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U.S. Top Health Expert Warns Coronavirus is Far from Over; Australia's Health Authorities Taking Drastic Move to Contain the Virus; President Trump Claims Another False Theory; Mexico's President Coming to Washington; Mexican President Taking Commercial Flight to U.S.; Dubai Reopens Borders to Tourists; U.S. Stocks End Sharply Higher, Record High for NASDAQ; Israel Re-imposes Restrictions Due to COVID-19; Hong Kong Leader Calls National Security Law "Relatively Mild"; Study Shows COVID-19 Antibodies Can Disappear After a Few Weeks; South Africa's COVID-19 Fight: Doctors in South Africa See Success in Virus Treatment; Legendary Film Composer Ennio Morricone Dies at 91. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired July 07, 2020 - 03:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[03:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around. You are watching CNN Newsroom, and I'm Rosemary Church.
Just ahead. Six-point-six million people are to be cut off from the rest of Australia as authorities struggled to contain a recent outbreak in Melbourne.
Plus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: The current state is really not good. We are still knee deep in the first wave of this.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: Coronavirus cases are surging across much of the U.S. as one expert warns the country is in freefall.
And --
These symphonies changed the sound of Hollywood cinema forever. And now the Italian musical maestro is being laid to rest. We look back at the life of the legendary Ennio Morricone.
And we begin in Australia where authorities are fighting to contain a COVID-19 outbreak in Melbourne. Parts of the state of Victoria are facing stage three stay-at-home restrictions for another six weeks. The state's premier made the announcement earlier after nearly 200 new cases were reported.
The country is also shutting the border between Victoria and New South Wales. Australia's two most popular states. A measure it hasn't had to take in a century.
And our Anna Coren joins us now from Hong Kong with more. Good to see, you Anna. So, with less than 8,600 cases across the whole country and a total of 106 deaths from COVID-19, Australia has taken this pandemic very seriously. But shutting down these nine public housing towers is a pretty severe move. How are these 3,000 people getting access to food and health support?
ANNA COREN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, those nine towers that have given completely a lockdown. They were seen as a super spreader. There were a number of cases that appeared in those towers. They are housing commission, low socio economic. A lot of the migrants, refugees, people who don't speak English.
So, the decision was made that they needed to shut down those towers entirely. It has been three days now. There's been a great deal of complaints about the lack of food and supplies that have not been handed over to the residents there. But they're trying to sort that out.
But it's not just those towers now that are in lockdown, it will be greater Melbourne, metro Melbourne. It will now be under stage three lockdown. This goes back to the height of the pandemic.
We have to remember, Victoria, as much of Australia flattened the curve. They were on top of the coronavirus. They had -- they had, you know, handled the pandemic, and now we have seen the surge in cases, particularly in the state of Victoria.
Daniel Andrews refuse to label it as a second wave but he said call it what you want, but we are on the cusp of something very bad. And while six-week -- a six-week lockdown may feel like an eternity, this is something that health officials say needs to be taken to get a handle on the situation. Take a look.
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COREN: These cars passing between Australia's most popular states were among the last able to cross the border before it was sealed. Isolating more than six and a half million people in Victoria from the rest of the country. It's a measure not taken in over a century. As authorities take drastic measures to stop the spread of a surge in coronavirus outbreak.
GLADYS BEREJIKLIAN, PREMIER OF NEW SOUTH WALES: What is happening now in Victoria is the overwhelming majority are thinking of the cases are from community transmission. This is unprecedented in Australia. That's why the decision of the New South Wales government is unprecedented. We've never seen anything like this.
COREN: While Victoria's other border to the state of South Australia has been shut since March. Closure of its border to New South Wales is a measure not taken since the Spanish flu pandemic.
CNN affiliate Seven News reports military personnel and police will be lining the border to enforce the restriction, which officials say, will be no easy task.
MICK FULLER, POLICE COMMISSIONER, NEW SOUTH WALES: We know there are four primary road crossings, 33 bridges, two border way crossings and multiple smaller roads.
[03:05:02]
So, the task is not lost on in terms of the enormity of the logistics in this operation alone.
COREN: The border closure comes as Victoria struggles to contain a second wave of coronavirus cases. Authorities have put Melbourne back on lockdown and restricting hundreds of thousands from leaving their homes for more than necessities.
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DANIEL ANDREWS, PREMIER OF VICTORIA: I think the sense of complacency has crept into us as we let our frustrations get the better of us. I think that each of us knows someone who has not been following the rules as well as they should have. I think each of us know that we've got no choice but to take this very, very difficult step.
COREN: With under 9,000 confirmed cases, Australia has fared better than some countries in controlling the pandemic. But the spike in Victoria in the past two weeks has spread fears of more infections around the nation.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There's been a lot going on that we didn't know it was there. And all of a sudden it has come to the surface and everyone is freaked out about it.
COREN: Australian officials launched a judicial inquiry last week into allegations that the Melbourne outbreak could have been spark by contracted security guards not following protocols at a hotel used to quarantine international arrivals. As the inquiry unfolds, Victoria doubles down on efforts to stem the spread. Now threatening the nation's progress in fighting the pandemic.
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COREN: Now, Rosemary, the Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews described this outbreak as a public health bushfire. So, by putting the capital under lockdown, that in a way is protecting the rest of the state.
A few cases have been reported in regional Victoria. Obviously, the decision to close off that border in New South Wales, we've heard from the premiere out there, saying that this decision needs to be made because we do not want to see a surge in cases in New South Wales. As I said, Australia thought they had this under control, and now with the spike in Victoria, there is great concern. CHURCH: It is a wakeup call to the rest of the world when you see how
they took it seriously and how much they achieved, and now of course they are confronting this. Anna Coren, joining us from Hong Kong. Many thanks.
Meanwhile, in China, Beijing reported zero new coronavirus cases Monday. The first time since a wholesale food market cluster was discovered in early June. Now this comes as authorities say more than 11 million people in the capital had been given nucleic acid, COVID-19 tests since that market outbreak.
Well now to the U.S., where we are seeing more warnings, a new urgency, as doctors say the U.S. is now in free fall over the coronavirus pandemic. At least 24 states are pausing or rolling back their reopening plans as they raise to try and stop the spread by limiting parties and other social gatherings.
That's especially true in Florida, where more than 40 intensive care units have hit capacity. And in hard hit Texas, the U.S. military is deploying medical personnel in case civilian health care workers end up swamped by the spike in COVID cases.
In a conversation with the National Institute of Health, America's top infectious disease expert is urging people to avoid crowds.
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FAUCI: We are still knee deep in the first wave of this. And I would say this would not be considered a wave. It was a surge, or a resurgence of infections. Super-imposed upon a baseline. The European Union as an entity, it went up and then came down to baseline. Now they are having little blips.
As you might expect, as they try to reopen. We went up and never came down to baseline, and now we are surging back up. So, it's a serious situation that we have to address immediately.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: So, let's take a look at this graph Dr. Fauci was just describing. And despite this, the White House claims the world views the U.S. as a leader in the fight against COVID-19. It certainly leads in terms of death tolls and confirmed cases. More than 130,000 people have been killed by COVID-19 and the number of infections is approaching three million.
Now we have a lot to cover, of course, so let's start with CNN's Nick Watt who is taking a closer look at how the states are faring.
NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: On Independence Day, Florida suffered more new cases than any state has. Ever. Still, the governor seems sanguine.
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GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): I mean, there is no need to really be fearful about it.
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WATT: But some mayors are.
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MAYOR FRANCIS SUAREZ (R), MIAMI: What happened is what's happened across the country, which is, you know, when we opened, people began to socializes as if the coronavirus didn't exist.
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WATT: Miami-Dade just closed dine in restaurants again.
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MAYOR DAN GELBER (D), MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA: We are rolling the carpet backup. You know, it's pretty clear we have this real problem.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATT: Because a staggering 26 percent of all COVID-19 tests in the county came back positive on Sunday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I fear that we are spiraling out of control.
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WATT: In Texas, the number of patients in the hospital is hitting a new record high every day.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR RON NIRENBERG, SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS: If the case continues where we are week away from running out of hospital beds and ICU capacity.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATT: Now, remember those Memorial Day crowds back in May? Well, three weeks later new case climb nationally and 32 states are now going in the wrong direction. Did we learn a lesson? Well, this was Backwater Jacks in the Ozarks Memorial Day weekend and July 4th. Almost indistinguishable.
There were crowds across the country this past weekend. Too many, drawn to water and a house party in L.A. and a beach party on Fire Island. So many celebrating, shaking off the Brits, but not this virus. Not even close.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We are right back where we were at the peak of the epidemic during the New York outbreak.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATT: And remember what New York looked like in April. Crowded hospitals, morgue trucks outside. Today though, a different story.
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GOV. ANDREW CUOMO (D-NY): The numbers have actually declined since we started reopening.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATT: They took it slow, mandated masks very early. And harsh words for the president for not acknowledging the danger.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CUOMO: He is facilitating the virus. He is enabling the virus. How did this become a political statement? This is common sense.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
WATT: Here in California, case numbers have been rising at a record level. The number of people in the hospital is at a record level. We are just waiting and hoping that the death toll does not catch up. But the governor says that he is optimistic it won't, because a lot of those people who were getting infected right now are younger and so less susceptible.
Nick Watt, CNN, Los Angeles.
CHURCH: I'm joined now by Dr. Ogechika Alozie, he is the chief medical officer at Del Sol Medical Center and a Texas Medical Center COVID Task Force member. Thank you for all you do and welcome.
OGECHIKA ALOZIE, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, DEL SOL MEDICAL CENTER: Thank you.
CHURCH: Well, as we watch, about 32 states across this country shows spikes in COVID-19 cases. We also see hospitalizations grow in 23 states. And Texas admissions are soaring to a new record, more than 8,000 Texans hospitalized with COVID-19 on Sunday, among the highest in the U.S.
And now the military is deploying medical personnel in response to help. What is going on in Texas and what are your main concerns right now?
ALOZIE: First of all, thank you for having me.
But focusing specifically on Texas, I think what we are really seeing is something that we did not expect. And as much as people have talked about wave, I think the better analogy is really a fire. It's like if you have a campfire you don't put it out, we have a small fire and then tinder blows off into the forest. We are seeing multiple fires blazing not only in Texas, Florida, Arizona, and South Carolina is not looking well either. And it's really concerning. We are hoping that we can get a handle of this but it's yet to be determined.
CHURCH: That is an incredible analogy there, and of course, as you mentioned, California, Georgia, Arizona, Nevada and others are also seeing growing COVID-19 hospitalizations. And when you see the images of Americans partying at bars, pools, beaches, and water parks over the July 4th holiday, how worried are you that we will see even more spikes and cases and increased hospitalizations in about three weeks from now because of that lag time?
ALOZIE: I think that's a perfect analogy. Right? As we look at the behavior and the human spread, it's concerning. I mean, the fact that people are still engaging in a way that almost lays claim that this pandemic is not real is very concerning.
I think one thing that people really have to understand, and we probably, and the healthcare space have potentially done some messaging errors from the beginning. But we have to understand, if we want to get this under control, we have to focus on masking, we have to focus on hand hygiene, try to social distance or physically distance as much as possible.
I think it's just as important for people to understand, if you are sick, isolate yourself from family members, potentially work and get tested where you can.
CHURCH: And I want to talk about that, because New York appears to offer a unique model for the country. It started out as the worst affected state, but now all its coronavirus numbers have declined, even since reopening.
[03:15:02]
And Governor Cuomo puts that down to the fact that he mandated the wearing of masks and kept restaurants closed to patrons for any indoor dining. Is that the key here? Mandating masks and closing indoor dining along with bars?
ALOZIE: I think that some of the political capital around that is questionable as we'll be able to move forward with that. I think what I really do focus on, I think it's really important for the audience to understand, is that we each individually have a responsibility, not just to ourselves and our families, but the community.
If we each individually take that responsibility on, we can change how we move. We can change wearing a mask. We can change the spread. People always say, Rosemary, that is the economy stupid. But the reality is that the virus is stupid. We're in virus time. And until we understand that this virus isn't going to go away until we take the measures to slow it down, nothing else will matter. The economy, health care a host of other things.
And it's actually the message that we are trying to get to people. That we are where we are now and let's try and move forward and ensure that we are able to get out of this peacefully.
CHURCH: Right. And doctor, most medical experts say the U.S. is in freefall with this pandemic currently. But the White House claims the world is looking at the U.S. as a global leader in the fight against COVID-19.
So, doctor, with the highest death toll in the world currently standing at more than 130, 000, how can they be thinking such a thing?
ALOZIE: I think if we look back, and there will be more than enough time for postmortems -- we can attribute blame to a host of factors and a host of players in this narrative.
One of the things is that, as tragic as all this loss of lives have been, I think that as people are slowing down their movements, that's evidence by credit card data that we are seeing, the open table data. People are changing their behaviors irrespective of the politics. Right?
And so the longer we give science time to kick in -- whether it's Remdesivir that we have, whether it's Dexamethasone, whether it's some of the broadly neutralizing antibodies and a host of other therapeutics that are coming down the line, people need to understand that our behaviors today don't play out for another four weeks.
And so, it's critical that we really take the responsibility to change our movement snow.
CHURCH: Dr. Ogechika Alozie, thank you for joining us, and again, thank you for all you do. We appreciate it.
ALOZIE: Thank you so much, Rosemary.
CHURCH: Well, as many U.S. states see their COVID cases skyrocket, critics say President Trump is trying to distract Americans by picking the most polarizing fight possible.
CNN's Kaitlan Collins has the latest from the White House.
KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: With infections surging across the country, White House officials spend the day insisting President Trump isn't downplaying the severity of the coronavirus pandemic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MARK MEADOWS, WHITE HOUSE CHIEF OF STAFF: I don't even know that it's a generalization. When you start to look at the stats and look at all the numbers that we have, the amount of testing that we have, the vast majority of people are safe from this.
KAYLEIGH MCENANY, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: The president isn't downplaying the severity of the virus.
(END VIDEO CLIP) COLLINS: The chief of staff and press secretary argued instead that President Trump was referencing the fatality rate when he wrongly made this claim Saturday night, that 99 percent of coronavirus cases are totally harmless.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: Now we have tested almost 40 million people. By so doing, we showcase 99 percent of which are totally harmless. Results that no other country can show, because no other country is testing that we have.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: The FDA commissioner refused to back up or correct what the president said, despite being pressed multiple times.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANA BASH, CNN CHIEF POLITICAL CORRESPONDENT: Is the president wrong?
STEPHEN HAHN, COMMISSIONER, FOOD AND DRUGS ADMINISTRATION: 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 had.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo accused Trump of enabling the virus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CUOMO: He makes up facts. He makes up science. He is facilitating the virus. He is enabling the virus by statements like that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Despite continuing to dismiss the record number of new cases, the pandemic got closer to Trump's inner circle this weekend.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KIMBERLY GUILFOYLE, DONALD TRUMP, JR.'S GIRLFRIEND: Let's welcome Donald Trump, Jr.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: Kimberly Guilfoyle, a top fund-raising official and his son Donald Trump Jr.'s, girlfriend tested positive for coronavirus ahead of his speech at Mount Rushmore. When the White House was asked why the South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem was allowed to fly on Air Force One after being seen hugging Guilfoyle, McEnany punted to Secret Service which does not decide who flies on Air Force One.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) MCENANY: Yes, I have you to refer you to Secret Service on that but --
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[03:19:59]
COLLINS: During her briefing, the press secretary also struggles to answer questions about Trump's tweet, calling on NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace to apologize and wrongly claiming that NASCAR's ratings are down after the sport banned the confederate flag.
McEnany could not explain why Wallace needed to apologize for an investigation he didn't initiate into a rope he didn't find that the FBI later described as a noose.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCENANY: In aggregates, what he was pointing out is this rush to judgment, to immediately say that there is a hate crime, as happened in this case. Mario, yes.
(CROSSTALK)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: He say he needs to apologize. That's what we're trying to ask you, Kayleigh.
MCENANY: Mario, yes.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Why should he apologize about that?
MCENANY: I'm not going to answer a question a sixth time.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: McEnany refused to say if Trump agreed with NASCAR's decision to ban the confederate flag and instead insisted that he had no opinion on it at all.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MCENANY: He said he was not making a judgment one way or the other, the intent of the tweet was to stand up for the men and women of NASCAR.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Does he think it was a mistake for NASCAR to ban it?
MCENANY: The president said he wasn't making a judgment one way or the other, you're focusing on one word at the very bottom of a tweet.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COLLINS: In his response, Wallace said always deal with hate being thrown at you with love, even when it's hate from the President of the United States. The chief of staff also said that he does not think there's going to
be any kind of national mandate for people to wear a mask but we are seeing more and more Republicans forcibly advocate for people to wear them, something the president himself has not done including the Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell who was home in Kentucky today and said he believes everyone should be wearing one because this is far from over. And says that that is clear from the latest numbers about the coronavirus pandemic.
Kaitlan Collins, CNN, the White House.
CHURCH: And still ahead, Mexico's death toll from the virus is climbing, but that's not stopping its president from taking a controversial trip to the United States. We will explain next.
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CHURCH: Welcome back, everyone. Well, the coronavirus continues to batter Brazil, the country's health ministry reported more than 20,000 new cases just in the last 24 hours, and more than 620 deaths. All while some bars and restaurants reopen to the public over the weekend.
Brazil follows the U.S. globally with the highest numbers of COVID-19 infections and deaths. On Monday, Brazil's president announced he has recently taken yet another COVID-19 test, and he expects the results today. And yet here are photos posted on social media of Jair Bolsonaro at a 4th of July event at the U.S. embassy in Brasilia.
Standing next to the president is U.S. Ambassador to Brazil. The U.S. defense attache reportedly also attending the event, no one is wearing a mask or social distancing.
[03:25:03]
Well, Mr. Bolsonaro's communication team says he is in good health at his home. A spokesperson would not confirm reports the president had a fever. Mr. Bolsonaro has reportedly tested negative in three times before.
Well, the two countries now seeing the highest case count and death toll, both have leaders who have downplayed the severity of the problem.
CNN's Bill Weir has the details.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL WEIR, CNN CHIEF CLIMATE CORRESPONDENT: In the age of COVID-19, Presidents Trump and Bolsonaro are two of a kind. Both love Twitter, and by all appearances hate wearing masks. Both are openly at odds with their nation's top doctors go.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Therapy is good. Bolsonaro is good.
WEIR: And reliance instead on the support of fans as they dismissed the pandemic as a little flu and a lot of hype. So, you don't believe COVID-19 exist at all?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Well, I think it is --
(CROSSTALK)
WEIR: It's a hoax?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
WEIR: It could exist, this pro-scenario YouTuber tells me, but if it exists, it is weak. He sounds just like his president. Who, when ask about his nation passing China in fatalities said, so what?
"I mourn, but what do you want me to do. I can't work miracles."
But the pot and pan protest that now ring out every time he goes on TV are just one sign of a nation at odds with itself. Testing is still hard to come by, and as they dig mass graves from Amazonia to Rio, some experts believe the officials' 1.6 million infections reported could be 12 to 16 times higher. And yet, the big cities are opening it up.
Just as Bolsonaro uses his veto power to water down new laws to protect the public, ones that would make mask wearing mandatory in churches, schools, shops, and prisons.
NATALIA PASTERNAK, MICROBIOLOGIST & PRESIDENT, QUESTION OF SCIENCE INSTITUTE: It's crazy. It's crazy. Science is being ignored in this government, as it has never been before.
WEIR: Natalia Pasternak is a microbiology's who lobbies for more science in government policy and is among the many who are horrified when Bolsonaro fired his respected health minister for advancing quarantines/ A loyal general with no healthcare experience is now running the nation's pandemic response.
PASTERNAK: Are we going to be able to care for these people? I mean, will there be hospitals for everyone? Will there be ventilators for everyone? We never reached the situation that they reached in Italy where the doctor is forced to choose the person that gets the ventilator. I hope we never come to that but we I'm afraid we might.
WEIR: Bill Weir, CNN, Sao Paulo, Brazil.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: And the virus is also taking a massive toll in Mexico. Nearly 5,000 new cases were reported there in the last 24 hours. Four hundred eighty people died of the coronavirus in Mexico Monday, that brings the country's death toll to more than 31,000. The fifth highest in the world.
But despite the grim numbers at home, Mexico's president is packing for a trip. Andres Manuel Lopez Abrador is heading to Washington to meet with President Trump. But it's how he is getting there that's raising eyebrows.
Our Matt Rivers has the details now from Mexico City.
MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, later on today President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of Mexico will begin his journey to meet with President Trump in Washington, D.C. That got meetings scheduled on Wednesday and Thursday, mainly to celebrate, in their words, the implementation of a new free trade deal between the United States, Mexico, and Canada, the USMCA.
That free trade deal went into effect on July 1st. It is replacing NAFTA. And that is really the main reason why the Mexican president is journeying to D.C. even as the Canadian president says he is not at the moment, in part due to concerns over the coronavirus.
And you know, you can certainly question the timing of this meeting given that the pandemic continues to rage both in the United States and in Mexico. But there is also questions about exactly how the Mexican president is getting to Washington, D. C.
So later on today we know that he is taking a commercial flight to D.C. We don't know the exact itinerary, but we know he is going to be making a stop somewhere in the United States because in his words, there are no direct flights right now between Mexico City and Washington, D.C.
And it's interesting because the president does have use of a presidential plane here in Mexico if he wants to but he has never used it because he says it's an example of presidential and government excess.
So, he is actually trying to sell the plane, which is currently sitting in an airfield in Los Angeles. He is trying to sell it for around $130 million. And that is why he is flying coach.
Now critics would say that that is just a cheap political trick, that he is putting not only his own personal security at risk, but also the security of those travelers that happen to be on the same flight as him, especially when he could take another plane, say one that is owned by the Mexican Air Force.
[03:30:00]
But that is not changing the president's mind. He is going to take a commercial flight later today to Washington D.C., so that means that the president of the 10th most populous country in the world could be your seatmate, if you, for example, find yourself traveling on a plane this week between Washington D.C. and Mexico City.
Matt Rivers, CNN, Mexico City.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN ANCHOR: A Middle East tourism hub is getting back to business by opening its borders to international travellers. The details on that, when we come back. (COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: Well, this is a significant day for Dubai. In a further easing of coronavirus rules, it is welcoming back tourists from around the world. But there are conditions. Along with the regular screening, visitors have to test negative for the virus. The United Arab Emirates has had more than 52,000 cases and more than 300 people have died.
Our John Defterios joins us now live from Abu Dhabi. Good to see you, John. So, how ready is Dubai to welcome international travellers? What are the risks here?
JOHN DEFTERIOS, CNN ANCHOR AND EMERGING MARKETS EDITOR: I think that they are framing it very much so, Rosemary, as a calculated risk, living with the virus in this new environment without a vaccine. So they want to protect and there's no doubt about, their first move to (ph) status as a bridge between east and west, if you will.
Emirates is only flying now to 52 destinations, which is high compared to other carriers, but a third of what they have pre-COVID-19. This airline allowed them to build a tourism trade and financial services hub, and it represents 11 percent of GDP on tourist alone. They don't have the oil wealth here.
I spoke to the chairman and CEO of Emirates Group and asked them about the testing at the airport, so the services on the ground to protect travellers, and also what they're doing up in the air in terms of hygiene. Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SHEIKH AHMED BIN SAEED AL MAKTOUM, CHAIRMAN AND CEO, EMIRATES GROUP: We have done whatever it takes to ensure that people will come here to be safe. I think we did so many tests to make sure also that we are geared for it.
At the airport, we are using the PCR for people coming in or leaving -- to ensure also people leaving here. It is our reputation that we want to make sure. And also to protect our staff around the airport and the city to feel very happy, to do what they have been learning over the period of time.
DEFTERIOS (on camera): You have dealt in the past with the Gulf War, Iran-Iraq war, the shock of the global financial crisis.
[03:35:01]
DEFTERIOS: Now, people say it will be very difficult for Dubai to snap back.
BIN SAEED AL MAKTOUM: I think what we want with this COVID-19 is different than what we've been through over the last 30 or 40 years doing business. This is a global crisis, but I think the whole world really will come over it.
I think we are geared. We have the facilities. We have the manpower. Everything is there. We have been testing also the facility and what -- how we really see the revamp of the business coming back slowly but surely.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DEFTERIOS: So the chairman of Emirates Group, Sheikh, suggested also, Rosemary, after pumping in $10 trillion globally, it's time for the private sector to kind of reengage.
And also, I think this is an effort by the Emirates to also say, look, we are going to be hosting in October 2021 the World Expo, which was delayed a year because of COVID-19, we are going to show you we can do it well and try to bring the world back together after such a pandemic and shock.
CHURCH: Yeah. Of course, testing those travellers, that is critical there, isn't it? John, I wanted to ask you this because here in the United States, COVID-19 cases are spiking, and yet we are saying stocks rallied. Do they know something we don't?
DEFTERIOS: Well, I tell you, the valuations are extremely high. We have seen this in the past when you get the spike up and then people wake up and say, wow, this has been a one-way train, only going in one direction.
We see U.S. futures now trade down, by the way, Rosemary, between a third to three quarters of one percent. But you are right to say the NASDAQ hit a record. We had Amazon trading above $3,000 a share. Let us take a quick look at the Asian markets, again, pausing for the most part after the big rally with the exception of Shanghai, which is picking up on the gains of five percent on Monday.
But again, a little bit of caution here. The dollar has been rising, which is putting some pressure on stocks overall. And after this huge rally, maybe it's time to say, look, the valuations are extremely high, as we see the case is spiking, which will hurt growth in the second half of the year.
There's no doubt about it. There's no other place to put the money right now, Rosemary, because of all the liquidity in the market and low interest rates.
CHURCH: Yeah, got it. John Defterios is joining us live from Abu Dhabi. Many thanks as always. And we will hear from one of the world's top central bankers on "Quest Means Business" on Tuesday. Richard Quest will have an exclusive interview with the vice chairman of the Federal Reserve, Richard Clarida. They will discuss the FED's response to the coronavirus crisis and the shape of the global recovery. That's only on CNN.
While Dubai is opening up, in Israel, it is a different story. The country is now really imposing tighter restrictions in light of a new spike in coronavirus cases. Just days ago, Israel hit a record daily figure, soaring past 1,000 new infections. The government has now closed bars, clubs and gyms, and ordered restaurants and houses of worship to limit their capacity. Oren Liebermann is in Israel. He joins us now. So, Oren, what is the latest on this and what triggered the spike in cases?
OREN LIEBERMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, the spike in cases all began when reopening happened, after Israel looked like it had the virus under control in mid-May, but about 20 new cases a day. That's where it looked like Israel's policy of early restrictions, early closures, and lockdowns had succeeded.
By the way, we saw similar restrictions in the policy and authority. Both of these were essentially models of success in the region and were doing far better than, for example, the United States. Well, all of those gains, it appears, have been undone and fairly quickly with more than 1,100 new cases a day last week on one day and more than 1,000 new cases yesterday.
The numbers here are surging. And as we see those numbers surging, we see new restrictions, new lockdowns, the latest coming just last night as the prime minister announced that, for example, gyms, pools, public halls, pubs as well, would be closed in an attempt to keep people from gathering in tight areas and to stop this new surge in cases.
We are seeing again similar restrictions in the policy and authority where, for example, a closure of the city of Hebron, where there is an outbreak there of coronavirus, that has been extended. So we see the scramble to try to contain the coronavirus numbers crucially without imposing a general lockdown because there are, of course, concerns about the health of the economy.
As frail as it is right now with the latest numbers here being around a million unemployed in Israel, which is a country of only nine million or so, Netanyahu is very much trying to keep an eye in the economy there.
But with this new surge, with the sudden surge and the soaring numbers of cases here, the approval rating for Netanyahu on coronavirus, which had been around 75 percent about two months ago, is now below 50 percent and it is falling quickly. Rosemary?
[03:40:00]
CHURCH: Many thanks to our Oren Lieberman, joining us live from Jerusalem. To Hong Kong now, where the city's leader is trying to ease anger over China's new national security law. The new measures have caused outrage and protest in Hong Kong and internationally.
Critics say that the law strips the city of its freedoms and dramatically increases Beijing's power. Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam described the law as "relatively mild," even as she issued a warning to those opposing it.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARRIE LAM, HONG KONG CHIEF EXECUTIVE: The central government has placed full trust and faith in Hong Kong SAR, so the Hong Kong SAR. So the Hong Kong as our government will vigorously implement this law. And I forewarn those radicals not to attempt to violate this law or crossing the red line because the consequences of breaching this law are very serious.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: And one man who understands those consequences very well is Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong. He has become a well-known figure for speaking out against Beijing, and he tells CNN's Ivan Watson the city's cherished liberties are already fading.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I watched in a Hong Kong court as pro-democracy activist Joshua Wong pled not guilty to three charges he is facing in connection with a protest that took place in June of last year.
He vows not to kowtow, as he puts it, to the communist regime in mainland China. This is just days after Beijing imposed a controversial new national security law on this former British colony, a law that he and other activists warned could destroy democratic rights and freedoms here.
JOSHUA WONG, PRO-DEMOCRACY ACTIVIST: I was charged by organizing, inciting, and participating unauthorized assembly during the protest outside of Hong Kong police headquarters last summer.
WATSON (voice-over): I remember that day. There were thousands and thousands of demonstrators outside of the police station, and some were throwing eggs at the building, some were spray painting graffiti on it. I do remember you addressing the crowd, telling people to register to vote.
WONG: It's the responsibility of the government to hold the police accountable. And with the brutal crackdown that happened last summer, it is the reason for why people gathered outside of the police headquarters. Political prosecution exists in Hong Kong for almost a year already. Almost 10,000 people were arrested since last summer. And 1,600 of them, including me, were prosecuted.
WATSON: Hong Kong government officials say basic freedoms will be respected here under the national security law. What is your response to that assertion?
WONG: If basic freedom still exists under the national security law, how come the book I published when I was still in high school was banned in Hong Kong's public library? It's not only about the political rights anymore. It's not only about the rights of the protesters. It's about the fundamental freedom or liberty that everyone cherish in this city that eroded and fade out already.
WATSON: Just a couple of days ago, Wong and several of his colleagues disbanded their political party in response to the new national security law. They say they did this to protect kind of lower-ranking members of their party, who they say include high school students, to protect them from possible prosecution. He says he is ready for the possibility that he could get sentenced to prison. That is not going to stop him from trying to run for Hong Kong's next legislative council elections. Those are scheduled to take place in September. But he says it remains to be seen, whether or not Beijing will disqualify him from running.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: Ivan Watson on that story, many thanks. The coronavirus pandemic struck South Africa later than Europe and North America, giving doctors there the benefit of learning from both the mistakes and innovations from earlier hotspots. CNN is in Cape Town. That is next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[03:45:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: Well, a new study by the Spanish government finds that COVID- 19 antibodies can disappear after just a few weeks. The study was conducted over several phases and found the number of people with antibodies declined overtime.
The health ministry says it shows herd immunity against COVID-19 could be difficult to achieve in the short term. And this news comes as Spain has been forced into new lockdowns to contain new coronavirus outbreaks.
Let's bring in Al Goodman. He joins us live from Madrid in Spain. Al, this is not good news at all for those who have had COVID-19, and are hoping that they are protected for at least a few months. So, how reliable is this study and how is the government using this information?
AL GOODMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Rosemary. This study has been very closely watched. The first phase of it was published in a peer review situation in the prestigious medical journal, The Lancet, on Monday. So it is wide and it has also been -- there was a commentary that went along with it.
Whereas the Spanish study said that herd immunity is very difficult to achieve unless you accept that so many more people are going to die and the health systems are going to be overrun. If you don't want to accept that, herd immunity is difficult. Two virus experts in Geneva, Switzerland said herd immunity is unachievable.
Now, the other finding from the third phase of this came out and was talking about that people in the early phase, who had some antibodies, some exposure, some theoretical immunity to the virus, had lost that by the second phase. Seven percent of those and 14 percent of the people, who had it in the first phase, had lost it by the third phase.
So that's one of the reasons that the Spanish government required even after the three-month state of emergency confinement measure, which was lifted last month, everybody has to wear a mask. So in this outdoor cafe, the waiters are bringing out the coffees with masks. Everybody that is seated here has a mask either around their neck or around their waist ready to put it on after they finish.
And so this is one thing that the government is implementing this study by saying the indication that there would be heard immunity seems so far away that we are going to take the safe route and make everybody wear mask, keep social distancing. Rosemary?
CHURCH: Yeah. The study is so disappointing. But as you say, it can't tell people enough, wear those masks. And now, what is the latest on the new coronavirus outbreaks in Spain?
GOODMAN: Well, not great news there either. These have been going on since the weekend, the biggest one with 200,000 people in the county, in Northeastern Spain, in Catalonia, a rural county with a lot of seasonal farm workers. They are confined to that county. They can move around inside but they can't go out. Police checkpoints are around the perimeter.
There are five hundred active cases. But the top health official in that region from Barcelona, the regional capital, said to expect more cases here in the coming weeks. So we can expect that those numbers are going to go up.
On the side of the country, in Northwest Spain, along the Atlantic Ocean, 70,000 people in a similar situation told to stay within their county because of more than 100 cases there. People went out to the bars. That is supposed to be lifted on Friday. There are elections in that region on Sunday and it is unclear whether those are going to go ahead in that affected county. Rosemary?
CHURCH: All right, Al Goodman, reporting there live from Madrid. Appreciate it.
[03:50:00]
CHURCH: Well, South Africa is seeing some encouraging signs in its fight against the coronavirus. The hardest hit country on the African continent has adapted the way it treats patients and managed to keep its death rate lower than other virus hotspots. The latest data from Johns Hopkins University reports more than 205,000 confirmed cases and rising fast with more than 3,000 deaths from the virus.
CNN's David McKenzie is in Cape Town, South Africa. He joins us now live. So David, how has South Africa managed to keep its death rate lower than other hotspots? What is the key here?
DAVID MCKENZIE, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Rosemary, one of the keys is that this was a place that was hit later than the earlier hotspots in Europe and the Americas. And that gave doctors time. It is quite extraordinary.
You know, doctors around the world and physicians are communicating on a daily basis with each other about possible interventions, possible treatments, even though the WhatsApp groups and, of course, through scientific papers. The upshot of that is here in South Africa, they managed to put in some interventions that they think are saving lives.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE).
MCKENZIE (voice-over): Friday nights in the Cape Flats, lockdown is over.
JUDITH MITCHELL, WESTERN CAPE EMERGENCY MEDICAL SERVICES: (INAUDIBLE) specifically (INAUDIBLE).
MCKENZIE (voice-over): Paramedic Judith Mitchell just started her shift. This is just her second call.
MITCHELL: So is it safe to go dim?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm going to stay with you.
MCKENZIE: The man lying in there with his weapons still next to him, he is still moving. The ambulance team is very nervous about going into this area. This is the kind of violence they have to deal with every night.
MITCHELL: I'm not worried about COVID anymore. I think I'm worried about the shooting (ph).
MCKENZIE (voice-over): Not worry because each day, crews know that the COVID-19 patients they drop off at this emergency field hospital have a very good chance of walking out just a few days later.
LEE WALLIS, WESTERN CAPE HEAD OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE: The death rate is slowing. That isn't really what we've modelled. It's not what we predicted. We thought that the deaths will continue and actually would be climbing quite dramatically.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): Western Cape head of emergency medicine, Lee Wallis says early models predicted a catastrophe here.
WALLIS: In a way, it is lucky that we were later in this pandemic. Definitely we learned huge amounts from China, from Europe, the U.S.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): What they heard, use ventilators as a very last resort.
WALLIS: And the body doesn't do as well ever in those conditions. This virus causes a lot of damage to both the lungs and the blood vessels in the lungs. You really need the body's own system to fight as much as possible.
MCKENZIE (voice-over): They started early on high flow nasal oxygen instead, using gallons and gallons per minute for every patient, keeping them active and alert.
WALLIS: They look at the patient and said we (INAUDIBLE) this patient and they were having bad outcomes. We are now using nasal oxygen and they are walking out of the hospital. MCKENZIE (voice-over): Every patient on oxygen here gets anticoagulants to reduce the risk of blood clots, steroids, too, confirmed by the results of a recent Oxford study, showing they could save lives in the sickest of patients.
The virus is now moving faster than ever here with days of record increases and confirmed cases. The epicenter is moving quickly to Johannesburg. Doctors say predictions are a dangerous game.
CLAIRE KEENE, MSF MEDICAL COORDINATOR: We are being faced with so much failure in this whole COVID scenario. I think we used the time well and we are always going to question ourselves, do we use it enough? Did we do enough with the time that we were given during lockdown, when the epidemic was slower?
MCKENZIE (voice-over): But they hope that the lessons they learned treating patients in Cape Town will continue to save lives across the country as the pandemic surges.
(On camera): What do these empty beds tell us?
WALLIS: I think -- well, this is a hospital of hope. So I think they should give us hope that we can cope with the pandemic.
MCKENZIE (on camera): Empty bed is good news.
WALLIS: Empty bed is good news, absolutely.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
MCKENZIE: Well, there's treatment that they can control, but also the fact is in South Africa and elsewhere, of course, around the world, which is not in the control of doctors, like (INAUDIBLE) of population, at what level of those comorbidities like hypertension and diabetes they are in the given population.
Here in South Africa, public health officials have been telling us that the high HIV positive burden has not yet shown to be a really problematic issue at least at this stage for patients.
[03:55:06]
MCKENZIE: It's more those issues like diabetes. Now, those empty hospital beds you see at the end of that piece there, Rosemary, they expect those to fill up by the end of this month. And with cases surging, particularly up country, there is still that risk that in South Africa, they will be overwhelmed. But certainly, those treatments have proved to be successful so far in this fight. Rosemary?
CHURCH: Well, we are all learning more as we go along here. David McKenzie joining us live from Cape Town, many thanks. And still to come --
(MUSIC PLAYING)
CHURCH: The man who gave us some of the most famous musical notes in movie history, a celebration of his life in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: One of the giants of the movie industry has died. Italian composer Ennio Morricone passed away on Monday at the age of 91 after suffering a recent fall. Morricone was best known for his haunting scores to spaghetti westerns like "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly." With more on his legendary life, here is CNN's Delia Gallagher.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
DELIA GALLAGHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The musical maestro behind more than 500 compositions, legendary Italian composer Ennio Morricone died on Monday at the age of 91. He broke on to the scene more than half a century ago with his groundbreaking scores Sergio Leone's spaghetti westerns, including "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly."
Morricone wrote for films, television programs, popular songs and orchestras, receiving dozens of awards, including Oscar's, Golden Globes, Grammys, and BAFTAs. His last academy award was in 2016 for best original score for Quentin Tarantino's "The Hateful Eight." His music was often accompanied by the cracking of whips, gunshots, and sounds inspired by wild animals.
ENNIO MORRICONE, ITALIAN COMPOSER: It has to be listened to, played by the instruments, and then heard by the director, but most importantly, it has to be listened to by the public.
GALLAGHER (voice-over): Morricone broke his femur some days ago and died during the night in a clinic in Rome. In a statement, his family said, "He dedicated a moving memory to his audience, from whose affectionate support he always drew the strength of his creativity."
Tributes poured in from around the world, with fellow composer Hans Zimmer saying he was devastated.
HANS ZIMMER, AWARD-WINNING COMPOSER: Ennio was an icon and icons just don't go away. Icons are there forever.
GALLAGHER (voice-over): Morricone worked in almost all film genres, from horror to comedy, and some of his tunes are perhaps more famous than the films he wrote them for, making him one of the world's most adored and recognizable screen composers.
MORRICONE: Music conveys what is not said and what is not shown, that is all.
[04:00:00]
GALLAGHER (voice-over): Delia Gallagher, CNN, Italy.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
END
