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President Trump Embrace Wrong Theory than Facts from Science; Hospitals in Florida Run Out of ICU Beds; Bahamas Impose Travel Ban to U.S.; Hong Kong Takes Aggressive Action as COVID Cases Increases; Countries Racing to Develop COVID Vaccine. Aired 3-4a ET
Aired July 20, 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 in the United States and all around the world. You are watching CNN Newsroom. And I'm Rosemary Church.
Just ahead, every single day more and more Americans are dying because of the coronavirus. As cases surge, President Trump's false claims conflict with science and the real numbers that tell a very different story.
The situation is dire in the U.S. state of Florida, ICU beds are full as another 12,000 people are diagnosed with the virus.
And the Bahamas, taking precautions to keep residents safe by closing access to U.S. tourists.
Good to have you with us.
A tale of two pandemics in the United States. One vision presented by the president, the other by facts on the ground. This hour the U.S. case counts stands at more than 3.7 million, with more than 140,000 deaths.
In California, Los Angeles reported the highest number of hospitalizations in a single day so far, and the mayor says he may issue new lockdown orders.
Florida's intensive care units are filling up, there is no more ICU beds in at least 49 hospitals. But in an interview with Fox News, the President Donald Trump focused on one data point to the exclusion of all others and got it wrong.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA: When you talk about mortality rates, I think it's the opposite. I think we have one of the lowest mortality rates.
CHRIS WALLACE, FOX NEWS ANCHOR: It's not true, sir. TRUMP: Well, we're going to take a look.
(CROSSTALK)
WALLACE: We had 900 deaths in a single day.
TRUMP: We will take a look. This week --
TRUMP: Ready?
WALLACE: You can check it out.
TRUMP: Could you please get me the mortality rate? UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
TRUMP: Kayleigh is right here. I heard we have one of the lowest, maybe the lowest mortality rate anywhere in the world.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: The U.S. tanked 7th out of 20 according to Johns Hopkins University, worse than Brazil or Russia. On Saturday both North Carolina and Georgia set new records for single day case counts. The same day Arizona reported a record death toll. But in his interview Mr. Trump threatened funding for schools that don't reopen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: Schools have to open, young people have to go to school, and there's problems when you don't go to school too. And there is going to be a funding problem because we're not going to fund when they don't open their schools, we're not going to fund them, we're not going to give them money if they are not going to school.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: And Mr. Trump dismissed questions about his previous statements that the virus would simply disappear.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: I will be right eventually.
WALLACE: I understand.
TRUMP: You know, I said it's going to disappear. I'll say it again, it's going to disappear.
WALLACE: But does that -- dos that discredit you?
TRUMP: I don't think so. Right? You know why it doesn't discredit me? Because I've been right probably more than anybody else.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHURCH: CNN's Jeremy Diamond has more details of President Trump's interview.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well coronavirus cases have been surging once again in the United States over the last month, month and a half. And yet, President Trump seems to still be denying the reality of the situation. The reality that cases are indeed surging, that new records are being broken in terms of new case numbers every week, sometimes multiple times a week.
President Trump in an interview on Sunday instead focused much more on defending his administration, his handling of this pandemic, deflecting blame. And once again, making false claims including the repeatedly debunked claim that the rise in coronavirus cases is related to increase testing in the United States.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
WALLACE: Do you still talk about it as, quote, "burning embers?" But I want to put up a chart that shows where we are with the illness over the last four months. As you can see, we hit peak here in April. Thirty-six thousand cases --
TRUMP: It's cases.
WALLACE: -- a day.
TRUMP: Yes. Cases.
WALLACE: Then it went down, and now since June it has gone up more than doubled one day this week 75,000 --
TRUMP: That's right.
WALLACE: -- new cases more than double --
(CROSSTALK)
TRUMP: Chris, that's because we have great testing. Because we have the best testing the world. If we didn't test, you won't be able to show that chart. If we tested half as much, those numbers would be down.
(CROSSTALK)
WALLACE: But this isn't burning embers, sir, this is a forest fire.
TRUMP: No, no, but I don't say. I said flames. We'll put out the flames, and we'll put out, in some cases, just burning embers. We also have burning embers. We have embers, and we do have flames.
[03:05:09]
DIAMOND: Now the reality of the situation is that while testing has been up about 37 percent, cases of coronavirus in the United States are up 194 percent. And the gap in those two rates of increase is even more startling when you look at some of the hotspots like Florida, and Arizona, and Texas.
And yet, President Trump it seems continues to make this false claim. It was just one of several from the president in this interview, he also tried to favorably compared the United States mortality rates to other countries, he also tried to compared the situation in the United States more favorably to what's happening in the European Union which has not seen this most recent surge of coronavirus cases like the United States.
President Trump was also busy trying to downplay the advice of some of the government's foremost public health experts. The president once again undermining the credibility of Dr. Anthony Fauci, even as he insisted that there is no campaign to undermine Fauci.
But really, it's about something broader. Because the president was also disagreeing repeatedly with the CDC. Disagreeing with the notion put forward by the CDC director, Dr. Robert Redfield, that masks, if every American wore masks for the next four to eight weeks, coronavirus could be in much better shape in the United States. The president rejecting that advice out of hand, and again, just the latest instance of the president butting heads with the science.
Jeremy Diamond, CNN, the White House.
CHURCH: And Florida is the new epicenter of the coronavirus in the U.S. The state reported more than 12,000 new cases on Sunday.
CNN's Randi Kaye has more now from West Palm Beach.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
RANDI KAYE, CNN INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER: More trouble in terms of numbers and coronavirus here in the state of Florida in the last 24 hours another 12,478 new cases. Here in the state now more than 350,000 cases statewide. Also, another 87 deaths, bringing the total now to just under 5,000 deaths across the state.
Also, this is the 4th day this month that we've seen more than 12,000 cases in a single day reported of coronavirus here in the state of Florida. Statewide, more than 9,000 people are hospitalized. Those numbers do seem to be holding steady.
And in Miami-Dade in southern Florida, one of the hardest hit counties, still troubled with those ICU beds. Now at 127 percent capacity, so they have no ICU beds left to give. In fact, in Miami- Dade, more than 2,000 people are hospitalized with COVID-19. Five hundred seven patients in the ICU, and 286 patients on ventilators.
Also, dozens of hospitals, close to 50 hospitals across the state are also without any ICU beds. So, this is certainly a problem here in the state of Florida. On a bright note, the governor has secured about 30,000 vials of Remdesivir, which we know is a proven treatment for COVID-19.
Those should be arriving just hours from now. Those suppliers will go directly to the hospital, he went to the White House seeking that supply, and apparently, it will be coming here in just the next few hours or days ahead.
All right. Back to you.
CHURCH: And joining me now from Los Angeles, Dr. Armand Dorian, the chief medical officer of the University of Southern California's Verdugo Hills Hospital. Thank you, doctor, and for all that you do.
ARMAND DORIAN, CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, USC VERDUGO HILLS HOSPITAL: Thank you for having me, Rosemary.
CHURCH: Now President Trump is still repeating his false claim that an increase in testing is what's causing the spike in cases across this country. In fact, testing is up 37 percent. But cases are up 194 percent. So, the president is very wrong on that issue. What do you believe is behind the surge in cases, and can this trend be turned around before we hit the flu season?
DORIAN: Well, look, I always have to start by being positive. There is absolutely no point in being negative as a physician, and as a chief medical officer in my position. We have to believe that we could turn the train around. But it's very obvious why this is occurring. People are unmasked, and they are socializing, not social distancing, and spreading the virus.
The number of tests you're taking does increase the number of positives. But that's not what we're talking about. Please, it's very simple. It's the percent that are positive is going up. If I shoot a ball 10 times, and I make five shots, and now I shoot 100 shots, the same percentage would be 50. But that's not the case. The percent is going up. We are now turning the 50 into a 70, 80, 90, and this is truly a disaster.
CHURCH: That is really sobering. And doctor, President Trump also falsely claims other nations with fewer cases don't do enough testing. That's his reasoning there.
[03:10:07]
And says the U.S. is the envy of the world due to its testing levels, but right now, unfortunately, the U.S. only leads the world in its death toll and its cases. And all this as the president calls this country's most trusted doctor, Anthony Fauci, a bit of an alarmist, even as coronavirus cases are spiking everywhere, and hospitalizations are surging. Should we all be alarmed by what's happening in this country? Are you alarmed?
DORIAN: Yes. Plain and simple. I'm not panicking, I'm not acting irrationally, but I'm alarmed. If I see something that is going to happen, that and is going to provide a negative outcome, I have to react, I have to have an alarm that goes off.
So, if I see a train that is going to crash into a house, I would be alarmed. Look, closing your eyes to this, doesn't mean it goes away. This problem is only growing. I don't know how many hundreds of thousands of people have to die before we really wake up. The number of people that are getting infected is increasing, and yes,
a small percentage die. But what is one life, what is 10 lives, what are 100 lives? Usually, for most they would be human to the fact that they would feel when somebody is saying that they are dying.
But what if it's your family member? Will that make a difference? Come on. We really need to wake up here. And we got to stop the charades.
CHURCH: And doctor, what are you seeing in your hospital? Because you are treating COVID-19 patients there, what is their main reason for getting infected? And talk to us about what you deal with day-to-day.
DORIAN: Well, the reason people are getting infected is because they are now not stay at home and they're out. And in the process of going out we could have done it the right way. And unfortunately, many people, politicized it to the point where wearing a mask became a right. And it became something that was not protected.
We're telling you to wear a mask, not because of the political party you're in, we are asking you to wear a mask because it's the right thing to do to protect yourself and your loved ones. And what has happened is because of the many reasons that people got out and socialize, they did not distance themselves physically from, others they did not mask, they did not sanitize, they got infected, and continue to spread.
Remember, one person will infect 1,000 people in one month. It is an alarming -- it is an alarming statistic. Let's just step back. The first week of February was the first positive case, the first death in the U.S. February. We're only a few months away from that day, and look at the state that we're in. Where do we think this is headed? The vaccine is not going to be around any time soon.
So, if we're not going to come together and do the right thing, we're headed for disaster.
CHURCH: Yes. We have to look at the numbers. Numbers don't lie. And doctor, a South Korean study has found that older kids spread the coronavirus just as much as adults do. That goes against the federal government's push to open schools in the midst of this spike in cases.
Their justification is the kids don't spread don't spread this virus as much as adults do. And clearly, that's not the case if we are to believe this new study. Talk to us about your response to that, because there is this push by the federal government, even a threat from President Trump that he will take funds away, cut funds to schools that don't open up classroom and take -- and take kids in.
DORIAN: Rosemary, what said was exactly true. Look, everybody, every parent wants to open schools. That's a no-brainer. But we cannot open schools in the current situation. If the numbers are going down, if we have a handle of this pandemic, then we can gradually open schools in a safe manner. But when we are in the heat of the battle, when the numbers are increasing, how can we open our schools? It makes no sense. Look, to start talking about whether young people transmitted more or
less, those things are just noise. Understand the fact that you can't open anything, whether it's a school or a business if you are in the midst of numbers going up. So that's plain and simple.
Let's get a handle of this. Let's control it. Let's get back to where we were, and then start a new the right way. Masking, distancing, and sanitizing, and gradually focus. If we just fight to open schools it's not just going to happen because you're fighting for it. We got to do the right thing. Don't think you can have your dessert if you haven't eaten your meal. We got to put the work in to be able to reap the rewards of being able to open our schools again.
Do the right thing, people, use your reason. This is doable but not by just forcing it or mandating it. You got to do the right thing.
[03:15:07]
CHURCH: Powerful message there. Dr. Armand Dorian, thank you so much and for all that you do. We appreciate it.
DORIAN: Thank you.
CHURCH: And the U.S. is now on another travel ban list. The Bahamas will be closing its borders to visitors from the United States and other coronavirus hot spots after a surge of cases in the country. The European Union has already banned U.S. travelers.
CNN's Patrick Oppmann has more now from Havana.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The Bahamian government on Sunday said it will be closing borders with the United States and other coronavirus hot spots to stem the spread of the virus on those islands.
Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Minnis made the announcement a nationally televised address, and acknowledge that while the closure will hurt the Bahamas which depends on tourism from the United States, Florida, in particular, but he said that continuing to remain open will put Bahamian lives at risk.
The Bahamas is only been open since July 1st, before then, the island had been closed down international tourism, and since reopening even though visitors were required to have a coronavirus negative tests within 10 days of traveling. All the same though, the Bahamas says that they have seen a spike in cases.
And starting on Wednesday will only accept visitors coming from Canada, the United Kingdom, and the European Union who can show that they had been tested, and tested negatively in the previous 10 days.
This closure will a big impact on the economy, it will probably close -- cause many businesses, hotels and restaurants depending on tourism to once again close. Some of these had just opened in the last several days. But the prime minister said that if they had not closed, if they have announced this closure that the Bahamas was facing, in his words, being overrun with the coronavirus.
Patrick Oppmann, CNN, Havana.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHURCH: And Hong Kong is tightening social distancing measures further after recording its highest daily increase in coronavirus cases since the pandemic began. More than 100 new infections were confirmed Sunday.
The surging is prompting city authorities to expand the mandatory use of face masks to include all enclosed public places. All non-essential civil workers are being told to work from home for the coming week.
And CNN's Will Ripley is in Hong Kong. He joins us now live. Good to see you, Will. So, Hong Kong's chief executive Carrie Lam calls the situation critical. How are people there responding to stricter social distancing measures and what's the scene on the streets there?
WILL RIPLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, I was just out on the street within the last couple of hours, Rosemary, and it's incredible how normal things feel, except for the fact that everybody is wearing a face mask. I was out for a couple of hours, I didn't see one person not wearing a mask in central Hong Kong which shows that the government messaging seems to be working. Also, probably, the fact that you can be fined if you're in certain areas like public transit, you know, and you're not wearing a mask, and somebody catch easy, you do have to pay several hundred dollars.
You know, you look at the number of cases here in Hong Kong within the next couple of days if the daily numbers are consistent with the weekend, which is, you know, around 100 cases or more every day. Which by the way, it's the first time Hong Kong has ever hit 100 cases per day since the start of this pandemic.
We should hit the 2,000 mark in terms of total cases since the pandemic began, you know, in a day or two. Two thousand cases total for the city. And you're talking about a dozen deaths so far, four of them have been in the last week and a half or so.
A lot of cities will be thrilled to have this kind of number, Hong Kong, not at all. Listen to the chief executive Carrie Lam.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
CARRIE LAM, HONG KONG CHIEF EXECUTIVE (through translator): The situation is really critical. And there is no sign the situation is being brought under control. That's why this morning I have called a high meeting level to consider our response, and we know later on today with these latest figures we've announced by the Center for Health Protection, there would be more than 100 confirmed cases.
That is a single day high since the start of the epidemic. And we believe the public will be very much concerned and worried. (END VIDEO CLIP)
RIPLEY: And people really are concerned. You know, talking over the weekend with friends, particularly locals who were here during the SARS outbreak more than 15 years ago, and lived with the terror of hundreds of people in Hong Kong dying from SARS.
This city has been very proactive in the way it has handled COVID-19, shutting down its borders early, taking these social distancing measures very seriously, shutting down businesses, even with even fewer cases than what we're seeing right now.
[03:19:55]
And I think the reason, Rosemary, why Hong Kong does continue to have such a low number, is because they are taking things so seriously right off the bat. They don't want to see 100 cases per day turn into 200 or 500.
But as it is right now, more -- about 75 percent of the COVID-19 wards in the city are full. So, you only have 25, 35 percent capacity remaining. And if you start getting a lot more cases, and a lot more people who need to be hospitalized, you could run out of hospital beds here.
And that is a nightmare scenario the city is trying to prevent. They adding more beds, and hope to have more in place by the end of the week, Rosemary.
CHURCH: They are responding quickly. 2,000 cases there. Nearly four million in the United States. The difference in response is just astounding.
CNN's Will Ripley joining us live from Hong Kong. Many thanks.
And still ahead, a CNN exclusive. We take you inside Russia's coronavirus vaccine lab. Moscow claims it's near a breakthrough. Why the speed of the country's progress is raising concerns and questions. Back with that in just a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: The United Kingdom will get early access to millions of vaccine doses. The British government announced a new partnership that has secured early access to more than 90 million vaccine doses. They will also get antibody treatments that neutralize COVID-19.
[03:25:08]
The deal follows a global licensing agreement between AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford to research, develop and manufacture a vaccine for the public.
Well, it is a race being run by countries all around the world. The scramble to find a coronavirus vaccine. Russia is no exception. Researchers in Moscow say they are on the brink of success. But their rapid progress is racing some serious questions.
CNN's senior international correspondent Matthew Chance joins us now live from Moscow with an exclusive report. Good to see you, Matthew. So, what are you learning about the serious questions being raised about how Russia has come so far, so quickly with its potential vaccine?
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Right. There are a lot of serious legal and ethical questions about that, but what Russian scientists say is that they're at the forefront of global efforts to find a coronavirus vaccine.
They've reported rapid progress in human trials, and now Russian officials are telling CNN that they expect a virus to be in production, approved as early as next month, possibly -- possibly before anybody else can develop and produce an effective treatment.
Well, those claims of vaccine success are emerging from one lab here in the center of Moscow. For the first time we can take you inside and give you an exclusive look at the kind of work that's under way there.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
CHANCE: For Russia, the search for a coronavirus vaccine is a global race. It's at this research lab in Moscow where it hopes to win. Access to the Gamaleya Institute is tightly controlled. No CNN cameras were allowed through these doors, but they did give us exclusive footage of the sensitive scientific work taking place inside. A unique glimpse of Russia's rapid push for a coronavirus vaccine.
They even sent recorded comments from their director who controversially injected himself before human trials officially began.
ALEXANDER GINSBURG, DIRECTOR, GAMALEYA INSTITUTE (through translator): It has become a task of unprecedented complexity. In a very short time, we have to create a vaccine against this disease.
CHANCE: But that need for speed in Russia means corners may have been cut. Russian soldiers, all volunteers, according to the defense ministry, were used in the first phase of human trials. The now allegations denied by the Kremlin that Russian spies have been hacking U.S., British, and Canadian labs to steal their coronavirus secrets.
Allegations also rejected by the head of the organization funding much of Russia's coronavirus research.
Russia desperately needs to develop and wants to develop a vaccine. Isn't that one reason why the Kremlin would try and get ahead by stealing other nations' vaccine secrets?
KIRILL DMITRIEV, CEO, RUSSIAN DIRECT INVESTMENT FUND: Well, first of all, Matthew, we are very surprised by the timing of this, because basically it happened the next day after we announced that we expect approval of our vaccine in August.
CHANCE: Sure. But how do you explain that extraordinary speed? I mean, other countries are working flat-out. Why would Russia be so far ahead? I mean, there are allegations, there are concerns that this country's been cutting corners when it comes to its research.
DMITRIEV: Our vaccine is based on a proven vaccine platform. It was a vaccine against Ebola. It was a vaccine against MERS. And our scientists just substituted Ebola and MERS codes with the spike of the coronavirus.
CHANCE: Adjusting an old vaccine to work with the new coronavirus instead. Details remain sketchy, but it's that clinical strategy, not hacking, officials say, giving this Russian lab the edge.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
CHANCE: Rosemary, as a country with one of the highest numbers of coronavirus infections in the world, Russia is, of course, highly motivated to get their first and to find a vaccine for the disease. Latest figures just come through to us.
More than 6,000 new infections reported in the past 24-hour period, bringing to just over 770,000 people who have confirmed with coronavirus in Russia alone. Rosemary?
CHURCH: All right. Matthew Chance bringing us up to date on the situation there from Moscow. Many thanks.
Well, confusion in Georgia at a time when clarity is needed. How Atlanta businesses find themselves in the middle of a political fight over which virus guidelines to follow. We'll have those details on the other side of the break. Stay with us.
[03:30:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
CHURCH: Well, there are competing pictures of coronavirus in the United States. One offered by the president. The other by facts on the ground. The U.S. Has more than 3.7 million cases and 140,000 deaths. But President Donald Trump downplayed the virus in an interview Sunday and defended his response.
This as new cases spike, including here in Georgia. The state set a new record for single-day case counts on Saturday. And as the pandemic surges, Brian Kemp, the governor of Georgia, has started a legal battle against Keisha Lance Bottoms, Atlanta's mayor. It's because Lance Bottoms issued a mask mandate in the city and Governor Kemp doesn't want her to do that.
Natasha Chen talks about how the battle is affecting businesses for the worst.
NATASHA CHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: The politics of how to fight COVID- 19 have played out on all levels of government. From the White House to statehouses to county commissions and city halls. But now in Georgia, a high-stakes battle between the statehouse and Atlanta's city hall has turned into something of a food fight. At least for some Atlanta restaurants.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. BRIAN KEMP (R-GA): Mayor Bottoms' mask mandate cannot be enforced. But her decision to shutter businesses and undermine economic growth is devastating.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHEN: Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has sued Atlanta's mayor and city council over its rollback to phase one, which he says is unenforceable. While the mayor, Keisha Lance bottoms, has instituted a mask mandate and is calling on the city's restaurants to return to curbside pickup and delivery only as cases of COVID-19 soar.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MAYOR KEISHA LANCE BOTTOMS (D-GA): It is a complete waste of time and money to file suit against the capital city of the state in which he is supposed to lead.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHEN: Kemp says no local mandate can be more or less restrictive than statewide executive orders. He said he filed the suit on behalf of struggling Atlanta businesses, but if his lawsuit is a dish best served cold, some Atlanta restaurant owners say it's just feeding the fire.
[03:35:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
LISA SPOONER, CO-OWNER, HOME GROWN: Grow up. Be adults.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHEN: Kevin Clark and his partner Lisa Spooner own Home Grown, an Atlanta restaurant that was cited in Kemp's lawsuit as an example of a business suffering from the mayor's actions.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SPOONER: We would benefit more if they came together and made a universal decision together on their own as adults working together to help this community, not a lawsuit that, to me, just makes it further apart as opposed to closer together.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHEN: They decided to close Home Grown again, since they said they would operate at a loss doing only takeout. But without concrete guidance from local and state leaders, others have stayed open.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ZEB STEVENSON, CHEF, REDBIRD: It's just the wild west. It's what, you know, a lot of people, you know, it's like the wild west. You do what you want.
CHEN: Yes.
STEVENSON: Like, a patio, you close, you're open.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHEN: Chef Stevenson of the Atlanta restaurant Redbird said just the act of shutting down and reopening again cost thousands of dollars.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVENSON: We feel like a child in between two parents who are going through a divorce right now. And I say "we" as -- as normal people and business people. We -- one of them is saying this and one of them is saying that, and we're not sure that either one of them is sending the message because they think it's what's best for us. We kind of feel like they're sending the message because they feel it's what's best for their political career.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHEN: Stevenson has kept Redbird open for now with strict protocols to protect people's health because he said his customers have demanded the experience of sitting down inside. He also had some customers calling to cancel reservations after the mayor's rollback, but either way, there's no winning.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
STEVENSON: It feels very unsafe to make statements right now. Because the population is so divided about the best way that anybody should be doing anything.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CHEN: Natasha Chen, CNN, Atlanta.
CHURCH: Joining me now from Rome, Georgia, State Senator Chuck Hufstetler. Thank you so much, Senator, for being with us.
STATE SEN. CHUCK HUFSTETLER (R-GA): It's great to be with you. With your hours here in Georgia, it's hard for me to watch your show very often, but it's great to be on it.
CHURCH: Wonderful. And I do want to mention, too, that you're not only a state senator, you are also an anesthetist at the hospital there in Rome, Georgia. So I do want to start by asking you where you stand with the wearing of face coverings. Do you support the science that tells us wearing a mask will protect those around us and also partially protect ourselves from the coronavirus?
HUFSTETLER: Well, as an anesthetist, we've got several in medicine in the Senate, but I'm the only one that works in critical care. So sometimes I have a different perspective, but I certainly believe that people should be wearing masks.
Dr. Fauci, the CDC, our own Kathleen Toomey at the Department of Public Health in Georgia, all medical experts say that it helps. It's very similar to me to a seat belt. You know, it doesn't guarantee you're not going to die in a car crash, but it greatly improves your odds.
You know, you wear a seat belt, you keep your distance, you don't speed and your odds greatly improve. Same here. I've been wearing a mask and washing my hands, you know. And now with this, we need the social distancing, the odds greatly improve. I believe if people were doing all those, we would not even have to shut things down. That we would flatten the curve enough, like we did back in March and April. We could do it again.
CHURCH: Right.
HUFSTETLER: So, we could live a fairly normal life if we all wore masks. So, I did want to ask you because the state of Georgia broke its own single-day record of COVID-19 cases at more than 4,600, yet we see the Georgia governor overturning the mayor of Atlanta's mask mandate and her safety precautions and efforts to slow up the opening of the city.
Governor Kemp is even suing Atlanta's mayor and now the onus falls on businesses to enforce mask wearing to ensure businesses are safe. The rights of individual apparently seem more important than the health of individuals, with some still questioning that science behind the wearing of masks.
Where do you stand on that battleground politically? Behind the Republican governor of the same party as your own or the Democratic mayor?
HUFSTETLER: Well you know, they both want people to wear mask. One wants to use a carrot, the other a stick. I don't think it does any good to get into the middle of that, but I do think people should wear masks. I have seen the 15 states and the district of Columbia that mandated them have had a slower growth rate.
So, however we get it done, I know he's even said, you know, there won't be University of Georgia football. Trying to appeal to some people. I guess he's got season tickets there, so it appeals to me. But we need to get compliance, and 80 percent compliance would flatten the curve, 95 percent would just about eradicate it, I think. And whichever method works, we need to do to get compliance in this state.
CHURCH: Well, Senator, you seem to be the voice of reason here. So, why do you think we're seeing politics drive this health crisis instead of science?
[03:40:03]
Because the reality here is with the seat belt issue, the analogy used there, we made it that you have to -- it was against the law not to wear a seat belt. Otherwise people wouldn't wear seat belts. And that's what we're seeing with masks. If they're told they don't have to then they won't. For the most part.
HUFSTETLER: Yes, and it was -- it was difficult, I think pickup trucks in Georgia was just last year we finally got the seat belts in the back seat. That's been a tough battle, too. But it makes a huge difference. And it's really disappointing to me, you know, to see the people out there that are trying to run some story that says masks don't work or they'll say that masks are bad for your health.
I mean, a lot of us in medicine have been wearing masks for decades. And they do make a difference. And I think we're still healthy in spite of it. I know one guy was running a 10k to prove a point. And why people are choosing this to, you know, draw a constitutional issue, I don't understand.
I mean, it's real adolescent behavior to not do this. You know, with freedom comes responsibility. And people are forgetting about the responsibility part. They're reading too many fake stories.
CHURCH: Yes.
HUFSTETLER: It's -- it's really clear that they make a difference to those of us in medicine.
CHURCH: Yes, I'm scratching my head along with you. Let me tell you. And President Trump says case numbers are up because of testing. But we know that's not true. Tests are up 37 percent while cases are up 194 percent. So, he not telling people the truth on that.
And we know, too, that test results are taking around four to six days, sometimes longer, in fact, to come back to people. What is going on with the testing? Not only in the state of Georgia but across the country.
HUFSTETLER: Well, because of the behavior and the big increases that we've seen, you know, the record number, like you said, in my own hospital we had gotten the instant testing, and everyone that came in I knew within an hour -- they had been tested before I got them in surgery. It's a game-changer.
I'm feeling comfortable, as of Monday that won't be the case anymore because the numbers have overwhelmed the tests again, and I've got to treat everybody, you know, as if they were positive and be geared back up. I shaved my beard yesterday. Everybody's got to sacrifice a little bit. I got to make sure the N95 fits. I had to shave it back in March and thought that was over.
The thing is, I think the last four people that we tested that were positive, and a lot of the data will say that the highest viral load is before the symptoms even show up. But all of them were asymptomatic. They had no idea. They were surprised as anybody else.
And so that's going away just because of the volume of the cases. And I'm disappointed we didn't have a better, you know, strategy on testing as a whole in this country because we've got to test or we've got to shelter in one. And I'd rather it be the testing and people taking safe procedures than hurting the economy. I mean, that's the thing. If people would wear their masks and wash their hands, the economy is going to improve. Because it's --
(CROSSTALK)
CHURCH: It is a critical message. Senator, thank you for joining us. And as a doctor, thank you for all you do in your hospital. I appreciate it.
HUFSTETLER: All right. Thank you.
CHURCH: And still ahead, trading blame over fresh unrest. President Donald Trump faces off with Oregon officials over scenes like this. We'll have the details for you just ahead.
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CHURCH: To Portland, Oregon now, where President Trump Donald Trump and state officials are facing off over who's to blame for fresh unrest. Mr. Trump says he is trying to help by sending in federal law enforcement to take control of protests. But local and state officials say that's making scenes like this even worse.
They say federal officers are using police state tactics like grabbing people off the street and taking them away in unmarked vehicles. Oregon's attorney general has filed a lawsuit, calling for an investigation.
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ELLEN ROSENBLUM, OREGON ATTORNEY GENERAL: Every American needs to be concerned about what's happening here in Portland. You know, these federal agencies are operating with no transparency and against the will of just about every leader in our state, and I assume it will be the same in other states where they show up. But Portland is currently the poster child for this administration. They are using us, sort of throwing mud on the wall to see if this is an issue that might stick for the president.
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CHURCH: Portland has seen weeks of protests over racial inequality and police violence.
CNN's Josh Campbell has the latest.
JOSH CAMPBELL, CNN LAW ENFORCEMENT ANALYST: Another weekend of protests here in the city of Portland, both downtown outside of the federal building that served as the epicenter for well over 50 days of protest, but over the weekend, we also saw an incident take place behind me. We're at a police union building, north Portland where protesters were
outside demonstrating peacefully, rioters came and set this building on fire. Now, police tried to push back a number of demonstrators to get them out of this area as this blaze was burning here behind me.
Downtown outside the courthouse, another protest was going on. Authorities had erected a metal fence outside that bidding, trying to keep protesters back. The protesters were able to disassemble that fencing in a matter of minutes. That causing the police to come out in full force, launching crowd disbursements, coming out using batons and tear gas.
Our team was teargassed along with some of our local media colleagues who had been on the ground reporting on this since all of this began. One thing we're hearing from them is that there has been a noticeable shift in the tone of some of these protests which occurred after the Trump administration had ordered an influx of federal resources into the city of Portland.
Now, the president and his administration says that they're doing so to protect federal property. The protesters say that that is agitating them. That is fueling a lot of their frustration. A lot of their anger. Now, the protesters aren't alone in calling for the feds to leave. Some local city officials here in Portland are also doing the same.
Our colleague Jake Tapper spoke over the weekend on CNN's State of the Union with the mayor of Portland who had some very critical words for President Donald Trump.
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MAYOR TED WHEELER (D), PORTLAND, OREGON: What's happening here is we have dozens if not hundreds of federal troops descending upon our city. And what they're doing is they are sharply escalating the situation. Their presence here is actually leading to more violence and more vandalism. And it's not helping the situation at all.
[03:49:55]
They're not wanted here. And what we're seeing is a blatant abuse of police tactics by the federal government, by a Trump administration that's falling in the polls. And this is a direct threat to our democracy.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
CAMPBELL: Now, the standoff continues between federal officials and local officials as well as the protesters with no end in sight.
As that takes place, we're also learning that three very powerful members of the U.S. House of Representatives, three Democrats who chair very powerful committees are calling on the top watchdogs at the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department to launch independent investigations into the actions of federal officers both here in Portland as well as in other places where we've seen protests, and we've seen police using what they claim are very aggressive tactics.
Still yet to be seen whether these independent watchdogs will be complying, and looking into their actions as that continues, again, we continue to see here in Portland this standoff between federal officials and protesters. Protesters tell us that as long as the feds are here, they're not going anywhere.
Josh Campbell, CNN, Portland, Oregon.
CHURCH: We're back in just a moment.
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CHURCH: Authorities in Spain's Catalonia region are urging people to stay home as cases rise in communities around Barcelona.
[03:54:58]
Atika Shubert joins us now live with some details. Good to see you, Atika. So, what's behind this rise in cases and what do the numbers look like?
ATIKA SHUBERT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, so far, according to the latest numbers released by the health department here, there have been almost eight -- more -- almost 83,000 cases since the beginning of the pandemic. With about 7,000 people that have died from it.
But the most concerning numbers, perhaps, are the fact that what they've seen is that in the last two weeks there has been a double -- more than doubling of the coronavirus cases in this region.
And according to at least one epidemiologist who has seen the data, more -- 70 percent of those cases, they cannot trace exactly where they got the virus from. So that mean what we're looking at is community transmission.
And that's what's prompted the Barcelona government and the local government to make these recommendations for people to stay home, to try and get some control over the outbreak.
Now, what's caused all this? It's really hard to pinpoint. Obviously with the easing up of restrictions, there is this increased risk of transmission. Here in Catalonia there has been a particularly severe outbreak among seasonal agricultural workers in the town of Lleida.
And it seems with that several weeks ago we've now seen a rise of cases here in the Barcelona metropolitan area. And this is what's prompted them to say, listen, if you can work from home, stay at home. Try not to go out. But these are simply recommendations. They -- it is not a strict lockdown here in Barcelona. So you see people out on the beaches today.
In fact, yesterday, there were so many beachgoers that police were called in to control the crowds here and they had to turn people away. And tourists are still arriving. So there is a lot of concern and confusion as to exactly what the restrictions are, you know, and whether or not it's going to be enough to stop the outbreaks.
CHURCH: Yes, it is a very familiar story. Atika Shubert joining us there. Many thanks.
And thank you for being with us. I'm Rosemary Church. I'll be back with another hour of news in just a moment. Do stay with us.
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