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Omicron Variant Sending Threats Around the Globe; COVID-19 Cases Freezes Games in English Premier League; Typhoon Rai Left People Homeless in Eastern Philippines; No Christmas Lockdowns in U.K.; Mawozo Gang Released Its 12 Victims; Chileans Head to the Polls Sunday; Scotland Tells People To Stay At Home As Much As Possible; Source: Queen Cancels Pre-Christmas Family Lunch; France Tightens Restrictions On Travelers From UK. Aired 2-3a ET
Aired December 17, 2021 - 02:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[02:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR (on camera): Live from CNN world headquarters here in Atlanta, welcome to our viewers from around the world. I'm Kim Brunhuber.
Ahead this hour of CNN Newsroom, just about one week to Christmas and countries are grappling with how to get ahead of the Omicron variant.
Typhoon Rai is still trashing the Philippines the day after making landfall.
And a gang in Haiti finally frees the rest of the missionaries kidnapped two months ago.
The Omicron variant of the coronavirus is threatening Christmas travel and holiday gatherings across Europe. Health experts say it's well on its way to surpassing Delta as the dominant strain around the globe.
Cases are exploding in the U.K. but Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the country isn't locking down, and is much better prepared than last Christmas. He still urging people to be more cautious.
Meanwhile, Scotland is telling people to stay home as much as possible.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NICOLA STURGEON, SCOTTISH FIRST MINISTER: And we have a variant of this virus right now that is doubling every two or three days. So, we are in a situation right now, that no matter how fast we go with vaccines, this variant of the virus is at the moment running faster.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER (on camera): Denmark's prime minister is warning new restrictions to slow the spread of Omicron, the government meets with parliament in the coming hours to discuss its recommendations.
And Germany is working to get more vaccine doses as it steps up its booster campaign.
We'll go live to Athens Greece and CNN's Eleni Giokos. Eleni, let's start with Germany, hundreds of thousands of Omicron infections for day, and an acute vaccine shortage, not a good combination.
ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Absolutely. Look, the vaccine issue is pretty startling. Because in terms of inventory the government saw that they wouldn't have enough vaccines to continue on the campaign in early 2022. They're now spending $2.5 billion in procuring over 92 million vaccine doses. And this is going to be an important step in terms of getting a booster shot into people's arms.
And of course, 30 percent of their population is still not vaccinated. They're putting restrictions in place for the unvaccinated. That has caused a wave of protest action.
Now I want you to look at the Omicron cases, and in fact as you started to show there is a new update coming through from Germany where Omicron cases are starting to rise. As of earlier this week, there were only 100 Omicron cases that were identified.
But clearly, there's been community spread, and they're saying that there is 325 suspected cases, and there's no doubt that Omicron is going to become the dominant variant very soon.
And that's why it's important, Kim, to speed up the vaccine strategy and ensuring that that is going to be the biggest tool they will use to fight against Omicron. And they're watching very closely what's happening in the U.K. As you are seeing the Omicron variant spreading rapidly, and of course, vaccines are going to be, they say, the biggest way they are going to be able to fight against it.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, then looking elsewhere, Eleni, Nordic countries have been very vocal about Omicron. So, how they've been dealing with the new variant?
GIOKOS: Absolutely, so the Nordic countries of Denmark and Norway have been vocal. They've been doing a lot of sequencing, specifically in Norway they say that by the end of this week they are going to have the Omicron variant as the dominant variant. They're putting a lot of focus on putting restrictions in place, and also a midnight curfew in the likes of Denmark.
They're also banning gatherings of over 50 people. Remember, it is cold in Europe right now, it is Christmas season, and it's holiday season. And there's very big concern about these numbers getting out of control. In Norway and Denmark these are unprecedented positive cases on a daily bases that we've never seen before. And that is why it's of concern.
And then of course, importantly, you saw the uncertainties of Omicron, the unvaccinated seem to be responding better with less severe illness. But again, it is spreading in Italy, for example, Rome is one of the many cities that has canceled New Year's celebrations to try to curb the spread.
There's been a big focus on vaccinating the young, as well as children are starting to come through as high cases of COVID-19 in many countries across Europe, as well. And then if we look at France, they're not putting restrictions against people coming in from the U.K.
[02:04:53]
Again, they're using the U.K. as an example of what is happening with Omicron, and European governments are starting to put measures in place to try to ensure that it doesn't spread that fast. As we know, it is more transmittable than the previous variants that we've seen.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, absolutely. All right. Thanks so much, Eleni Giokos in Athens, Greece. We appreciate that.
And later this hour we will speak with the medical director of a clinic in London about what he is seeing so far as cases surge in the U.K.
And the record COVID surge is also taking a toll on the English premier football league. Five matches schedule for this weekend have been postponed due to outbreaks among the teams.
As Don Riddell reports one team manager says the decision doesn't go far enough.
DON RIDDELL, CNN SPORTS ANCHOR: The Premier League is fast approaching what is traditionally the busiest time of the season, the festive period is renowned for a slew of games and nonstop excitement over Christmas and the New Year. But things could be different this time.
Premier League clubs have been reporting an increase in positive cases of COVID-19 among their players and staff, and an increasing number of games have been suspended. Some are now even calling for a total suspension of the league, until all of the players are healthy again.
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UNKNOWN: The COVID cases are going through the roof and all the premier league clubs, everyone is dealing with it, everyone has a problem at this moment in time. To postpone this round and also the (Inaudible) will give everyone a week, at least to all these, I don't know the exact, four or five days and clean and do everything on the training grounds, so everything is fine. So, you break the chain in every club.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
RIDDELL (on camera): Although a couple of games were played on Thursday night, Liverpool and Chelsea both lined up without key players who have been sidelined by the virus. And Tottenham's game at Leicester didn't happen at all. Looking forward, half of the weekend's fixtures have now been
postponed as the U.K. continues to grapple with a new variant of the disease. And of the games that are still scheduled to be played, there are reports of positive cases in many of those clubs.
So, it really wouldn't be a surprise if Thursday's action is the last that we see in the Premier League for some time. Back to you.
BRUNHUBER: At least two people are dead as a powerful typhoon sweeps across the Philippines, battering the country with strong winds, torrential rains and flooding. Now we're getting a first look at the damage in some areas, homes have been flattened, power lines down, and the flooding chest deep.
The coast guard floated a one-month-old baby to safety using a plastic tub as you can see there as they waited through floodwaters. More 330,000 people have been evacuated. Although the storm has slightly weakened since the landfall Thursday, more flooding and landslides remain a threat.
Meteorologist Derek van Dam is tracking the system. He joins me now from the CNN weather center. What's the latest?
DEREK VAN DAM, CNN METEOROLOGIST: Yes, Kim, some of these first images coming out of the Philippines show a lot of desperation of the people really trying to do their best to handle this very, very difficult situation.
Think about all the complexities here behind the COVID pandemic taking place, but also a super typhoon making landfall, with 260 kilometer per hour winds. This is roughly a 24 hours ago when it made landfall but it's still impacting the far western reaches of the Philippines.
As we speak, particularly in the Palawan province now the storm has weakened slightly but it is still a formidable threat. Look at some of these coastal communities. Surely impacted by storm surge here two to three meters. That was the forecast from the official meteorological agency within the Philippines.
At the moment, the typhoon warning center has this as a category three equivalent storm, it's a 185 mile per hour sustained winds near the center of the circulation. And the latest tropical storm warnings include an orange signal across the western portions of the (Inaudible), as well as the Palawan province near the Puerto Princesa City.
This is the capital of the Palawan province that has roughly over 300,000 people that reside there. That means they are currently impacted by winds in excess of 120 kilometers per hour. In fact, our forecast winds from the computer model shows a dire picture here over the next 24 hours.
I should say, 12 hours, really as the system continues to move over the western Philippines. High winds that will certainly bring damage. The potential for storm surge continues, as well as heavy rainfall. Some of our computer models indicating an additional 200 millimeters on top of what's already fallen. You saw some of the images of the flooding that's taking place.
So, this will only continue as we see the surge of very heavy rainfall. Now where does it go from here. It enters the South China Sea. Ocean waters are very warm, it is projected to strengthen somewhere over the next 36 hours before skimming the coastline of Vietnam.
Some of our computer models showing it making landfall. Most of them show is staying offshore, regardless of where the center of the storm goes, Kim, it will certainly in Vietnam and southern portions of China with very heavy rain and strong winds. Back to you.
[02:10:05]
BRUNHUBER: All right, we'll continue monitoring this. Derek van Dam, thanks so much. We appreciate it.
Karen Janes Ungar is the country representative for Catholic Relief Services Philippines. And she joins me now live from Manila. Thanks so much for being here with us. Let's know right now what are the conditions there?
KAREN JANES UNGAR, REPRESENTATIVE, CATHOLIC RELIEF SERVICES PHILIPPINES: Hi, Kim. Thanks for having me. We've been in contact with several of our staff that are located in areas that have been affected, including Leyte, Bohol, Cebu, Surigao, Cagayan de Oro.
The effects were quite strong. There's reports that areas have been heavily devastated. Thousands of homes have been destroyed and people are going to be in need of food, water, hygiene supplies, and tools and materials to rebuild their homes.
Currently, power lines are down among the community lines so we have very little communication with the people there. We just heard that they're OK and a lot of the flooding has receded although it was very -- the river in Cagayan de Oro flooded during the night and several villages were flooded but it started to recede.
BRUNHUBER: We are just seeing some pictures of dramatic rescues with those, you know, the seas still heavy floodwaters chest-high in some places, power out and for many communications spotty in many areas. So how hard is it to reach those in need?
UNGAR: Well, it is hard but the local government units were prepared over the past few days and what you are seeing is the search and rescue vehicles. Each local government unit has a disaster risk reduction and emergency preparedness responding unit so they have the supplies.
There are emergency shelter tents set up in different distribution areas. What will happen next is people will -- well, local government and NGOs such as Catholic Relief Services and local partners on the ground will do rapid need assessments to find out who has been affected, how are they affected and what are their immediate need and begin to respond to them.
In the meantime, hundreds of families are in evacuation centers which is difficult considering the threat of spreading COVID-19.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, absolutely, and you mentioned, you know, thousands of homes destroyed. So many people out of their homes and in shelters. How long do you think the after effects of this are going to last?
UNGAR: Well, that's a good question. Immediate needs will be started to be given out the next day or two, and usually an emergency response for three months, three to six months and there will be an emergency shelters and tents in that period of time, and then the next phase is transitional shelter which lasts -- can last up to two years.
But, you know, many of these effects from strong typhoons take a long time. Some communities are still recovering from typhoon Haiyan in 2013, and some of the reports from the wind last night but it sounded, it reminded them of the wind that they heard during typhoon Haiyan.
BRUNHUBER: Gosh, and we know how devastating that was. I mean, the Philippines obviously used to get typhoons, but what role do you think climate change plays when it comes to the power of these extreme weather events that you are seeing there?
UNGAR: That's a good question, Kim. Philippines is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world but we are seeing that the effects of climate change are making the storm surge and the typhoon season stronger and more dramatic, it's affecting the sea levels, the storm surges, and it's going to continue to affect islands throughout the Pacific including the Philippines.
And we are starting to look towards climate resiliency and adaptation and working with the big cities in the Philippines here on preparing for climate change and adaptation so that we can both minimize the effects of climate change, but also be prepared for things that we can't stop.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, that is all in the longer term. But in the short term we wish you and all of the workers that you are dealing with there, all the best as you deal with this crisis. Karen Janes Ungar, thank you so much for joining us. I really appreciate it.
UNGAR: Thanks, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: At least 17 million animals were killed last year by wildfires in Brazil in the country's wetlands. Scientists study Brazil's Pantanal region home of the largest wetlands in the world. And their study adds that the death toll might be substantially higher but many animals weren't counted. Scientists blame recent intense dry seasons, as well as deforestation and climate change.
A horrific ordeal is over for missionaries held hostage by a notorious gang in Haiti. Up next, the former hostages fly back to the U.S. after surviving two months in captivity.
And Chileans head to the polls Sunday for a presidential runoff between candidates who represent the extremes of political spectrums. We'll have the story after the break. Stay with us.
[02:15:00]
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PETER GUTWEIN, TASMANIAN PREMIER: The tragedy which occurred yesterday is beyond comprehension. It's devastating, heartbreaking. It's just simply incomprehensible. What should have been a celebration to the end of the school year turned into in unfortunate tragedy. Very young children at Hillcrest Primary.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER (on camera): People in a small community in Australia are in shock and mourning laying flowers that makeshift memorials after five children died in a rare accident. Wind lifted there in inflatable bouncy castle of a school event. Four other children are hospitalized with serious injuries.
Authorities say the kids fell from a height of around 10 meters. And investigation is underway and police have asked people to avoid the area.
Twelve 12 members of a missionary group are back in the U.S. after being held hostage by a notorious gang in Haiti. They flew back on the U.S. Coast Guard plane Thursday according to the local security source. They were released Thursday after two months in captivity.
The U.S. officials says a ransom was paid but not by the U.S. government. The Haitian source says the amount was far lower than the $1 million for hostage the gang initially demanded.
Matt Rivers has more.
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MATT RIVERS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice over): A moment two months in the making with the news that all 17 missionaries, including 16 Americans and one Canadian kidnapped by armed gang members in Haiti are now free. It started back on October 16th as the group was returning to their home base from visiting an orphanage east of Port- au-Prince.
Among the missionaries representing Christian Aid Missionaries, five children, including an infant a three-year-old, a six-year-old, and two teenagers. The bus they were in got stopped by armed men as they drove through the suburb of Croix-des-Bouquets.
RIVERS (on camera): Several miles down that road there is where our source in the Haitian Security Forces says this kidnapping was carried out. In a more normal situation, we would drive several miles down that road and go see exactly where this took place, but following the advice of both our Haitian producer and our security team, we're not going to go any further than this because they say it's not safe.
Down that road is the suburb of Croix-des-Bouquets, which is essentially completely controlled by the 400 Mawozo gang. The gang that authorities say carried out this kidnapping. As the group was being kidnapped, this WhatsApp message obtained by CNN was reportedly sent by one of the missionaries. Please, pray for us, we are being harassed, kidnapped currently. They have control of our vehicle with about 15 Americans right now, ladies, men, and children.
A few days later the gang that took them seen here in older video said they would kill the missionaries if they didn't get paid a ransom. As Christian Aid Ministries quietly open negotiations with the gang, we got some insight into what conditions might be like for those kidnapped.
[02:19:54]
We spoke to a French priest who had been kidnapped by that same gang in Haiti earlier this year, who told us about one of the places the gang held him.
He says it was like a dark hole, like a prison cell the last place we were in with no windows. At the beginning they were giving us food once a day, but by the end they stop feeding us. They forced us to go hungry, he said, believing it was a negotiation tactic.
But the first sign of hope two missionaries, both adults freed by the gang on November 21st, then came three more freed exactly two weeks later, and the remaining 12 would soon follow.
Meanwhile, Haiti's kidnapping crisis goes on unabated. And overmatched federal government is unable to quell the gangs behind the crimes. With total kidnappings this year nearing 1,000 according to a Port-au- Prince NGO tracking that data. Nearly 100 in November alone. The vast majority of victims are Haitians, not foreigners.
Thankfully the ordeal for 17 missionaries is over, but for many Haitians, the nightmare continues.
Matt Rivers, CNN, Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER (on camera): With concern growing in Europe of a possible Russian invasion of Ukraine the European Union says it's ready to take action if Russia moves on Ukraine. E.U. chief Ursula von der Leyen issued a warning to Moscow early Friday after meeting with E.U. leaders in Brussels.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
URSULA VON DER LEYEN, PRESIDENT, EUROPEAN COMMISSION: Let there be no doubt, if Russia were to move against Ukraine, the union will be in a position to take sanctions that could extract a massive cost. We have done our work in that respect.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER (on camera): As the Kremlin denies any plans to invade Ukraine, the NATO secretary-general says Russia is increasing its troop levels at the Ukrainian border, not reducing them.
Speaking with the Ukrainian president at NATO headquarters Thursday, Jens Stoltenberg warned that the troop escalation isn't stopping or slowing down.
Voters in Chile head to the polls on Sunday for a runoff election between one candidate from the far-left and one from the far-right. It's the most polarized election Chile has seen since returning to democracy in 1990.
CNN's Rafael Romo has more on that, and the ways political division can play out in individual lives.
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RAFAEL ROMO, CNN SENIOR LATIN AMERICAN AFFAIRS EDITOR: It's a signature that would have been unthinkable only a decade ago. Sebastian Pinera who for many years opposed it signed the law earlier this month and allowing same-sex couples to marry and adopt.
"True freedom" he said is built by acknowledging that we are all equal when it comes to dignity, and that it should include the freedom to love. The new law gives spousal benefits to couples who are part of a civil unions like Evelyn Morales (Ph) and Jacqueline Paez (Ph).
What does the law mean to you?
"If anything happens to me, I know my baby will be taken care of," Morales says. Paez (Ph) can now legally adopt the couple's child and get parental rights.
But Chile's national debate about same-sex couples is far from over. It's one of several contentious issues driving voters as a South American country gets ready to hold a runoff election on Sunday.
"Love shouldn't have borders or restrictions," says Gabriel Boric, a 35-year-old leftist presidential candidate who says if he wins, he will fight to preserve the rights of the LGBTQ community.
His right-wing rivals Jose Antonio Kast says that while he respects the rule of law, he believes marriage should be between a man and a woman. Chile is still dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic which has killed nearly 40,000 people in the country of 19 million.
And in the fall of 2019, the country was also rocked by a series of deadly protests over economic inequality.
ROBERT FUNK, ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF POLITICAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF CHILE: What we have seen in this election campaign is that one of the main factors has been fear, on the one hand we have fear of violence, fear of crime, fear of crime, fear of more violent protests.
And on the other hand, on the side of Boric and his voters, there is fear of a kind of authoritarian regression.
ROMO: The country, Funk says, is as polarized as it's ever been which explains why out of a field of seven voters chose two candidates from the extreme right and left to advance to the runoff election.
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ROMO (on camera): Regardless of who wins the election, this will be the first time since Chile's return to democracy in 1990 that the next president won't come from the traditional parties. The winner of Sunday's runoff election will take office in march replacing current President Sebastian Piniera here at La Moneda Presidential palace for a four-year term.
[02:25:04]
"The choice is between freedom and communism" says right wing candidate Kast. Boric, his leftist rival says voting for Kast is like asking to return to a 1970s repressive dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. Chilean voters will face a tough choice at the polls between two extremes on Sunday.
Rafael Romo, CNN, Santiago.
BRUNHUBER: All right, still ahead on CNN Newsroom, the number of Omicron cases is exploding across the U.K. We'll speak to a London doctor about what he is seeing at his clinic. Stay with us.
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BRUNHUBER (on camera): Welcome back. I'm Kim Brunhuber. And you are watching CNN Newsroom.
Authorities in New South Wales, Australia says the state has hit another daily record of COVID-19 cases with more than 2,300 new infections. Experts say surging case numbers are being driven by super spreading events at venues like pubs and nightclubs. It's also being made worse by the highly transmissible Omicron variant.
And in China officials are reporting 56 new locally transmitted COVID infections. The bulk of those were at the southwestern Zhejiang province. It comes just as Beijing is set to host the Winter Olympics in February.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson says the country isn't locking down and Christmas is still on for now, despite Omicron cases doubling every two days.
CNN's Salma Abdelaziz reports from London.
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: COVID cases have once again reached record levels in the U.K. With nearly 90,000 positive tests recorded on Thursday. Despite the worrying surge, Boris Johnson said Christmas is still on for now.
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BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: This is very different from last year, because what we have is the additional protection of the vaccines. And the ability to test. (END VIDEO CLIP)
ABDELAZIZ: His chief medical officer sounded more cautious during a parliamentary committee on Thursday, and urged people to limit their socializing.
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CHRIS WHITTY, ENGLAND'S CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER: I think people should prioritize what really matters to them, and then cut down on the things that don't.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABDELAZIZ: More concerning for every one person infected on average, they will infect three to five others, a health expert said.
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SUSAN HOPKINS, CHIEF MEDICAL ADVISER, U.K. HEALTH SECURITY AGENCY: With the doubling time of every two days, they're all reviving for Omicron is estimated to be much higher, at a very broad estimates between three and five at the moment.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ABDELAZIZ: In Scotland, residents were asked to stay home as much as possible. And warned that vaccines were not enough.
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[02:30:01]
NICOLA STURGEON, SCOTTISH FIRST MINISTER: We are in a situation right now that no matter how fast we go with vaccines, this variant of the virus is at the moment going faster.
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN CORRESPONDENT: As a precaution over the rising cases, Queen Elizabeth canceled a pre-Christmas family lunch, a Buckingham Palace source told CNN. The source said it was felt the lunch would put too many people's Christmas arrangements at risk if it went ahead.
And across Europe, leaders are watching the UK's battle with Omicron very closely. France announced tourism from Britain would be limited and those arriving from the country would need a compelling reason for entry. Vaccination has also been ramped up with Italy now vaccinating children between five and 11.
And Germany expanding its booster campaign to avoid its health care system being overwhelmed. Across the region, government's preparing for a tidal wave of Omicron during the holiday season. Salma Abdelaziz, CNN London.
(END VIDEO CLIP) KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN HOST: Dr. Richard Dawood is the Medical Director of the Fleet Street Clinic and he joins me now from London, thank you so much for being here with us doctor. So at your clinic, you're doing COVID testing. Tell us what are you seeing?
DR. RICHARD DAWOOD, MEDICAL DIRECTOR, FLEET STREET CLINIC: Well, over the past days, we've definitely seen a big rise in the number of positive cases. So whereas a couple of weeks ago, we might see one or two positive cases, we're seeing perhaps 13-14-15 a day over the - over the past three days. And what's interesting about these is that often these are people who are not symptomatic at all, but they're taking tests either in order to travel as a pre-travel requirement, or on their return home in order to comply with the testing of returned travelers.
So we're seeing very few people who are actually symptomatic. But many people are now testing positive and this is really the worry that people have as they begin to think about traveling over the holiday season, that they might actually test positive and not be able to go.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, I guess at your level of where you're testing, you wouldn't have any sense of whether that's - whether the Delta variant or the Omicron variant is responsible, right?
DAWOOD: Well, so we have actually - so we are required to carry out sequencing on return travelers. There's a big lag between somebody returning a positive test and actually getting the sequencing result. The first two people that we have had results back for have been on the Omicron. There's also a lot of data that's reported as being Omicron is not necessarily confirmed, it's highly suspected. But it does take a long time to get the sequencing data. And this is something that's changing very quickly.
BRUNHUBER: Now, with all the rise in cases, the NHS statistics suggest this is you know, predictably, putting huge pressure on the health system. Hospitals in England are already 94 percent full. Some four out of five critical care beds are occupied. What effect are you seeing?
DAWOOD: So what's interesting is that the Omicron variant doesn't seem to cause severe disease. It's early days yet, we're not able to - you know, we're not far enough into this uptick in the number of cases, but it does seem that the Omicron variant targets the nasal passages, the upper respiratory tract, rather than the lungs as the other variants have done. So far, there's only been one recorded case in an Omicron patient, and, you know, with evidence of that person was unvaccinated.
So the big concern for the health - for the health service here is not so much about the severity of cases but the fact that increasing numbers of doctors and nurses and hospital staff are testing positive and are being removed from the workforce. So we've got big pressure on the health service anyway. Higher pressure at this time of year. A massive vaccine rollout that is prioritizing staff over other activities. We're having surgery planned, hospital procedures, about 100,000 of them reported to have been cancelled over the Christmas period. So yes, the health services under very high pressure at the moment.
BRUNHUBER: Yes. You mentioned the travel testing that you do. France has just banned non-essential travel to and from the UK because of the rise of the Omicron variant. Where you are, I mean, your expertise is in travel medicine. So I'm wondering, you know what role you think travel and travel bans have to play here. Do they - do they work?
DAWOOD: So there's a big sense that the latest move for France is forgive me, politically motivated, that there are lots of other issues between the UK and France at the moment. And this is seen as a particularly cruel blow since France is a very popular Christmas destination especially for skiing. We've had a huge increase in the number of people who have tried to bring forward their trips to France in order to meet the deadline which is - which is on Saturday.
[02:35:00]
But there's actually very little evidence, although it might seem intuitive that stopping travels slows the spread of infection. There's actually very little evidence that past travel bans have succeeded in doing very much to restrict the spread of viruses, the unfortunately, these things do move around in a way that we just can't control. And unfortunately, though, politically appealing, there's very little evidence in public health terms. And this is why the World Health Organization has consistently opposed travel bans as a way of controlling the spread of disease.
BRUNHUBER: Well, listen, we'll have to leave it there. But really appreciate your expertise and your perspective on this. Dr. Richard Dawood, thanks so much for joining us.
DAWOOD: Thank you. Pleasure.
BRUNHUBER: And the UK is feeling the economic impact caused by the COVID surge. British hospitality firms say their holiday business is drying up, leaving them in desperate need for financial support. CNN's Richard Quest spoke exclusively with British finance minister Rishi Sunak, and asked him what he'd do to help the pandemic battered industry.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
RISHI SUNAK, BRITISH CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER: What I'd say to everyone in the industry is there is support in place at the moment that can help, for example, this year, all the way through to next spring. People are paying only around a quarter of their normal business rates bill. So that's an enormous boost to cash flow.
Secondly, the hospitality industry is still benefiting from a lower rate of VAT all the way through to next spring as well. And thirdly, we have cash that we have provided to local councils, about a quarter of a billion pounds is still available, and that can be distributed to companies as required. And my immediate priority is to make sure that that money gets out the door to those who need it as quickly as possible.
RICHARD QUEST, CNN EDITOR-AT-LARGE: Now let's talk about the wider economy. The Bank of England raised rates, it's - we knew it was coming. It came sooner than perhaps some people have thought but it was there anyway. If you had been - I know you're going to tell me that the MPC is independent, but I'll go for it anyway. If you had been on the MPC as a voting member, would you have gone with Silvana Tenreyro and held off for a few more months?
SUNAK: Well, in common with many other countries around the world, the UK is of course experiencing a period of higher inflation as we grapple with many of the same global supply chain challenges as other nations. Now responsibility for monetary policy is of course that of the independent Central Bank, it wouldn't be appropriate for me to comment on that. But what I'd say is people should be reassured that the Bank of England's track record in managing inflation is very good.
And also, we in the government are also supporting families with a cost of living through the winter, most recently cutting taxes for millions of the lowest paid, which will put an extra 1000 pounds in the pockets of those people over the next 12 months.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: As inflation takes hold in many economies around the world, global financial markets have been waiting for months to see which central bank would be the first to raise interest rates. Now the Bank of England announced a quarter of a percent increase. CNN's Anna Stewart reports from London.
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ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: It's an unenviable task for central banks around the world to hike or not to hike and if not, when? On the one hand, they need to tighten policies so they have the firepower to tackle the next economic shock. They also need to keep a lid on inflation, which hit a 10 year high of 5.1 percent in the UK last month, and the Bank of England has warned it could reach 6 percent by April next year. That is triple their target.
It's a key reason the Bank of England has decided to raise rates but only by 15 basis points and other central banks in Europe have decided not to yet. And the problem is Omicron. It really complicates the economic picture. It poses a major threat to businesses, particularly if restrictions are introduced.
In the UK, no lockdown has been imposed, but people have been advised to work from home if they can. And given the rapid spread of this variant, many people have self-imposed a lockdown. Staying away from shops, canceling social plans. They'd rather not risk spending Christmas in isolation or giving COVID-19 to loved ones, which would be a very unpleasant Christmas present.
UK Hospitality, a trade group that represents that sector says pubs, bars, cafes and restaurants have already seen trade fall by a third in the last 10 days. They want financial help and they're not alone. It echoes similar calls from other business trade groups like the BCC and CBI. And that leads to the next big question, both for central banks, will they need to loosen policy again in the near future if the economic outlook worsens, but also for governments, will they need to do more to support businesses Anna Stewart, CNN, London.
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BRUNHUBER: And we'll be right back. Please do stay with us.
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[02:40:00]
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BRUNHUBER: So this incredible footage you're seeing there is a massive but hardening lava flow on La Palma on Spain's Canary Islands. After three months with destruction covering more than 48 hectares, authorities say the volcano has been silent for three days. It's destroyed 1000s of buildings and forced mass evacuations but officials hope to declare the historic eruption over by Christmas.
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BRUNHUBER: A brightly lit train chugging through Colombia's capital city is spreading much needed holiday cheer again this year. The Christmas Train is returning to its traditional tour of Bogota after being canceled due to COVID last year. Once stopped, passengers and locals are greeted by staff dressed as nutcrackers and Santas.
HUGO LOZANO, CHRISTMAS TRAIN PASSENGER (through translator): We love to come back to this. To come back to this is like living again. Like feeling the magic of December again, of Christmas, of the people. The joy of the people and sharing this with those who take a ride on the train, the people who see it and wave at you and send kisses.
BRUNHUBER: Train's manager says the train aims to raise community spirits and will operate through December. Thanks for joining us. I'm Kim Brunhuber. World Sport is up next.
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UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Say early Saturday morning two vehicles parked on the home's driveway were broken into. The suspect was caught felling but was caught and held down until officers arrived on the scene.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm the one that took him down.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Soon after the video became public, Judge Odinet issued a statement to affiliate KATC saying in part, "I was given a sedative at the time of the video, I have zero recollection of the video and the disturbing language used during it. Anyone who knows me and my husband knows this is contrary to the way we live our lives. I am deeply sorry and ask for your forgiveness and understanding."
GARY CHAMBERS, COMMUNITY ACTIVIST: I don't know any medicine that makes you call somebody a nigger.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Odinet's lawyer telling local media, she's now taking unpaid leave.
EDWARD JAMES, LOUISIANA STATE LEGISLATIVE BLACK CAUCUS CHAIRMAN: I know that there are so many people that have said oh, she was in her private capacity. That matters not to me, because a black robe does not hide what's obviously in her heart. And we all know, the entire country knows what she thinks about African-Americans at this point.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The Chairman of the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus is calling for Odinet's immediate removal. And the local NAACP chapter issued a statement saying in part, we call now for her immediate and uncompromising resignation. We demand swift and immediate act by the Judiciary Committee of the Louisiana Supreme Court, removing her from office.
JAMES: We have requested from the Louisiana judiciary commission to place an ad hoc judge there. There's precedent, they've done it before when other racist judges have made comments. You know, I respect the due process and I will allow for the judiciary commission to make their investigation and their findings. But if they don't, I'll be bringing them to the table here at the legislature because they have to come and answer to us anyway.
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DON LEMON, CNN HOST: Ryan Young joins me now. Ryan, thank you so much for joining us. So let's talk about Judge Odinet, was elected last year to a six year term. I hear the governor tonight, John Bel Edwards, saying that she needs to resign. Who gets to decide if she keeps her job or not?
RYAN YOUNG, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, you heard a lot of that talk at the end of the piece about that commission, that judiciary commission will have a chance to review what exactly happened. And they may be able to make a suggestion to her but Don, one of the things that we didn't do in this piece and you listen to it and when you go online and listen to it in full. And of course, we didn't want to play the N word over and over again.
LEMON: Yes, I was wondering why we beeped it so much, we should have played it. I wanted to because I wanted people to hear the context because it was so what she did was just odious. But go ahead.
YOUNG: And I think that that's part of the point here. If you listen to it in full and when the first time I heard it online as it was going viral, you could just hear how comfortable everybody seemed making the comments. And they were laughing and giggling about using the word even calling the suspect a roach. And that's what really stood out to a lot of people.
The governor making his comments tonight that maybe she should step down. But one of the things that stood out by the governor's comments, he said, anytime an African-American would be in her courtroom, there would be obviously somebody who could say, maybe she should not be involved in this case, because after she's displayed that sort of language in her own household, how could someone get a fair trial?
So all these questions are being brought into process at this point. And if you think about it, if you're an African-American facing someone in court, and she is the judge, you may ask and say, well, how is this fair considering the language that was used in that home.
LEMON: But she's saying that she it was sedated and she doesn't remember doing it. But the reason she took the sedative was because she was so upset by it, because so she would have made those remarks before she took the sedative. So her excuse doesn't appear to even make any sense.
YOUNG: Right. And if you think about it, Don and you've listened to this audio a few times, if you listen to the inflection in her voice, it didn't sound like anybody was in fear in that video. It sounded like there was a lot of joy and laughter during that video, it really stood out in terms of how cavalier people were with throwing the N- word around over and over again.
And when you listen to it in its entirety, it kind of shocks you just how comfortable everybody was, inside that video.
LEMON: What's going to be interesting, Ryan and correct me if I'm wrong, I think people who have had cases before her asking to them to go back and review those cases, because they think that -- she's going to have a case come, they want her to recuse themselves. But also they wanted them to look at her old cases, because they're saying that she cannot be impartial because of the language that she used about black people.
YOUNG: You think about this, it's a slippery slope with all the cases that we have in that area in that state. You know, people are looking at that state under a microscope for a bunch of other cases. But now you have a judge who might have been putting sentences on people. And the idea that someone would be called a roach and the N-word in the same sentence. There's a lot of questions that are going on at this point.
You can understand why someone who's wearing a robe who is considered sort of the height of justice would be looked at under a microscope after the words that were used on that video.
LEMON: Someone who's part of the judiciary should hold themselves to very high standards. Thank you very much for that piece. I appreciate that, Ryan.
She defied Jim Crow when she was 15 and she paid the price. Now Claudette Colvin is getting vindication for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white passenger 66 years ago.
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[02:50:00]
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LEMON: Take this. Some long overdue justice finally coming. If you don't know the name, Claudette Colvin, you should. She was only 15 years old, 15, when in 1955, she refused to surrender her seat to a white passenger on an Alabama bus. It wasn't until later that year that Rosa Parks was arrested on a different Montgomery Bus.
The teenage Colvin was charged with defying the city segregation laws and assaulting an officer eventually being placed on quote, indefinite probation, a probation that her lawyers say she was never told, had ended. And tonight, 66 years later, the now 82 year old Coleman's juvenile records have been expunged, sealed and destroyed following a judge's ruling.
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CLAUDETTE COLVIN, ARRESTED FOR PROTESTING SEGREGATION IN 1955: I guess you can say that now I'm now no longer a juvenile delinquent. My mindset was on freedom. And my mindset was on the hero, the women, especially when Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman, so I was not going to move. I told him that history had me glued to the seat. You just have to inspire the people that you know, to keep on pushing and keep the struggle going because it is not over.
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LEMON: And she is right. It's more and more clear that the fight for civil rights that she and so many other brave black Americans began is not over. Congratulations Ms. Colvin and thank you for what you've done. Thank you for your sacrifices.
The Omicron Coronavirus variant spreading across the U.S. President Biden warning unvaccinated Americans, be prepared for a winter of severe illness and death.
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