police, that have either been infected with COVID or died.

The Cook County jail was hit with hundreds of detainees either infected or dead. Courts have had to close. And more.

LIGHTFOOT: These layers and layers and layers of things that are complicated. The ecosystem of public safety that isn't just law enforcement, but it's local, community-based, they too have really been hit hard by COVID and are now just kind of coming back online and getting their foot in.

JIMENEZ: Over the course of nearly two weeks alone, a 10-year-old was shot and killed. So was a 1-year-old.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: That coward took a piece of us.

JIMENEZ: Mekhi James was 3.

MARTHESHA JAMES, AUNT OF MEKHI JAMES: I'll never see him again.

JIMENEZ: Mekhi was riding with his dad when someone opened fire on the car.

CHRISTAL ALLEN, AUNT OF MEKHI JAMES: He didn't choose to talk about that. I feel as if they shouldn't know anything about death at a young age.

JAMES: But they do.

ALLEN: But they do.

JIMENEZ: Their children, now carrying the caskets of children.

ALLEN: We got to say to the kids, OK, we'll walk you through the steps. Be strong. Pull your head up. Don't drop the casket. JIMENEZ: Citywide, 2020 is on pace to be one of the deadliest years in decades for the city, despite months of people staying inside. At the jail, the population is at its lowest levels ever, with a reluctance to add more inmates.

KIM FOXX, COOK COUNTY STATE'S ATTORNEY: We have a jail that can only maintain a limited population because of COVID-19. And we should be making sure that our attention is going after those who are causing harm to our community. The jail is the last stop on a system of failure, long before they get to us.

[00:25:06]

JIMENEZ: Among the alternatives to jailing: electronic home monitoring. Already at a record level of around 2,500 people pre- COVID, according to the Cook County sheriff's office. Now that number up to more than 3,300.

TOM DART, COOK COUNTY SHERIFF: The home monitoring population not only has gone up dramatically, but the people on it are now charged with more violent offenses. These devices were not meant for monitoring those type of people.

JIMENEZ: A task stretching resources dangerously thin.

LIGHTFOOT: Having someone with that kind of history out on the street is highly problematic. We have got to make sure that electronic monitoring is not just electronic and no monitoring.

JIMENEZ: Stopping the cycle of violence will take more than just figuring out where to put the violent.

JAMES: Maybe if they give us a chance to become better and just not think about our past, maybe the guns will stop. When we don't got a chance, we go look to the streets.

JIMENEZ: All factors within an ecosystem of public safety already complicated, but now more than ever. At the intersection of two emergencies, neither with a clear end in sight.

Omar Jimenez, CNN, Chicago.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: Thanks to Omar for that powerful piece.

OK. So let's go to Ethiopia now, where the death toll from last weekend's anti-government protests has reportedly doubled. Officials told Reuters more than 166 people were killed in the unrest, most of them civilians.

Now, the demonstrations erupted on Monday after the shooting death of a popular musician who advocated for the rights of Ethiopia's largest ethnic group. The deadly protests lasted for two days and the situation now appears to be under control.

Authorities have been patrolling the streets, trying to prevent further unrest.

And still to come, with coronavirus cases rising in parts of Australia, drastic measures are now being taken, including the closing of state borders.

Plus, Cuba is sending medical personnel to help other countries battle the coronavirus, but the Trump administration is calling it exploitation. We'll find out why when we return.

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[00:30:33]

CURNOW: Welcome back. I'm Robyn Curnow, live in the CNN studios in Atlanta.

So with coronavirus cases spiking in Australia's Victoria state, Melbourne in particular, officials will be closing the border between Victoria and New South Wales starting on Tuesday. Effectively, they're cutting off the state of Victoria from the rest of the country.

One hundred and twenty-seven new cases reported in Victoria on Sunday, and officials have locked down several public housing towers, not allowing residents to leave at all.

Well, here to discuss this more is journalist Angus Watson, joining us from Sydney.

So essentially, where you are in New South Wales, you've been cut off from -- from Victoria. What -- what are the implications of that for the country?

ANGUS WATSON, JOURNALIST: Well, Robyn, previously, New South Wales was the hardest hit state during this pandemic. And the entire country had locked up its borders to travelers from New South Wales except for Victoria. Victoria was the other state which was recording high cases since -- since February or March. and that's because, obviously, Melbourne, the capital of Victoria, is another large city like Sydney.

But the numbers that you mentioned there, 127 new cases detected on Sunday in Victoria is the worst that that state has had detected in one single day, meaning that New South Wales has taken the extraordinary step of closing up the border. So that means that while New South Wales and Victoria always had each other, now Victoria is effectively cut off from the rest of Australia.

And the state government there has taken another extraordinary step of actually cutting off 3,000 people that live in nine community housing projects from the entire world. They have to stay in their homes, in their units, for their own safety, the premier of Victoria, Daniel Andrews, ordered on Sunday.

So we're into the second day now in which these 3,000 people need to stay at home. And there is some concern for them, because these are people who may already other have issues -- may already have issues, I'm sorry, but are keeping them in public housing and legal professionals, social welfare representatives that we've spoken to are very concerned for the welfare of these people who are now under police guard and being met with provisions and supplies by the state government to try to keep them alive through this -- through this shutdown.

CURNOW: So what's the public response to all of this, both to the broader shutdown and also, then, to the fact that these -- these public housing towers have been effectively cut off from the -- from the rest of the country? What's the public reaction?

WATSON: Well, Robyn, as I mentioned, a lot of people are very concerned about those people that live in those public housing estates. A lot of them are new to Australia, either as migrants or refugees. The state government has noted that there are people from culturally or linguistically diverse backgrounds with a series of other needs than other Australians might have.

So there's a lot of concern for that. There's a lot of concern about what's happening in Melbourne generally, because aside from those people that live in the public housing units being on a hard lockdown, there's also a much softer lockdown which is affecting 12 post codes in Melbourne. Those people -- there is a stay-at-home order for those people.

But they're allowed to go out and exercise and buy food. So a very different experience for them, as opposed to the people that are on a hard lockdown in these public housings.

CURNOW: Yes. But it's also a very stark comparison between these very definitive measures that have been taken in Australia, compared to where I am here in the U.S., where the numbers are so much higher, and folks are still being allowed to go to bars and stuff. So it's really interesting to see how the governments there -- the governments and the state government is dealing with it.

Angus, good to see you, there live in Sydney. Thanks so much.

OK. So Spain has ordered its second lockdown in two days after another outbreak of the virus there. Some 70,000 people along the northwest coast will be locked down for five days. That's after nearly 100 people who visited local bars tested positive.

Officials have ordered bars to limit themselves to 50 percent capacity and to close early.

On Saturday, Catalonia announced a lockdown affecting 200,000 people.

And even as Brazil's cases continue to soar, the country is moving ahead with its reopening plan. It's just surpassed 1.6 million cases with a death toll close to 65,000 people.

[00:35:00]

But despite all of this, Sao Paulo, Brazil's most popular state, is getting bars, restaurants, beauty salons and barber shops to open their -- letting them do that -- open their doors on Monday. And safety guidelines will be in place.

Meanwhile, Mexico surpassed France's death toll over the weekend, now with more than 30,000 people dead. It also reported thousands more cases just days after more parts of the country began to reopen.

And unlike many Latin American countries, Cuba is crushing the coronavirus curve. But even more than that, and even before that success, the island nation was sending healthcare workers to help countries devastated by the virus. Yet the program is not without controversy, as Patrick Oppmann explains now from Havana.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Cuban healthcare workers make ready to go fight on the front lines of the coronavirus outbreak. These doctors and nurses won't be treating patients in Cuba, though. Here, the number of new daily cases of the virus has dropped down to the single digits.

They are traveling to countries where the pandemic still rages out of control, or lack healthcare resources.

Dr. Viviano Covas Mesa (ph) is headed to Martinique, his second international mission.

"We fought Ebola in West Africa, too," he tells me. "That was a high- risk situation. You never get used to it, but you become experienced. I feel I'm prepared."

Cuba has now sent doctors and nurses to fight coronavirus in 30 countries. In all likelihood, Cuban doctors have battled the outbreak in more countries than anyone else.

The first Cuban medical brigade to leave the island to confront the coronavirus received a standing ovation at the Havana airport when they left Cuba for Italy. And more than two months later received a heroes' welcome when they came home.

(on camera): And they're being cheered on as they drive through the streets of Havana. And they're heading to an isolation center where they will spend the next two weeks in quarantine to make sure they did not bring the virus back home with them.

(voice-over): Fidel Castro first started sending medical assistance to show solidarity to other developing nations and earn some positive headlines for his upstart revolution. He named the International Medical Brigades for Henry Reeve (ph), an American general on the Cuban side in the war for independence from Spain.

But it's the U.S. government, Cuba's old Cold War foe, which is now urging other countries to refuse Cuba's help.

According to the Trump administration, these doctors aren't heroes. They are victims.

MIKE POMPEO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: Up to 50,000 Cuban doctors have been forced by the Castro regime into human trafficking situations in more than 60 countries around the globe. They are the regime's No. 1 source of income.

OPPMANN: The U.S. says the Cuban health professionals are not given their full salaries, that the host countries pay the Cuban government for their services, and that they are forced to work in hazardous conditions. Accusations of mistreatment angrily rejected by the doctors and nurses we spoke to.

"The majority of Cuban medical professionals choose to step forward," Dr. Covas Mesa (ph says. "We're not forced or obligated to do our work. Not inside the country or outside the country. It's part of our preparation."

Cuba says these brigades are an example of medical solidarity. U.S. claims they're a business to keep Cuba's communist leaders in power.

Cold War-era grievances will have to wait for another day. As this Cuban doctor heads to the airport to combat an outbreak that does not recognize borders or ideologies or political differences.

Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: Thanks Patrick, for that.

So the pandemic, we know, is also wreaking havoc on air travel. And for airlines in Latin America, the pain is particularly acute. As the virus devastates the region, travel bans have forced several major carriers to file for bankruptcy and others may follow.

So Stefano Pozzeban takes a look at how it is affecting workers in the industry.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

STEFANO POZZEBAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Leeslie Barragan is folding her uniform for the last time. Like hundreds of other Colombian workers in the flight industry, she lost her job because of COVID-19.

LEESLIE BARRAGAN, FORMER FLIGHT ASSISTANT (through translator): It's been my whole life's dream to be a flight attendant for Avianca. And now I have to say goodbye to that dream. Not because I didn't do my job, but because of coronavirus.

POZZEBAN: The future is frightening for this single mother and her family, who are moving because they can no longer afford their flat.

Leeslie's story is not unique. Across Latin America, businesses are scaling down as the international monetary fund predicts this pandemic will trigger the harshest economic recession in decades.

Airlines in particular, are taking a hit as people stop traveling for work and for pleasure. Latam, Avianca, Aero Mexico, three of Latin America's major carriers have been filed for bankruptcy since May. Normally, one of the biggest hubs in the region, Bogota's airport is

all but closed.

This vending machine used to sell snacks. It has now been re-equipped to sell face masks, but there is nobody here to buy them.

(on camera): You can almost feel an eerie atmosphere walking around these halls that are now completely empty. This airport is working hard to provide increased safety measures for when the flights will finally resume.

(voice-over): The International Air Transport Association thinks the air industry won't recover until 2023. So the impact on jobs like Leeslie's could be long-standing.

BARRAGAN: Both my mother and my daughter depend on me. Mine was our only salary. We have no other income. And we have to pay rent, food and school fees now.

POZZEBON: In a statement to CNN, Avianca said dismissals like Leeslie's case "reflect that post-COVID operations will be much reduced once we will be allowed to fly again."

With limited road infrastructure, traveling by air is often the only way of connecting cities and businesses. To avoid further layoffs, some workers are coming up with preventive solutions.

The Colombian Pilots Unions say they have proposed a voluntary pay cut across the board, as long as Avianca doesn't release a single pilot in the next two years.

CAPT. JULIAN PINZON, AVIANCA PILOT (through translator): Our proposal is simple. Don't fire anyone. We supplement our own wages. And when you'll need pilots, they already are part of the company entering.

POZZEBON: While Captain Pinzon waits for Avianca's response to the offer, he and thousands of other flight crew members are flying blind, searching for hope on the horizon.

Stefano Pozzebon, CNN, Bogota.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: So coming up, sharp contrasts in how different parts of the U.S. are responding to the pandemic. We'll visit a state where the virus is running rampant and another where it seems to be under control.

Plus, Formula 1 is back on track with a display of support for racial justice, but not all drivers took a knee. Why they chose not to, that's coming up.

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[00:45:18]

CURNOW: So new viruses are popping up like crazy across the U.S., with numbers rising in more than two-thirds of all states.

A surge in new infections in Florida has pushed the state passed a bleak new benchmark: more than 200,000 cases. On Saturday, Florida set a new single-day record for the entire U.S., with more than 11,400 new infections.

But you wouldn't know there was an urgent health emergency by listening to the president. This weekend he basically called 99 percent of cases totally harmless.

Well, tell that to the families of nearly 130,000 Americans killed by the virus so far. Some prominent mayors say the message from the White House is dangerous right now, and it makes it more difficult for them to keep their residents safe.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GALLEGO: President Trump was in my community, chose not to wear a mask. And he's having large events while I am trying to push people that, you need to stay at home and that events with more than 10 people are dangerous, per the Centers for Disease Control.

GELBER: How do you tell somebody they have to wear a mask and be socially distanced when the president doesn't and hosts a rally where they're almost celebrating the lack of those simple countermeasures? So really, we're not on the same page.

MAYOR STEVE ADLER (D), AUSTIN, TEXAS: We need everybody wearing masks. And when they start hearing that kind of ambiguous message coming out of Washington, there are more and more people that won't wear masks. They won't social distance. They won't do what it takes to keep a community safe, and that's wrong and it's dangerous.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CURNOW: Now the mayor of Phoenix also says the entire state reopened way, way too soon. Evan McMorris-Santoro shows us the situation at a nearby lake -- Evan.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

EVAN MCMORRIS-SANTORO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Over the past seven days, Arizona had the highest average per capita infection rate of anywhere in the United States.

(voice-over): Thousands of new cases are being reported every day. ICU beds are hovering around 90 percent capacity for the past few days.

It's with that background that the governor and public health officials urged Arizonans to mark this holiday weekend with social distancing and refraining -- and refraining from large gatherings.

(on camera): But here at the Saguaro Lake Federal Recreation Area, masks were few and far between. People gathered in groups on the water, socially distant, and they gathered in groups on beaches, socially distant. But in public gathering spaces, they were close together with few

masks to be seen. The exact kind of situation that public health officials were hoping to avoid.

Evan McMorris-Santoro, CNN, Saguaro Lake, Arizona.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: Take a look at this. This Instagram video shows a huge group of people on Saturday at a Fourth of July party on Diamond Lake in southwest Michigan. No masks, no social distancing.

We're told this was a party for the residents of a county who have celebrated the Fourth of July this way for 30 years.

And then people in the Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri, were doing much the same thing, gathering in a large group at a bar and grill, appearing to completely disregard those vital social distancing guidelines, as well.

Now, people were also out and about in New York over the holiday weekend. The city hard hit by the pandemic earlier on. But as CNN's Polo Sandoval tells us, officials there are taking another step this weekend toward some sense of normalcy.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

POLO SANDOVAL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: It's going to be another round of reopenings in New York City as it enters phase three of this reopening plan by the state. There will be no indoor dining, however.

Governor Andrew Cuomo saying over the weekend he's seeing that lead to some complications in the past, so he doesn't want to see the state take a step back here.

What will reopen? Things like nail salons, tattoo parlors, massage parlors. They can welcome customers back for the first time in months, as long as they can adhere to strict cleaning protocols, limit capacity, and also continue to require masks be worn in their businesses.

One of the reasons why we're seeing more businesses open in what was once was once the epicenter of the U.S. portion of the pandemic is because the numbers are trending fairly well.

For example, on Saturday, about 46,000 people were tested for COVID. Less than 1 percent tested positive. So that's one of the reasons why this weekend we saw it was very active. A lot of people went out to celebrate Fourth of July. They did so with a little more confidence, but authorities still reminding them to continue exercise caution, continue to social distance and continue to wear those masks, as well.

Polo Sandoval, CNN, New York.

(END VIDEOTAPE) CURNOW: So friends and fans and family are mourning the loss of Broadway actor, Nick Cordero, who died on Sunday after complications from COVID-19.

His wife, Amanda, has been updating fans on his status since he became sick back in March. Complications included multiple strokes, a medically-induced coma and a leg amputation.

[00:50:09]

Broadway actor and composer Lin-Manuel Miranda tweeted, "What a loss, what a light. Whole heart with Amanda and his family tonight."

An actor and family friend, Zach Braf, also said, he has never met the kinder human being. So grateful for the time we had.

Nick Cordero was 41 years old.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CURNOW: The F1 season is starting back in Austria, four months after coronavirus halted races there, and 6-time champion Lewis Hamilton is ready to let his driving do the talking.

Hamilton is the sport's only black driver and has been outspoken on social injustice issues while the season has been on hold. Patrick Snell has more on that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

PATRICK SNELL, CNN SPORT (voice-over): Lewis Hamilton is Formula 1's only black driver. The Englishman taking a knee on Sunday in Austria, the words "Black Lives Matter" on the front of his T-shirt.

The reigning world champion among 20 drivers who gathered on the start line. Their collective message -- end racism -- front and center, although not all chose to kneel.

Among the six who didn't, Red Bull's Max Verstappen, as well as Ferrari's Charles Leclerc, who tweeted ahead of the race, "I believe that what matters are facts and behaviors in our daily lives, rather than formal gestures that could be seen as controversial in some countries. I will not take the knee, but this does not mean at all that I am less committed than others in the fight against racism."

[00:55:23]

After the race, Hamilton taking to social media saying, Sunday was an important moment for himself and all working for change.

A post from Hamilton after the race reading, in part, "I may get criticism in the media and elsewhere, but this fight is about equality, not politics or promotion. To me, it was an emotional and poignant chapter in the progress of making F1 a more diverse and inclusive sport."

He added, "Let's keep pushing, guys. See you next week. Love."

And in widely reported quotes, the world champ also revealing he felt a powerful message had been sent, adding that whether you kneel or don't kneel is not going to change the world. The issue is bigger than that.

The race itself, seeing the Mercedes cars donning a black livery. And on a dramatic Sunday, it was the Brit suffering a grid penalty pre- race after an incident in qualifying, who was then given a five-second penalty near the and for his role in a collision with Red Bull's Alex Albon, demoting Hamilton from second to fourth.

Leclerc taking full advantage, powering his way from seventh into second place. And the pole-sitting Bottas leading from start to finish to seal victory. And what a moment, too, for the young McLaren driver, Lando Norris, a third-place spot on the new socially-distanced podium.

(on camera): The curtailed F1 season stays in Austria for another race next weekend before heading off to Hungary, and then to Silverstone in England at the end of the month.

Patrick Snell, CNN, Atlanta.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CURNOW: Well, thanks for watching. I'm Robyn Curnow. CNN NEWSROOM is back after a quick break.

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END