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Coronavirus Cases Rising In States Across U.S.; President Trump Misses G20 Meeting; President-Elect Biden To Likely Announce Possible Cabinet Picks; California Governor Announces Curfew In Effort To Combat Coronavirus Spread; Thousands Line Up For Food Banks Across U.S. As Result Of Economic Impact Of Coronavirus; Pfizer To Apply For Emergency Use Authorization For Its Coronavirus Vaccine; CDC Releases Guidelines For Restricting Travel And Gatherings During The Holidays Due To Coronavirus Spread. Aired 2-3p ET

Aired November 21, 2020 - 14:00   ET

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

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[14:00:42]

FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield.

We begin this hour with the nation getting sicker, the number of infections is quickly closing in on 12 million. Friday was the highest day of new cases, to date more than 195,000, and more than 80,000 Americans are in the hospital heading into the Thanksgiving holiday week.

But as America struggles, President Trump is seemingly ignoring this crisis, focusing instead on trying to overturn the presidential election results, and today skipping a virtual G20 summit session on the pandemic to play golf.

Well, this as we have learned the virus has once again infiltrated the president's inner circle. President Trump's eldest son Don Jr. and the son of Trump's personal attorney Rudy Giuliani both revealing positive test results. That news now sidelining Giuliani, the attorney, from the president's baseless voter fraud case. He is now self-isolating.

Meanwhile, a vaccine could be headed to Americans very soon. The FDA is set to review Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine and could make a decision about early use authorization by December 10th. And as new cases surge, the CDC is recommending that Americans forego the usual holiday travel. But that isn't deterring many Americans. CNN's Evan McMorris- Santoro joining me now. So Evan, experts say we shouldn't visit family because it could risk spreading the disease even further. But already a lot of airports are seeing big crowds. What's going on?

EVAN MCMORRIS-SANTORO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, right here outside terminal four at JFK airport, one of the busiest terminals at one of the busiest airports, things are pretty quiet, which is what experts want to see. They're asking Americans to make that hard decision not to travel for Thanksgiving this year. They say that any amount of travel is just not safe because the pandemic is back in such a big way.

The CDC is saying don't travel. The White House Coronavirus Task Force is saying don't travel. And our own Dr. Sanjay Gupta is saying don't travel. Those two messages came together recently when Sanjay talked to Dr. Deborah Birx of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, and she talked about how it's just not safe to have any number of traveling guests over to your house for dinner this Thanksgiving. Let's listen to that.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. DEBORAH BIRX, WHITE HOUSE CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE COORDINATOR: I don't like it to be any number. I like it to be keep it to your immediate household, because if you say it can be 10, and it's eight people from four different familiars, then that probably is not the same degree of safe as 10 people from your immediate household.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

MCMORRIS-SANTORO: Fred, as I said, things are quiet here inside the terminal, not that many people. But that's not true everywhere. Take a look at this footage shot by a traveler at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport yesterday. That's a big airport in Phoenix, a huge hub. And as you can see, it's just a packed terminal of travelers congregating in this central location and then heading to other destinations. That's exactly the thing that health experts do not want to see. They're saying that we are trying to prevent the virus from spreading, and the way to do it is to just stay home and prevent scenes like that one in Phoenix, Fred.

WHITFIELD: That's potentially frightening right there. So Evan, where you are in New York, the mayor is also warning that there may be new restrictions following the holiday. What are you learning about that?

MCMORRIS-SANTORO: Well, Fred, sadly, the numbers are going in the wrong direction here in New York City, which is obviously very scary news. This was one of the hardest hit place in America during the worst days of this pandemic, and the numbers are back to going in the wrong director.

We have already seen schools close in New York City because of a rising infection rate, and now the mayor is warning that we could see other things close down again, things like indoor dining, which is open in a limited capacity, and things like gyms and other things.

Basically, the warning is that unless people are very, very careful and trying to do the things that the experts say they need to do, like wear masks and stay inside and not congregate, that this city could see a return to the kinds of restriction that is we saw before. It is a scary time, but it's this way all over the entire country, and watching New York is watching what we're seeing in so many places across America, Fred.

[14:05:00]

WHITFIELD: We already know, New York City schools now closing again, or have closed again, and now those other potential changes on the horizon for New Yorkers. Thank you so much, Evan McMorris-Santoro, appreciate that.

All right, now CNN is learning that the RNC and the Michigan Republican Party are asking in a letter for a two-week delay in certifying that state's presidential election results. President-elect Joe Biden won Michigan by more than 154,000 votes, but now Michigan Republicans want to delay the state's certification. This is a day after Republican leaders from Michigan met with the president yesterday.

We have a team of correspondents covering these developments. Jeremy Diamond is at the White House. Let's begin with CNN justice correspondent Jessica Schneider. So Jessica, Michigan is scheduled to certify Joe Biden's win on Monday. What does this letter and this request now mean?

JESSICA SCHNEIDER, CNN JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Fredricka, I've been on the phone with Michigan election lawyers throughout the past our hour or two about what this means, and they're saying quite simply under state law Republicans are not entitled to get what they're asking for here. And they say in the ultimate irony, they tell me, that the chair of the Michigan Republican Party who is asking for this two-week delay to certification, they say she was the one who when she was a state rep she voted in favor of this state law giving all of the audit power to the secretary the state, but only after any chance for recounts, which isn't for 30 days after the election. So there's a lot going on.

Let me back up a little bit. The Michigan Republican Party and the Republican National Committee, they're asking the state board to delay the certification that's scheduled for Monday at 1:00 p.m., and they're saying that they want to delay because they want an audit to happen in Wayne County, home to Detroit. But under state law, that is not even possible. And one election lawyer I spoke with said what's now clear here is that Republicans are using every avenue to delay and to really mess with what is supposed to be a routine and simple process.

The state board here, it's essentially just a rubberstamp on certifying the statewide vote that's already been certified by all 83 of these counties. So now as we move to Monday, the concern is that come the beginning of the week the state board here could deadlock two-two on the certification, because the two Republican members might not vote to certify, and then the courts here could get involved, and they could issue an order to certify. But that's one possibility.

Another wrinkle in all this, though, if the courts do get involved is that the Michigan court of appeals and the Michigan Supreme Court, they're majority Republican appointed judges. So really, Fredricka, this could all be a real mess on what unfolds in Michigan starting Monday. Whether or not there's a delay in certification, we could see issues at the state board of canvassers when they actually go to cast that vote on Monday afternoon. So who knows here?

WHITFIELD: Yes, who knows? Let's bring in Jeremy Diamond now at the White House. Jeremy, just yesterday the Michigan state Republicans met with the president at the White House. Our reporting is also that they stayed at the Trump hotel last night and left this morning. They had released a statement saying that we are following the law. So now what's changed that this letter would be drafted asking for this request?

JEREMY DIAMOND, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: The timing is obviously very interesting given the fact that those top two Michigan Republican lawmakers, the speaker of the House and the Senate majority leader, both said in a statement after leaving the White House yesterday that they had not seen any evidence of widespread voter fraud in the state of Michigan that would change the results of the election, that would change Joe Biden as the winner of that state.

And yet this morning we are now seeing this request from the chairwoman of the Michigan Republican Party and the chairwoman of the Republican National Committee asking for this delay and this audit. The question is whether these two are connected, whether the Michigan Republican lawmakers had any input into this decision. Obviously, this is something being done by the Michigan Republican Party, not necessarily by these lawmakers themselves. But obviously, these are one and the same. The Republican Party in the state and the state lawmakers obviously coordinate on a variety of matters typically.

The president has also been tweeting. He said after this statement yesterday that it was not as the media had been reporting it, and then went on to say that there will be evidence of widespread voter fraud. Of course, we're still waiting for that evidence, Fredricka. The president and his legal team have not been able to provide it. Instead it appears they've now turned to these stalling tactics.

Now, interestingly, as it relates to the meeting yesterday with lawmakers, a source familiar with the matter told us that the president did not apply any overt pressure on the lawmakers and that instead the state lawmakers explained to the president the process of certifying these votes. But obviously today, now that those state lawmakers have said they don't see any evidence, we are now turning to stalling tactics by the state Republican Party and the Republican National Committee.

[14:10:01]

WHITFIELD: All right, there it is for now. Jeremy Diamond, Jessica Schneider, thank you so much.

So the presidential transition remains blocked by the Trump administration, leaving the Biden team on its own as it prepares to take over. The president-elect is meeting with his transition advisers today. Let's bring in Arlette Saenz. So following the president-elect in Wilmington is where you are right now. So Arlette, there's no acknowledgement from the GSA, there's no releasing of the funds. How does this stand in the way of the transition team being able to meet all of its marks?

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN POLITICAL REPORTER: Well, Fred, what you are seeing President-elect Joe Biden and his team do is trying to project this sense of confidence that they can plow ahead despite the fact that President Trump has yet to concede and that the GSA has not ascertained Biden as the winner of the election.

You saw Biden throughout the course of the week, actually every single day out there holding some type of event to show that he is on the job at this time. Yesterday he met here in Wilmington, Delaware, for the first time with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer as the Democrats were trying to show this united front even as Republicans keep trying to put up roadblocks to Joe Biden's administration.

Biden and those leaders Democratic leaders talking about an issue that is top of mind for so many Americans, and that is COVID-19, including the fact that they believe there needs to be a relief bill passed during the lame duck session. And these types of events are what -- how Biden is trying to show that he is still able to proceed with the planning, proceed with the work even as the Trump administration has not formally recognized him as the president-elect.

But Biden and his team, they have warned that there could be complications to planning, particularly when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic. They do not have access to the administration's plans when it comes to a vaccine distribution plan, and that is something you've heard over and over Biden and his team trying to raise concerns about, and trying to raise red flags about as well, Fred.

WHITFIELD: And then, Arlette, what about any announcements of cabinet picks?

SAENZ: Well, it's expected that Biden will begin to roll out his cabinet picks as soon as early this week, and Biden himself has already said he's made up his mind about one key post, and that is the treasury secretary. One person considered to be a top contender for that is the Federal Reserve's Lael Brainard. And there's also a chance that Biden could name his secretary of state as soon as this week. There have been several people in the running for that position, including Tony Blinken, Susan Rice, and Senator Chris Coons.

But we are reaching that period where Biden is going to start announcing what his cabinet is going to look like as he's trying to show the leadership that these people can have in his administration going forward.

WHITFIELD: All right, Arlette Saenz, thank you so much. Jeremy Diamond at the top, as well.

Coming up, emergency use authorization for coronavirus vaccine could come as early as next month, but who will get vaccinated first, and when will the vaccine be available for everyone else? We have new information.

Plus, heartbreaking scenes days before Thanksgiving, long lines of people desperate to feed their families.

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[14:17:38] WHITFIELD: California Governor Gavin Newsom is enacting a curfew starting tonight that will go on for the next month as coronavirus cases surge. There were more than 13,000 new cases reported just on Friday, and under the new order most people will have to stay in their homes between 10:00 p.m. and 5:00 a.m. CNN's Paul Vercammen is in Los Angeles for us. So Paul, how is the decision to be implemented? And will people be honoring it?

PAUL VERCAMMEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, they're going to start with this tonight, and one of the ways they're going to implement it, obviously, is they're telling restaurants, et cetera, and bars, you're closed. You can't operate past this 10:00 curfew. And that's being met with obviously a lot of apprehension, reservation, and probably downright anger amongst some of these restaurant and bar owners, because what does that mean? It means they're cutting their hours. It means they're cutting their already dwindling profits. It means this is going to impact jobs.

And you look behind me here, people lining up at this food giveaway in downtown Los Angeles. And then over my left shoulder people are signing up, this is a pop-up COVID testing site. In just the last testing period, Los Angeles County, 4,300 new cases, almost 1,300 hospitalizations. So they are trying to get at this. The positivity rate now stand at seven percent. And of course, the pandemic and the economics are inextricably linked.

I am in one of the poorest neighborhoods in all of California. This assembly district is the second poorest, and the people here all thrilled to get a box of food ahead of Thanksgiving. But when I talk to the assemblyman here, he was just astounded when he saw the lines, more than 1,000 walking up to get their free food.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MIGUEL SANTIAGO, (D) CALIFORNIA ASSEMBLYMAN, 53RD DISTRICT: It's heartbreaking. Never in our lifetime did we think that we'd see a crisis like we're seeing today. This has been going on now for the larger portion of the year. What we're seeing here is thousands of people on the weekend, and it just keeps increasing. This used to be a food bank that served a couple of hundred people, and we have seen up to 1,700, 1,800 people here on the weekend. And it's not getting any better.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

VERCAMMEN: And one thing that the assemblyman is calling for, he says he wants to see the federal government step in and help out in any way they can as we see these long lines of people, as we said, this very, very poor assembly district coming up here, and through the grace of these great volunteers, getting their box of food ahead of Thanksgiving, Fred.

[14:20:11]

WHITFIELD: The need is great. Thank you so much, Paul Vercammen. Folks there working really hard to try and help each other out. The FDA's independent advisory panel will meet to consider emergency

use authorization for Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine on December 10th. An independent committee that works with the CDC will meet within hours of FDA authorization to determine which groups will be vaccinated first. But the panel has already begun deliberations. CNN's Brian Todd has more on who will likely be first in line.

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BRIAN TODD, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Dr. Anthony Fauci calls it the cavalry that's coming to help us get past the pandemic. Fauci and other experts are optimistic about the timeline for a wide rollout of a coronavirus vaccine.

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: We likely will be able to start dispensing vaccines in December and then progressively over the next few months.

TODD: The process is moving rapidly. Of the two manufacturers on the fastest tracks to produce vaccines, Pfizer BioNTech and Moderna, Pfizer BioNTech applied to the FDA for an emergency use authorization on Friday. Moderna is expected to do that in the coming weeks. A CDC advisory committee meeting this Monday to consider who will get the vaccine first, and FDA decision on emergency use authorizations should come in early December. Then our first shot of relief.

ALEX AZAR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES SECRETARY: By the end of December we expect to have about 40 million doses of these two vaccines available for distribution, pending FDA authorization, enough to vaccinate about 20 million of the most vulnerable Americans. And production, of course, would continue to ramp up after that.

TODD: The CDC recommends that health care providers who are in harm's way of the virus should get the vaccines first, then people with underlying health conditions and other vulnerable segments of the population, like the elderly, then possibly nursing home staffers. But when can the rest of us who aren't in those categories get vaccinated?

DR. PETER HOTEZ, DEAN, NATIONAL SCHOOL OF TROPICAL MEDICINE AT BAYLOR COLLEGE OF MEDICINE: I'm hopeful by Q2 of 2021, so early spring, that would be our aspirational goal.

TODD: And a key part of this to remember, experts say, is that with most of the vaccines rolling out we'll each have to receive two doses of it.

HOTEZ: For at least the first three of the four vaccines, they require two doses three to four weeks apart, and then it takes a week or so after that to develop a robust virus neutralizing antibody immune response.

TODD: Other key questions, how and where will the vaccines get distributed? One expert says the CDC will work with the states to get the vaccines to providers who can administer them.

DR. WALTER ORENSTEIN, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, EMORY VACCINE CENTER: States will be in charge of trying to determine the best way to get vaccines to the people who need them. This can include taking vaccines to special places such as hospitals, or what have you, for health care providers. It could include then vaccine distributed to doctors' offices.

TODD: One expert, Dr. Peter Hotez, says he is often asked which vaccine he would choose between the ones produced by Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson. His answer -- don't overthink it. Don't wait for one particular vaccine. Get what's available first. They all work, he says, to keep you out of the ICU.

Brian Todd, CNN, Washington.

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WHITFIELD: Let's bring in Syra Madad, an infectious disease expert with the New York City Health System and a fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center. Syra, good to see you.

SYRA MADAD, INFECTIOUS DISEASE EXPERT, NYC HEALTH AND HOSPITALS: Thank you for having me.

WHITFIELD: So the Trump administration has said that it would use the military in its distribution process. How do you envision it happening in New York?

MADAD: New York is a very large city -- New York City is a very large city, New York state is a very large state, and so we have to look at how we're going to operationalize the COVID-19 vaccine. And so certainly if we can get supplemental staffing from the military, that would help offset the staffing needs that we currently have.

We know that New York state is bracing for a potential second wave, and so a lot of attention and staffing is going to go that bedside. We also have volunteer groups. So I think that when we have these military personnel made available, they're going to be very strategic in where they're going to put them, which is a very good sign, because you have a vaccine now, now you need the people to help facilitate the vaccinations. So we need to start looking at how we can do that, and also have better plans in place for community engagement, because it's one thing to have a vaccine available. It's another thing to start inoculating individuals where you have so much vaccine hesitancy right now.

WHITFIELD: Do you feel like New York and many other cities are in that second wave now?

MADAD: I do think that we have entered our second wave. We're already seeing an uptick in cases. We're all bracing for additional surges.

[14:25:01]

but I think that given the strategy that New York state in place, hopefully we will pull back and do more measures and interventions to ensure that we don't get to where we were in April and May. That would certainly be a really bad moment for New York if we were to experience that same surge again.

WHITFIELD: So the FDA could make a decision about whether to issue an emergency use authorization for the first coronavirus vaccine as soon as December 10th. What steps do you believe should policymakers be taking right now to encourage public acceptance of the vaccine?

MADAD: There needs to be much, much more community outreach. We have invested billions of dollars in having these vaccines made available in terms of their development. We have not invested enough in the actual campaign and the education to make sure that individuals know why this is safe and effective.

And one of the most highest priority groups that you're seeing get infected are the people of color, and that's where you're seeing much more vaccine hesitancy. So we need to make sure that we are involving more community organizations, putting funding into these campaigns to ensure that people understand why this is important, where they can access these services, and then go from there. So I have not seen that happen. Everybody has a plan in place, everything looks good on paper, but after operationalizing, that is where rubber meets the road.

WHITFIELD: So the latest projection for the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation the University of Washington School of Medicine now predicts 471,000 people will die from COVID-19 by March 1st. The models show that some 65,000 lives could be saved if more Americans wore masks. So in your view, what can be done to further encourage people to wear masks?

MADAD: This is just -- everything relies really on our personal behavior, and so the more that we do better risk communication and provide the general public of what to do and what not to do and what to avoid, we need to continue to talk about that. You're seeing a lot of mixed message. Now you're seeing the CDC, rightfully so, to say cancel your Thanksgiving plans.

Earlier you were hearing the federal government saying open up states, go ahead and start mingling. And so you're seeing these mixed messages. And so we need to make sure that we're continuing to say the right thing, the right message, and that people understand this is all about our calculated risks and making sure that we're continuing to do what we cannot just for ourselves but for our community and those arounds.

So we are in some very dark moments, but there is going to be light at the end of the tunnel. We are all making sacrifices, but it's worth it.

WHITFIELD: Yes, everyone needs to make these sacrifices. Syra Madad, thank you so much. Stick around. We have got so many more questions about COVID, coronavirus, this Thanksgiving season. It's coming up next, celebrating this holiday is easier said than done with the pandemic raging. How do you have a safe celebration? We have a panel of experts standing by to answer your top questions.

Plus, she was a born leader, a fearless adviser, a political force. The CNN original series "First Ladies" profiles Hillary Clinton tomorrow night, 10:00.

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[14:32:33]

WHITFIELD: Welcome back. A lot of Thanksgiving traditions simply won't be making to it the table this year as coronavirus shatters records across the country. The CDC is warning Americans not to travel on one of the busiest travel weeks of the year, and several medical groups released an open letter calling on Americans to, quote, "Celebrate Responsibly." So what will all of that mean?

Here for the next 30 minutes to answer some of your top question, I'm joined by Syra Madad, senior director of the special pathogens program at New York City Health and Hospitals Corporations. We also have Dr. Tyler Black of B.C. Children's Hospital, and Riana Elyse Anderson from the University of Michigan's Department of Health Behavior and Health Education.

Good to see all of you. Thanks so much for sticking around for 30 minutes for answering everybody's questions so that we can all be safe this holiday week and beyond. So Srya, let me begin with you. What is the safest way to celebrate Thanksgiving this year?

MADAD: The safest way is to stay within your own household with your nuclear family. Any way of trying to trim that and go around it, you're going to be increasing your risk. So that is simply the safest and healthiest way to celebrate Thanksgiving this year.

WHITFIELD: Dr. Black, last month Canada celebrated Thanksgiving. You treat patients in Vancouver. So what kind of emotional issues were you seeing from your patients in the wake of numbers increasing?

DR. TYLER BLACK, MEDICAL DIRECTOR OF EMERGENCY PSYCHIATRY, B.C. CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL: I work in mental health, and also in the emergency department, so overall in B.C. we have done relatively well with respect to children. However, it is important to note that we have had an increase in cases here in my jurisdiction, so it's been quite a challenge.

WHITFIELD: And you do attribute that, you believe, to the gatherings of people and households because of the Thanksgiving holiday in Canada, and now you're seeing the consequences of that?

BLACK: It's tough to say. There's the number of factors going on, there's parties and gatherings and weddings and those types of things. But certainly, the increase in October has been pretty remarkable.

WHITFIELD: Riana, how do you set safety ground rules for dinner without sounding rude? Some family members are just not going to see beyond tradition of getting together.

[14:35:02]

So what's your advice to families and friends on how to do this responsibly, and what's the messaging that they can convey to one another? Oh, Riana, I'm so sorry. We are seeing you beautifully, but we're not hearing you beautifully. So we are going to try and work something out, and we're going to try and reconnect.

So, Syra, perhaps you have advice to people. How do you tell family and friends, I love you, I really want to be with you, et cetera, but We just can't do it, what's the best way in which to convey that?

MADAD: Well, this is a really, really important topic, and first, I think approaching a subject like this requires empathy, it requires individuals to just understand that people are certainly looking to -- for companionship and to get together, but this is really not the time to put others at risk.

And so I think framing it in the way of safety and health, that this is not just for my betterment and my family but also for you, we're all looking out for each other. And so certainly we can celebrate some new traditions, doing it remotely, doing it through Zoom or other mechanisms, but just not in person, because, again, this is something that is safe for all of us.

The thing that we're seeing today is that there is just widespread community transmission, and so the likelihood of somebody having COVID-19 is certainly much -- has increased much, much more. And so I think framing it empathetically and compassionately and letting them know this if for safety reasons for you, for you, and everybody around us.

WHITFIELD: Riana, yay, you're back. Let's try and hear you this time. What do we say to one another?

RIANA ELYSE ANDERSON, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH BEHAVIOR AND HEALTH EDUCATION, UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN: You know what, Fredricka, how about that being a metaphor for this year, right? Everything that you intended to go a certain way is just not going that way.

So I think when we're talking to our families, thinking about how the lessons that we've learned this year, if we've learned nothing else, it's to value who we are, our health and our wellness, and that we have autonomy over those things. We can make a choice, as the folks before us in the panel were talking about, we have the choice of what behaviors we want to engage in.

So when we're thinking about multiple generations at one house, we're thinking about how folks may have underlying health problems or they may be vulnerable, it's really important to say, listen, we have seen the stories of multiple people in one household being lost. We've seen stories of many funerals having to happen at the same time.

Whether we want to blame it on the CDC and say the CDC has told us not to -- know someone personally who has died, we can blame it on any of those things. But at the end of the day we have autonomy to say I just don't want to add to those numbers, I don't want to be a part of this loss that we have this year.

WHITFIELD: All good advice. Panel, stick around. We have got so many more questions coming from the viewers out there, what to do this Thanksgiving week, how do you salvage the holiday even though we can't all be together. We'll be right back.

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[14:42:11]

WHITFIELD: It's the burning question right now -- how do you safely celebrate Thanksgiving during a pandemic? My panel is standing by to answer your top questions. Joining me once again, Syra Madad, Dr. Tyler Black, and Riana Elyse Anderson.

All right, question directly from folks at home to you, Syra. If you do decide to fly during the holiday season, what precautions do you need to take?

MADAD: So just the act of traveling could put you at increased risk for contracting COVID-19 and spreading it to others. And so if you are going to travel it is really important to understand a couple of key concepts. Continue to wear a mask. Limit your duration in terms of where -- if you're in an airplane, don't get up. Limit your mobility, if you will. You want to -- if you want to add protection, wear eye protection on top of that. So just be very vigilant.

So two key things is being vigilant and keeping safety and keeping your safe distance, and, again, knowing that the act of travel is going to pose potential exposure, so how can you mitigate that through the prevention measures that we have been discussing in terms of watching your distance, wearing a mask, limiting duration in any one given space, and then staying put if you're going to be in an airplane.

WHITFIELD: And Syra, is a negative COVID test enough of a precaution to go see my family?

MADAD: That's an excellent question. And so a negative COVID test is not a clean pass to go ahead and mingle with family freely in terms of doing it indoors without a mask. And the reason for that is because COVID-19 has a long incubation period. So if you get a test today, you may not detect if you have the infection, so it might not be picking up the virus, if you will. But two days from now you may turn positive. So that's to say that you need to continue to wear a mask, you need to continue to physically distance and do the precautions necessary even with a negative COVID-19 test result.

WHITFIELD: And Dr. Black, families have so many traditions over the holidays. How do I make Thanksgiving feel normal for my children when it's so abnormal?

BLACK: That's such a great question. I often say that children are incredible antennas but poor receivers. They can pick up on the emotional content, they can pick up on what's going on around them. And it can be -- if there's a lot of distress in the air they can pick up on it. So it's also important to remember that kids are amazingly flexible.

So knowing these two things, we know for sure that if we set a new normal, if we set something that makes the child feel special and welcome and connected, whether it's virtual or a small family gathering or a way to connect and be thankful, these types of things can be very normal to a child, even though we'll notice their absence because we've had 30 to 40 years of these things, and we know this one is very different.

[14:45:00]

So we want to portray all of the same messages that we would have in the holidays. Holiday are come together times, and it's OK to miss people, but it's also OK to honor people in different ways, and children will pick up on our vibes.

WHITFIELD: And Riana, the holidays are already a stressful time of year, it always is, whether you have got a great plan or not. So what can we do to cope with this year's challenges? This question coming from a viewer.

ANDERSON: So one thing is that we do know is that we are in this moment three times more likely to experience anxiety and depression even from the same time last year. So within this year we're increasing our anxiety and depression relative to last year. So this is going to really be a stressful time. And I think the more we get behind that idea and advance and the more we think about what can we do to cope, the better we'll be going into it.

It would be challenging not to note that for certain races in particular, like black folks, 2020 has been an absolute onslaught of disparity, whether it's COVID, racial injustice, attempts at voter suppression and disenfranchisement, there have been a number of things that going into this week in particular is really going to expose.

And so being mindful what is the new you. So have you done any assessment? Do you have any data to get a sense of the things I used to really like to do or the thing that really brought me calm at one point are no longer bringing me that same peace. Actually, cooking is really stressful for me. I don't want to go into the kitchen right now and make a meal because I have been doing that past 100 days, right? I don't want to do that anymore. Can I order in? Can I do something that alleviates the stress that I have been feeling up this point?

And really ask yourself, what is it that I need? Have you stopped? Have you taken a beat and said, listen, I have been going nonstop. My body and my mind are not designed for that chronic exposure to stress, and I have been experiencing it now for seven months.

Have I actually stopped and said, what is it that I need in this moment? I know this week is going to be stressful, but maybe I don't want to cook, maybe I don't want to clean, maybe we have a pajama Thanksgiving. But it's an opportunity for us to think about what's new, what do we need to make this new normal actually work for us this week.

WHITFIELD: I like that, redress and then edit.

ANDERSON: Yes. Love it.

WHITFIELD: Panel, stay by. We have got so many more questions coming your way right after this.

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[14:51:5]

WHITFIELD: All right, as the pandemic gets worse, questions are swirling about how to celebrate Thanksgiving safely. We have got more of your questions, and our panel is back to answer some of your top questions. So Riana, Thanksgiving, this coming from a viewer, Thanksgiving is time to celebrate and unwind, so how do I prevent coronavirus and politics from dominating the discussion at the dinner table? What kind of topics can we discuss without causing a dispute?

ANDERSON: I bringing you some child psychology, some first grade teaching method right to your doorstep. So here you go. I came up with a topic, put it in the hat, and then pulled it out, right. So that's one thing that you can think about. Maybe bring back the boardgames that are tucked away under the coach. Those are things that can help to change the course of what it is that you're talking about.

If you're going to be like me and you're going to be on Zoom, which will be free for Thanksgiving, so really and encourage folks to check out online options. So if you'll be like me, what about a silly PowerPoint that you come up with, like a five minute PowerPoint that will be fun. Or can you do a Kahoot, like a family trivia Kahoot? Who knows the most about cousin Jamie, or whatever, right?

We also, on a very different note, we also want to think about those families again who have lost people this year. We have 250,000 lives lost in this country. This is going to be a time where we need to think about how do we honor those people that we have lost this year? What are the living traditions that we can do to think about them? And I would be remiss if I just didn't conclude by saying, listen, we want to have a, quote, normal Thanksgiving next year.

Current mask wearing procedures and on-the-horizon vaccines provide a realistic expectation that we can have that, so why risk it now? I just want to really double down that if you want those same traditions next year that you had last year, let this be the one unique Thanksgiving that you do something cooky that I just named with your family, but do it safely.

WHITFIELD: Great point. All right, Dr. Black, but I'm going to call you Tyler at your request now. So how do I prepare my children for changes in other holiday traditions, like photos with Santa? My youngest is worried about Santa.

BLACK: First thing to all the kids out there, Santa travels around the world. I'm really sure his immune is safe and he will not get COVID, so Santa will be OK. The traditions that we have, the things that we do, we define them for our families. If you have visited another family for the holidays, you will see modifications that didn't exist in your family. And the things that we do are normal to us.

The things that we set can be normal to us, and we can create cultures of safety around cultures of fun and warmth and remembrance, and honoring all the things that the holidays are about. So it's just really important to hammer in this idea that we're very stressed, and children will pick up on our stress, but children are also flexible enough to handle the changes going on, and nobody should be worried about Santa or anyone else.

WHITFIELD: Fantastic advice from all of you. Thank you so much. And of course, like you said, Riana, we're going to go ahead and embrace, this is not your normal Thanksgiving, it's not the normal holiday season, so that maybe next year we can all get closer to normal.

[14:55:07]

Syra Madad, Dr. Tyler Black, Riana Elyse Anderson, thanks to all of you. Really appreciate it, and I hope you all have a very safe and healthy and happy holiday season. Thank you so much.

And thank you, everyone, for joining us today. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. The CNN Newsroom continues with Erica Hill in just a moment.

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