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WHO: Sunday An All-Time Record, 230,000 Cases Globally; U.S. Surge Continues, White House Discredits Fauci; 62 U.S. Marines Test Positive At Okinawa Base; Florida 15,000 COVID Cases Sunday: Most Of Any State At Any Time; White House Pushing to Discredit Top Virus Expert; Trump Commutes Sentence of Friend Roger Stone; Education Secretary Calls CDC Guidelines "Recommendations"; Disney Parks Reopen in Florida; Venezuelan Migrants Trying to Return Home Stuck at Border; Bollywood Stars Hospitalized as Cases Spike in India. Aired 1-2a ET
Aired July 13, 2020 - 01:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
TONY BLAIR, FMR. PRIME MINISTER OF BRITAIN: Behind the innovations that are now happening so that you can get an on the spot test, antigen and antibody, that allows you to decide very quickly what the disease status of the individual is.
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: The U.S. is dealing with, by far, the worst of the pandemic so far. And the White House is trying to discredit the country's top infectious disease expert.
The World Health Organization team is in China to investigate the origins of the virus, but officials tight-lipped about it all. We'll have a live report.
And amid a push to get the kids get back into the classroom in the U.S., the education secretary has given no plan for what schools should do if there's a COVID outbreak.
Hello everyone, welcome to CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Michael Holmes.
The World Health Organization say a staggering 230,000 cases of coronavirus were reported around the world on Sunday. That is the most ever in a single day.
The surge in new infections, of course, led by the U.S. which has confirmed now more than 3.3 million cases overall.
Since last week, at least 33 states have reported a significant jump in new infections.
Now, as the outbreak continues to grow, the White House has been trying to undermine its own top infectious disease expert.
President Donald Trump says that Dr. Anthony Fauci made many mistakes early on, including telling people not to wear masks.
Now that was back when masks were in short supply, and he wanted first responders to wear them. Well, now the U.S. surgeon general is saying the administration is
trying to correct its own earlier messaging and believes the country can turn things around.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEROME ADAMS, U.S. SURGEON GENERAL: The disease course is about two to three weeks. So just as we've seen cases skyrocket, we can turn this thing around in two to three weeks. If we can get a critical mass of people wearing face coverings, practicing at least six feet of social distancing, doing things that we know are effective.
And it's important for the American people to understand. When we're talking about the fall, we have the ability --
MARGARET BRENNAN, CBS "FACE THE NATION": Right.
ADAMS: -- to turn this around very quickly. If people will do the right thing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Meanwhile, Florida counted more than 15,000 infections on its own on Sunday. Setting a new one day record for any state in the country throughout the pandemic.
Some say the alarming rise in Florida is a result of an aggressive move to reopen, a push that President Trump himself championed.
As CNN's Natasha Chen reports, city and state leaders in Florida now scrambling to regroup and recover.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NATASHA CHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, this number, more than 15,000 new cases in a single day is not just a record for Florida, its a record for any state in the U.S. since the pandemic began. And that includes New York at the worst of this crisis.
The positivity rate among the tests conducted in the state of Florida right now is more than 19 percent.
This is a particular concern in very populous counties like Miami Dade County. The mayor there told CNN's Dana Bash that he's particularly concerned about ICU capacity.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR CARLOS GIMENEZ, MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA: Ventilator space or ventilator usage, has gone up also, close to 200 now.
And so we've definitely had a sharp increase in the number of people going to the hospital, the number of people are in ICU and the number of people are on ventilators.
DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR, "STATE OF THE UNION": So -- GIMENEZ: We still have capacity, but it does cause me a lot of concern.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHEN: Florida governor, Ron DeSantis said he is working on ways to get shorter turnaround time for test results.
And he's reiterated that they are staying put, status quo, at phase two of reopening. Not moving forward in the timeline to reopen any more businesses.
Now bars were allowed to reopen in early June, but they were shut down again a few weeks later when health officials there traced clusters of coronavirus cases to people who had made visits to bars.
Natasha Chen. CNN, Atlanta.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Arizona is another state really being hammered by the virus at the moment.
The darkest shade of red in that map there on your screen now, well, that marks the hardest hit counties in Arizona.
The Democratic mayor of Phoenix, right in the middle there, says her city is setting records for ventilator use.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR KATE GALLEGO, PHOENIX, ARIZONA: We are seeing positivity rates above 20 percent. We continue to have a real challenge with testing, although there was some very good news this week about additional resources that are coming.
We are setting records of the type you don't want to set for the use of ventilators by COVID patients, acute care beds.
Our health care workers are telling us that they are already tired and they are worried that there could be an additional growth after the 4th of July.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
[01:05:00]
HOLMES: The mayor along with other Arizona leaders are demanding the governor require more statewide safety precautions like masks.
Well, as cases and hospitalizations spike around the U.S., the White House is taking time to carry up what appears to be a very public, very negative campaign against its own top and highly revered infectious disease expert, Dr. Anthony Fauci.
CNN's Kristen Holmes with details from Washington. (END VIDEOTAPE)
KRISTEN HOLMES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, it would be extraordinary to see this sort of broad siding of one of the top health officials, by the White House in any situation, but it's particularly striking, given it is happening during a pandemic.
We have seen this tension between Dr. Fauci and President Trump really start to boil up in public, kind of lashing out at one another. At one point, Dr. Fauci openly disagreeing with President Trump.
He said the government's response wasn't really that great to coronavirus. He also talked about how he was unsure where President Trump had gotten certain information. And then you have President Trump saying that Dr. Fauci was a nice man but had made a lot of mistakes.
Now in an official statement from a White House official, when asked about this relationship between the two, between the White House and this leading health expert, they said --
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
-- "several White House officials are concerned about the number of times Dr. Fauci has been wrong on things."
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: And then they presented a list here that looks almost like opposition research that we would get if they were talking about someone like Joe Biden or a political opponent, listing out early comments that Dr. Fauci made when talking about the pandemic.
That you didn't need to wear a mask or that the epidemic is not driven by asymptomatic carriers. Things that we heard not just from Dr. Fauci but from many medical experts early on, when we were still figuring out what was going on with the pandemic.
But again, the broader picture here is that during this pandemic, you're seeing a White House that is actively lashing out at one of the nation's top officials.
Someone who is, supposedly, an adviser to President Trump, he was a member of the coronavirus task force here.
So it's very striking to see something like this going on at a time when these cases just continue to surge.
Kristen Holmes. CNN, the White House.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: And with me now to discuss all of this, Dr. Armand Dorian who is chief medical officer of the USC Verdugo Hills Hospital. Good to see you again, Doctor.
I wanted to start with Dr. Anthony Fauci -- because we have to -- the president reportedly not even speaking with his top expert.
You've got White House staffers sending reporters what's being called opposition research on their own top infectious disease doctor in the middle of a pandemic.
What is the result of that sort of situation?
DR. ARMANDO DORIAN, EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN, USC VERDUGO HOSPITAL: We really need to raise this to a higher level. This is starting to sound very juvenile and elementary, picking on each other or trying to pick at different facts.
We're in the midst of the pandemic which means one of the worst crisis the human race will ever have. So it's very important that our leaders actually lead.
And in order to lead, you need to all come together, both Dr. Fauci and President Trump. It's time to put things aside.
And even if people were off, or wrong, or correct, who cares? We have to talk about today, and tomorrow.
And what we do know, which is a fact, is that the numbers are rising, and more people are going to die. So we really need to address this now.
HOLMES: Yes. A lot of people have been saying there has no national leadership all along and that's creating its own problems.
You mentioned the numbers, let's talk about those.
Just look at the state of Florida. More than 15,000 new cases Sunday, the highest of any state at all during the pandemic -- bigger than most countries we should point out -- today.
What are your biggest concerns when you look at the overall COVID landscape right now?
DORIAN: The big concern is this is a train that's -- once it starts moving, it's not something easy to turn around, it takes weeks -- if we all come together, at best, to start slowing down.
So when these numbers start getting out of hand, and we're seeing state after state after state going in that wrong direction, as a physician, I'm extremely concerned.
I'm concerned for human life. So I really need people to come together and, just like you put shoes on when you leave the house, put that mask on.
HOLMES: The problem is you do have the nation's top health expert and bodies like the CDC saying one thing then you've got the president saying or, in some cases, openly contradicting those experts.
You said juvenile earlier -- it just strikes me, this can cost lives, right? DORIAN: Not can, it will. And it is.
[01:10:00]
So every decision that we make when it comes to a pandemic, the consequence is death and disability. And just because it's not you or someone you know, doesn't mean it's not happening. And don't wait until it's you or someone you know.
This is a human problem. And we all have the ability to make rational, moral, decisions.
Again, this is not something that has anything to do with political party, color, or if you like somebody, you don't like somebody, and it doesn't even matter what happened before this date. Honestly, I don't really care.
Because it's about right now, and where we're headed from this point further.
HOLMES: Yes. And as you said, what we do now is going to -- we're going to see the results of in several weeks.
So you've got the -- speaking of which, you've got the administration pushing pretty hard for schools to reopen even threatening to withhold federal funding to states that don't do as they are told.
What are your concerns about schools in session, especially in states with really alarming infection rates?
Everyone wants kids back to school. But when you look at places like Texas, Arizona, Florida, Georgia for that matter, are you worried about that?
DORIAN: I think -- first, you said the right thing. Everybody wants their kids to go back at school, we shouldn't even be discussing this part.
But what we should discuss is how can somebody say, for example, everybody in the United States needs to take an umbrella out today?
Well, the true answer to that is, it depends. It depends how the weather is in your area. Same analogy. It depends where the virus is peaking in your area.
Currently, however, we're going in such a bad direction that the entire nation is going in the wrong direction.
Having said that, once we start -- or hopefully get a handle on this, we will be able to address this concern in the local areas according to where the virus is under control or not under control.
Very similar to how when you watch the weather report that morning and you decide what you're going to do.
HOLMES: Yes. Yes, not one size fit all. In the broader picture, I was reading today about South Korea. It's
hard to not look back at a country like South Korea which had its first COVID cases same day as the U.S., 50 million population versus 330 million, sure.
But South Korea's COVID deaths are at like 290. The U.S., 135,000.
It is still stunning to make that comparison. I guess the history books will have to write about how that happened.
DORIAN: Yes. And you know what, let's not be so proud to look overseas and see how others are handling it.
We did that initially, we watched how others unfortunately suffered with this virus first and learned some science from that and were able to prepare for that.
But we also have to be humbled and see, if somebody's doing it better, we've got learn from them and do it the same way.
And South Korea seems like they're doing a great job.
HOLMES: Yes. They are. Do you want to see more testing?
DORIAN: There's no question. We always want to see more testing. This is going to be a part of our lives until we get that vaccine. So, testing, knowledge is power.
So it's very important we get testing. And to say we have enough testing is somebody who is not in the thick of it.
I work every day in a hospital where I know testing is still limited. People want to tested but those that need to get tested sometimes can't. Because the reagents, the swabs, the kits, there's always some little hiccup right now. We're not a well-oiled machine.
HOLMES: Yes, exactly. I think the experts are saying we're at about 40 percent of what we should be in terms of testing to fully mitigate.
Dr. Armand Dorian in Los Angeles. Appreciate it, always good to see you. Appreciate it.
DORIAN: Thanks, Mike.
HOLMES: Now in Japan, a quote, "large number" of U.S. marines stationed in Okinawa have tested positive for the coronavirus.
That's according to officials. The base, though, has not released details on the number of marines infected citing operational security.
Let's talk more about this with journalist Kaori Enjoji from Tokyo.
Yes. What are you hearing from your sources about the numbers -- and there's been a lot of criticism about how this is been handled. Right? KAORI ENJOJI, JOURNALIST: Well, Michael, there's growing anger and, I
think, deep concern among the residents of Okinawa, after a total of 62 cases were confirmed among U.S. military personnel and their families at three different U.S. military facilities on the island of Okinawa last week.
There has always been a very an uneasy truce between the residents, the government of Okinawa and the large U.S. military presence on the island.
And that truce has been tested time and time again every time there is an accident which is related to the U.S. military or a crime. And this time it's the pandemic that's testing that truce.
[01:15:00]
It took days for the U.S. military to confirm the number to the local government on Saturday, and the cases were counted over a period of five days last week.
And as the governor says, he was quote, "shocked" when he heard this. And residents are echoing that shock because Okinawa has been virus- free for more than two months.
Sixty-two cases among military personnel is nearly half of all the cases that Okinawa has seen during the entire course of the pandemic.
The governor said he saw partying by U.S. military personnel around the 4th of July.
And just listening to his comments, he says things like "very regrettable." You understand the tightrope that the government is walking because Washington is the bedrock of Japan's security policy. Yet at the same time, he needs to keep his own citizens safe during this pandemic.
Residents tell me that at this time of year, there is a lot of in and out among U.S. military personnel because families like to move their families around the time of the new school year in September.
And given the explosive number of cases that we're seeing in the United States, that fear and that worry is mounting, Michael.
HOLMES: Kaori Enjoji, yes. It will just exacerbate long-simmering tensions there. I appreciate it, there in Tokyo for us. Thanks.
We'll take a quick break.
When we come back, an investigative team from the World Health Organization has landed in China. We'll look at what they hope to uncover and what Chinese scientists might be doing to help. When we come back.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[01:20:00] HOLMES: A dramatic scene, as you can see there, off the coast of San
Diego where 17 sailors and four civilians were injured after an explosion and fire broke out on board the USS Bonhomme Richard.
The U.S. navy warship was docked at the time. The fire currently under investigation.
The navy says none of the injuries, fortunately, are life-threatening. More than 150 sailors were on board when the fire broke out.
A team from the World Health Organization has now landed and China to investigate the origins of the coronavirus.
Let's bring in Kristie Lu Stout, joining us from Hong Kong.
A lot of people have been waiting a long time for the WHO to get in and look at this. I guess -- what sort of cooperation are they going to get?
KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. And that really remains to be seen. We're chasing up and try and follow up with the WHO to figure out what kind of access they are getting.
This is what we know. On Friday, the World Health Organization said that it is sent a two-member advance team to China to set up a probe looking into the origins of the coronavirus.
And this is what we know so far. We know of these two-member team, one is an expert in animal health, the other is an epidemiologist.
We know that this is an advance team. So what they're out to do is to determine ultimately the agenda, the scope and scale of the greater investigation to the origin of the coronavirus. So this is still very early days in the process.
And they will also, according to the WHO, attempt to answer some very key questions about the virus and the pandemic.
Number one. We know that the virus existed in bats but did it go through an intermediate species. Is there another animal host involved?
And, number two, crucially. How did it make that jump from animals to humans?
Now we do know the World Health Organization has been under fire, deeply criticized for its relationship with China.
In fact, the United States under U.S. President Donald Trump has withdrawn the United States from the WHO effective of July of next year. Stating that the WHO is simply too close to China and failed to question China in the early days of this health crisis.
So there is a lot of pressure on this two-member team to see if they can indeed get access to files, data, samples from Chinese authorities during this mission. And also to get some answers, to find out what happened? What is the origin of the pandemic which has taken the lives of over half a million people worldwide. Michael.
HOLMES: Yes. And let's talk about where you are there in Hong Kong, Kristie. Because Hong Kong initially handled it pretty well, people thought.
But now, more spikes. What's going on?
STOUT: Yes, more spikes. This is why I'm again reporting from home, working from home, because we are going through what's being called a third wave of the coronavirus outbreak here in Hong Kong.
On Sunday, we heard the latest statistics from the department of health in Hong Kong. 38 new covid-19 infections of which 30 are locally transmitted.
We also heard from the head of communicable diseases here in Hong Kong, the Dr. Fauci of Hong Kong, if you will.
And what Dr. Tong said was quite alarming. She said that the situation here is, quote "quite serious."
She also said that it was worse than the situation in march which was when Hong Kong went through its second wave of infections.
Now the government has responded given this uptick that's been going on for the last week or so with stricter social distancing measures now.
Restaurants can only be up to 60 percent occupied. Schools are out, summer camps at schools are out as well.
But these measures do not compare to the far stricter measures that were in place when the second wave was happening here in Hong Kong in March.
We have restaurants still open, bars still open, tutoring centers and gyms still open. The beaches on Sunday and at the weekend absolutely crowded.
And that's raising a lot of concern that there could be exponential growth. Even in a success story such as Hong Kong. Michael.
HOLMES: Wow, interesting stuff. Yes. You're at home, Will Ripley was reporting earlier from home in Hong Kong.
Yes. Well, we'll stay in touch. Let us know how it goes. Good to see you. Thanks.
STOUT: Thank you.
HOLMES: Kristie Lu stout there. We're going to take a quick break.
When we come back, the White House pushing a hardline agenda to send kids back to school. But is it safe?
CNN asks the U.S. education secretary.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR, "STATE OF THE UNION": So I want to be clear from you. As the secretary of education, should schools in the United States follow the cdc recommendations or not?
DR. BETSY DE VOS, U.S. SECRETARY OF EDUCATION: Dr. Redfield has clearly said these are recommendations.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
HOLMES: Welcome back to CNN NEWSROOM, everyone. I'm Michael Holmes.
There is increasing evidence the U.S. is losing the war against the coronavirus.
We're seeing more cases than ever. Some 60,000 on Sunday, nationwide.
Many of them in Florida, which smashed the daily record with more than 15,000 infections reported on Sunday. The most of any state at any time in this pandemic.
The latest figures show disturbing increases in all states. There on the map marked in orange and dark red, which is to say, most of them.
Meanwhile, the United -- the White House is taking swipes at the country's top infectious disease experts -- because it seems a good time for that.
Dr. Anthony Fauci had dared publicly disagree with President Trump and say that the U.S. is not doing great with the pandemic response.
Well, White House officials then released a statement citing concern over quote, "the number of times Dr. Fauci has been wrong."
[01:29:34]
MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN ANCHOR: Joining me now is political analyst Michael Genovese. He's also the author of "How Trump Governs" and president of Loyal Marymount's Global Policy Institute.
Good to see you, Michael.
There is a populist aspect to the Trump presidency, and populists tend towards cult of personality. This is a president who sees big issues, momentous issues like COVID and racial upheaval as things happening to him rather than to the country. And of course, he is always blameless.
The question is does that approach -- what does it do to his standing? The polls would suggest it's not working. MICHAEL GENOVESE, PRESIDENT, LOYOLA MARYMOUNT'S GLOBAL POLICY
INSTITUTE: Well, he does personalize everything, and I am not sure that that's is a function of his populism so much as this personality and his personality needs.
But if you look at the -- say the populists who are governing around the world, Bolsonaro in Brazil, Obrador in Mexico, Trump in the United States -- left and right wing populists. They tend to be very good at throwing rocks into the stadium but once they get inside and they have to govern, then they have trouble.
And you see all three of those populists in this hemisphere doing a terrible job of handling the pandemic. So outsiders tend to be best when they are outside. Now the populists are inside and, you know, they really have not succeeded in dealing with the crises within their own countries.
HOLMES: You know, I read what you said that Donald Trump basically has lost control of the narrative. And that does seem to be true but explain what you mean.
GENOVESE: Yes. Basically, he's lost his mojo. The things that he wants to talk about, that he used to talk about -- strong economy, that's gone. He can't talk about those things anymore.
And so loves being the hammer, not the nail. Right now, he's the nail, because he's being held responsible for policies dealing with the pandemic and the economy. But things are going very poorly and he doesn't like that.
He likes to be in command of things. And he likes to be the hammer. And so what he has done, he is practicing a kind of missing an action leadership, where he's an ostrich who puts his head in the sand when he ought to be dealing with the crisis.
And it's very, very visible right now. He is running away from the pandemic at a time when people are begging for leadership.
HOLMES: The latest ABC/Ipsos poll on Friday, I mean the numbers were bad. 33 percent approving of his handling of the pandemic; 67 percent disapprove; I mean his own disapproval rating is around 57 percent. Those numbers are the worst since the pandemic began.
The thing is, when does it become too late for him to turn that around before November?
GENOVESE: It's not too late at this point. I think the time when you really want to start taking those numbers and polls seriously, some time right after the two conventions. That will be some time in august.
And so by the time August comes around and the conventions are over, people really start to focus on, rather than the noise of the campaign, they focus on the candidates and the issues much, much more as you get closer and closer. So I'm thinking the end of August, early September. That's really the last time he'll have a chance to turn (AUDIO GAP). The calculus that voters make is number one up or down. Do I vote for or against that person? And if you're saying well, I could vote against him. The number two comes in which is, is there someone better? Is there someone I can vote for?
And so Donald Trump needs to make a case that he is doing the job and that the opponent can't.
HOLMES: Yes. Good point voting for or against.
With regard -- I wanted to ask you about the commuting of the sentence of his friend Roger Stone. I mean it's easy to be numb to a lot of the things this president has done, but how extraordinary is it for a president to commute the sentence of someone whose offense in part was lying to protect that president who does the commuting?
I mean on the face of it, it's pretty astounding.
GENOVESE: It's a bit mind-boggling but you have to remember that the President has almost power to pardon. It's one of the few things the President has constitutionally on his own.
That doesn't mean it's always exercised responsibly. A number of President have mishandled. Some have abused the pardon power.
And I think this is a case in point. The formula is and the message that Trump is sending is if you break the law in support of me, in aid to me, I will take care of you. I've got your back.
And, you know, that undermines the whole system of justice, the whole system of the rule of law when you personalize it that much. And I don't know if he will face a political fallout for this because maybe it is too small, and the other issues are too big.
But this really is a pernicious thing that's going on. And it should probably have ramifications that it may actually not publicly.
HOLMES: Yes. A lot -- I'm hearing that more and more.
Michael, we're going to leave it there. Michael Genovese, thanks so much. Good to see you.
GENOVESE: Thank you, Michael.
HOLMES: The White House is pushing an aggressive agenda to fully reopen schools in the coming weeks. The U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy Devos appearing on CNN's "STATE OF THE UNION" where she was pressed by Dana Bash on whether schools should follow CDC guidelines for safely reopening.
[01:34:53]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) DANA BASH, CNN HOST: So I want it to be clear from you, as the Secretary of Education, should schools in the United States follow the CDC recommendations or not?
BETSY DEVOS, U.S. SECRETARY OF EDUCATION: Dr. Redfield has clearly said these are recommendations and every situation is going to look slightly different. The key for education leaders -- and these are smart people who can figure things out -- K to 12 campus.
(CROSSTALK)
BASH: What I want to know is if the federal government is all on the same page as the Secretary of Education. Should schools follow the guidelines of the CDC.
(CROSSTALK)
DEVOS: It's very much on the same page. Kids need to get back to school, they need to get back in the classroom. Families need for kids to get back in the classroom.
BASH: You are asking students to go back, so why do you not have guidance on what a school should do just weeks before you want those schools to reopen and what happens if it faces an outbreak?
DEVOS: You know, there's really good examples that have been utilized in the private sector and elsewhere, also with frontline workers and hospitals. And all of that data, all of that information and all of those examples can be referenced by school leaders.
BASH: Ok. But I'm not hearing a plan --
(CROSSTALK)
BASH: Do you have a plan for students and what schools should do.
DEVOS: The schools should do what is right on the ground at that time for their students and for their situation.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HOLMES: Well, some states are delaying their students' return to school. Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson told CNN's Wolf Blitzer that his state was pushing back reopening so that parents and faculty were ready for new regulations and that there was adequate PPE.
Now, despite the surge in cases across the U.S., educators themselves are doing their best, of course, to get students back to school safely. But how to do it and what it will look like remains a mystery.
CNN's Bianna Golodryga explains.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. ROBERT REDFIELD, DIRECTOR, CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION: I think there is commonality in the schools and the school leadership and the teachers and the administrators, that we all want to protect the safety of the children that are in schools.
BIANNA GOLODRYGA, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The CDC director on CNN's coronavirus town hall attempting to clear up the mass confusion caused by the President's shocking threat to withhold federal funding for schools that do not fully reopen, something he does not have the legal authority to do on his own. As well as his rebuke of the CDC guidelines.
DR. REDFIELD: We stand by or guidance. We think it's an important strategy for helping the schools reopen.
GOLODRYGA: For months, school districts nationwide have been scrambling, trying to figure out just how to reopen safely as the acting superintendent of the Houston Independent School District showed CNN back in May.
GRENITA LATHAN, HOUSTON INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT: So we think about students per table, possibly two students per table or it might even turn into one student per table as we think about having just about 11 students in a classroom at a time.
GOLODRYGA: Since then more districts have announced similar plans, most recently Mayor Bill de Blasio, telling New York City's more than one million public school students, they should plan to only spend one to three days a week inside the classroom. The other school days will be held online.
MAYOR BILL DE BLASIO (D), NEW YORK CITY: At some points in the week, you're learning in person in the classroom. At other points of the week, you are learning remotely.
GOLODRYGA: Local officials have relied on guidelines issued by state and federal health authorities, as well as the CDC. One of its top recommendations has been to maintain social distancing among students.
The hybrid model, where children would be divided into smaller groups, rotating hours and days in class seems to be among the most feasible. But after months of inaction, the Trump administration is now pushing hard for schools to reopen full time in the fall. An endeavor made even more challenging, as numerous states continue to see spikes in cases.
In Florida, the education commissioner issued an emergency order, requiring all schools to open at least five days per week for all students.
GOVERNOR RON DESANTIS (R), FLORIDA: If you can do Home Depot, if you can do Walmart, if you can do these things, we absolutely can do the schools.
GOLODRYGA: But some educators in the state are now saying they won't follow the order if cases don't start to go down.
ALBERTO CARVALHO, SUPERINTENDENT, MIAMI DATE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS: I think it would be counterintuitive with positivity cases increasing, with restaurants just this week being shut down again for us to pack up schools.
GOLODRYGA: In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott said schools would have to offer more flexibility. In Arizona Governor Doug Ducey, announced that in-person classes would be delayed until at least August 17th.
In California Governor Gavin Newsom saying that schools will reopen when the data says it is safe to do so. Experts say, it didn't have to be this frustrating but there still is time to get it right.
[01:39:50]
JOSEPH ALLEN, HOWARD T.H. CHAN SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH: The time to plan is absolutely right now. In particular, when we think about healthy building strategies, schools have to be paying attention to and looking at their mechanical and ventilation systems right now. This is not something that can be started in early August.
GOLODRYGA: Bianna Golodryga, CNN -- New York.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Disney parks reopening in Florida despite that sharp increase in virus cases, but yes, can expect quite a few changes because of the pandemic.
We'll have a live report when we come back.
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HOLMES: The Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida reopened two of its parks over the weekend, even as the state is seeing a surge in coronavirus cases. Guests were welcomed back to the Magic Kingdom, also the Animal Kingdom.
For the first time in almost four months, social distancing encouraged, even if it doesn't look like it sometimes. The remaining two parks are set to reopen this week.
CNN's Eleni Giokos joins me now from Johannesburg.
You know, I guess a lot of precautions but a lot of people wondering why the state is reopening at a time when the state is breaking records for infection?
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, absolutely Michael. You've got to think of it this way. Corporate America has been trying to get back on its feet and adjust to its new normal. And we know that Disney says that it was the first park to shut its doors, over four months ago, and the first, of course, to think about whether they should be reopening, but the last to do so.
Universal, and Sea World have been operating since mid June. And Disney says that it took a very cautious approach as to whether they should open their doors once again.
[01:44:55] GIOKOS: You have to think about it this way. That Disney is the single largest employer in the U.S. at a single site of 75,000 people.
So the mechanics of bringing people back to work was definitely no easy feat. You've got to think about safety protocols. You've got to think about retraining people as well.
And then you also got to make sure that you are going to deal with the thousands of people that are going to be attending. One way that they mitigated that is by selling tickets online. And then, of course, you've got to make sure that people adheres to the new rules, social distancing.
I mean we've seen these long queues; we know what it's like to actually wait even to get into the rides. And of course, a lot of particles have been put in place.
You've also got to think about it this way. Food is another big draw card. Restaurateurs have now spaced out tables further apart.
Mandatory mask wearing, that is going to be very vital, as well, and of course, Disney says that it's successfully opened other theme parks around the world and is planning to open two more just this week.
HOLMES: All right. Eleni, good to see you. Eleni Giokos there in Johannesburg for us.
Now this just in to us here at CNN. The NFL's Washington Redskins plan to announce on Monday they are changing the team's nickname. Even though reports that say that the new name itself won't be revealed until a later date because of trademark issues.
Tut they are going to make the announcement of the change. The Team said earlier this month it is going to review the Redskins nickname, which has long been criticized as offensive to Native Americans, of course.
The team has faced pressure from corporate sponsors in recent days and weeks. FedEx which has the naming rights to the team's stadium, well, they called for a name change as well.
And then brands like Nike and Amazon have dropped Redskins merchandise from their stores so as fair bit of pressure applied.
Mexico now officially has surpassed Italy for the fourth highest coronavirus death toll in the world, now at more than 35,000. Sunday's figures were released just hours after the Mexican president said the pandemic is quote, "losing intensity" even though the country's daily case totals have been rising consistently throughout the pandemic.
In the days ahead, Brazil is expected to confirm two million cases of the virus. The country has already reported more than 72,000 fatalities, making it the second worst outbreak in the world after the U.S. And with thousands of new cases being conserved each day, the crisis there showing little sign of easing. Still, President Jair Bolsonaro continues to downplay the threat as he has all along, as he even recovers from his own COVID-19 infection. He is urging local officials to reopen their economies, saying the country is on the brink of recession.
And thousands of Venezuelans who migrated to Colombia in search of a better life are now trying to return home as the coronavirus outbreak in Colombia gets worse. But very few of them are being allowed back in, and it is creating a new crisis at the border between the countries.
Stefano Pozzebon reports.
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STEFANO POZZEBON, CNN CORRESPONDENT: A familiar sight. Families trying desperately to cross Venezuela's borders. Only this time instead of fleeing, they are trying to get back into the country they worked so hard to escape.
They traveled all over South America in search of economic opportunities and a better life, but as the coronavirus pandemic took root, those jobs evaporated and their ability to pay for rent and food disappeared.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I came from Chile; I am 16 and I have walked for three months.
POZZEBON: With cases of COVID-19 on the rise throughout the region, they know they will still be at risk for the virus in Venezuela. But at least, they will be home.
The Colombia-Venezuela border crossing has been closed since March. The government of embattled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has called its own citizens biological weapons and accused Colombia and other governments of infecting them with COVID-19 to spread the pandemic across Venezuela. Colombia called the accusation deplorable and miserable.
Everyday only a few hundred of the most vulnerable migrants are allowed to reenter. The rest have to wait in a makeshift migrant camp.
This place on the border with Venezuela is where all these movement of people collide and come together. There are people who have just arrived from the interior of Colombia and from Ecuador and Peru -- people who are being taken today to other centers before being allowed to transit through Venezuela.
And there are many people who are staying here, sometimes for days, sometimes for weeks.
[01:49:40]
POZZEBON: Social distancing does not exist in this (INAUDIBLE) camp. The conditions here present a separate risk -- without toilets and raw sewage, children and families are exposed to other serious illnesses. Many of these migrants have walked thousands of miles across the Andes
to get here. Francisco Alvarado (INAUDIBLE) -- he says he has been living in this camp for more than a week.
FRANCISCO ALVARADO: I have been to four countries -- Brazil, Chile, Peru, Ecuador. Now I am stuck here.
POZZEBON: The next day, he loses consciousness and things. He must be taken to the emergency room. His friend Herman Martinez tells us Alvarado has convulsions several times a day and he's pleading for medicines to control them, medicines, he can't afford. And as an undocumented immigrant. He's only able to access emergency medical care.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every day is the same. The doctor's help him for the day. But they can't do much else.
POZZEBON: As night falls, more waiting and uncertainty for Alvarado. Other families are still on the road making their way here, many unaware of the bottleneck they are about to face.
So many who have made this journey are hopeful that the next day will mean its their turn to go home. But the reality is most will continue to be turned away from Venezuela, a land that has failed them once again.
Stefano Pozzebon, CNN -- Cucuta, Colombia.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: Well, a Bollywood legend has been hospitalized after being infected with COVID-19. And now fans, showing their support as other famous family members also test positive. We will have that when we come back.
[01:51:22]
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HOLMES: Three of Bollywood's biggest stars have tested positive for the coronavirus. CNN's Vedika Sud has their story.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
VEDIKA SUD, CNN PRODUCER: Bollywood Royalty, one of the most famous families in India. But in a series of tweets family members say all three generations of the acting dynasty has tested positive for COVID- 19.
Two have been hospitalized including the family patriarch, veteran (INAUDIBLE) star Amitabh Bachchan and his son actor Abhishek Bachchan who says they have mild symptoms.
The younger Bachchan tweeted on Sunday that his wife actress Aishwarya Bachchan and their daughter are also infected. Rya (ph) Bachchan was a celebrity even before she married into the
family. A former Miss World, she is a model who has worked for many global brands and was once dubbed the most beautiful women in the world.
Fans say they are praying for the entire family especially the elder Bachchan. Popularly known as Big B who has starred in more than 180 films with a career spanning more than 50 years, one admirer says, "It seems like not only he has fallen sick but an entire era has become sick. We know that he is a fighter and he needs prayers and medical treatment.
The hospital says both father and son are in stable condition. But with so many family members sick, teams in hazmat suits have gathered at a family house to clean it. A health official says, "We are also going to sanitize the houses in the neighborhood so that they don't face any problems."
As well-wishers express their hopes for a speedy recovery, the family's plight is a message of its own. That not even wealth, glamour and fame can protect against the coronavirus.
Vedika Sun, CNN -- New Delhi.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
HOLMES: I am Michael Holmes. Back in a couple of minutes.
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