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CNN International: Omicron Variant Causes more Disruption across Europe; China Disinfects City of Xi'an Amid Rise in COVID Cases; Airlines Struggle as Omicron Triggers Sick-Outs, Staff Shortages; Eight Round of Negotiations to Resume in Vienna; Flooding Leaves at least 18 Dead in Brazil; Jurors to Resume Deliberations on Sex Trafficking Charges; New York City Vaccine Mandate goes into Effect Today; A Week of Events Planned to Honor Anti-Apartheid Activist; Tutu Led South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission; Royal Security Breach; Windsor Castle Intruder Detained Under Mental Health Act. Aired 9-9:30a ET

Aired December 27, 2021 - 09:00   ET

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

[09:00:45]

MAX FOSTER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and a warm welcome. I'm Max Foster in London.

Just ahead on CNN Newsroom.

In Europe, governments consider new restrictions as Omicron cases skyrocket.

But in China, they're disinfecting an entire city in the battle to stop the spread.

And post-Christmas travelers in the U.S. struggle to get home as bad weather and staffing shortages conspire against them.

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ANNOUNCER: Live from London, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Max Foster.

FOSTER: We begin in Europe where the rapid spread of the Omicron variant continues to cause major disruption.

In Austria, New Year's celebrations have been canceled. And from tonight there is a 10:00 p.m. curfew for bars and restaurants.

In France, President Macron's cabinet meets today to discuss new restrictions as case numbers exceed 100,000 a day. That's the highest number since the pandemic began.

It's a similar picture in Italy where cases are at record levels and health officials say Omicron is spreading rapidly throughout the country.

Barbie Nadeau is in Rome.

Is there any consistent pattern to the restrictions across Europe, or is each country doing their own thing as we head towards New Year?

BARBIE NADUEA, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: Each country really is handling it in their own way. And, of course, that depends on how people celebrate New Year's Eve.

In Paris, they've cancelled the fireworks in the city.

In Rome, they've cancelled a giant concert that was to be held in the city center.

You know, we've seen curfews in other places. We've seen closures of nightclubs here in Italy.

You know, in Spain and Italy, there's an outdoor mask mandate now.

You know, so far, we haven't seen many travel restrictions between - in continent of Europe, between the countries that a lot of people are expecting that that maybe - maybe in effect soon. You know that they could require some sort of testing. Right now, you really just need to be vaccinated to travel.

So, you know, everyone's looking at that and trying to avoid some sort of major lockdown after New Year's Eve celebrations and New Year's Day celebrations. And you know if they - if they tighten it up a little bit in order to get there, I guess that's what they're try to continue to do this week, Max.

FOSTER: I guess they're looking at hospitalization figures specifically because we keep hearing about Omicron being less harmful or less symptomatic. But it's the effect on the hospitals which is really defining the decisions in terms of restrictions, right?

NADEAU: It is. And you know in so many cases, it's not the patients is the problem, it's the doctors and the nurses and the support staff that are catching COVID. Even if they don't have big symptoms when they have the Omicron variant maybe it's not symptomatic, but they still can't go to work.

You know in a lot of countries including Italy, they're looking at shortening the length of time someone has to quarantine after they've been diagnosed as long as they can you know get a negative test. All those sorts of things are just to try to keep the people who work in hospitals -- in the hospitals. You know that's the patients inside.

But we haven't seen the sort of spikes that we've seen in previous waves in terms of intensive care, in terms of people being on respirators, and even in terms of deaths so far. But of course, the deaths rate lags a bit when we see this high numbers, we won't see the deaths for a couple of more weeks. Max?

FOSTER: Barbie, thank you. Back with you for updates.

Meanwhile, in China, authorities in the city of Xi'an have started the process of disinfecting the entire city amid a growing outbreak of COVID cases. It's latest in a series of strict lockdowns in Xi'an aimed at stopping outbreak before it spreads to other parts of the country.

Ivan Watson joins me.

The sort of restrictions we're seeing in China, you can't really compare to what we're seeing Europe or indeed in other parts of Asia. The question is, is it working?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, I mean China has been battling since the COVID-19 virus was first detected in the Chinese city of Wuhan in December of 2019 and then spread around the world. It has been maintaining a zero-case approach to the pandemic and trying to shut it down completely, but these outbreaks do continue to occur in city after city prompting these lockdowns on millions of people at a time, huge testing sprees.

[09:05:00]

And what we're seeing in Xi'an now is a city government that is effectively trying to disinfect all of its public spaces, telling residents who already under lockdowns, some 13 million residents who are not allowed to leave their homes, to stop from opening their windows or their doors or touching anything outside because there just can be spraying disinfectant all over the place.

And that does seem to contradict the guidelines coming from China's Center for Disease Control which warns against excessive disinfection and mass disinfection of the outdoor environment. But this is the kind of pressure that city administrators are under when there's one of these outbreaks.

There have been more than 600 cases of COVID detected in the city of Xi'an, the capital of the of Shaanxi since about December 9th. And there have been official reprimands of almost two dozen city officials from the ruling Communist Party, saying that they're not basically doing a good enough job. And they're under pressure to deliver as part of the - again, this broader policy of trying to stamp out the virus anywhere that it crops up on the Chinese Mainland even though we're seeing that it is very, very hard to do even with these most draconian of measures.

FOSTER: Meanwhile, also, all eyes on South Korea because they're using this new pill to treat COVID patients. And that's an emergency dictate effectively but that's going to be interesting to see how that plays out.

WATSON: It is. And you know one of the things about what's happening out here in Asia in general, Max, is that you have a case study in every one of these countries. Asia at the beginning of the pandemic was very accustomed to people having to wear masks because of their previous experiences with epidemics. The vaccine uptake was taken quickly. There has been far less of this kind of vaccine skepticism that we've seen a particularly in East Asian countries. And much stricter approach to locking down travel and to quarantines.

One example I might offer is Singapore right now, which has had difficulty clearly putting enough quarters up for quarantine for people who test positive for COVID. So, the Ministry of Health basically announced that if you test positive and you're over the age of 15, you could get stuck in a mandatory 10-day quarantine with a complete stranger of the same gender. You can imagine kind of the discomfort of that.

In similar announcement though, Singapore announcing that if you've test positive for the new Omicron case, you may not have to go into government quarantine, you may be able to quarantine at home. It's just another example of different approaches that Asian countries have taken to the pandemic.

Here in Hong Kong, of course, you test positive, you're going to get taken away to a government quarantine facility for long periods of time. And if you fly in from outside of Hong Kong, chances are you'll have to do 21 days of hotels and/or government quarantine facility.

FOSTER: OK. And we're watching to see what works. I mean lot of it is experimentation at this point.

Ivan, thank you very much indeed.

Surging Omicron numbers are still causing massive travel disruption meanwhile over the holiday period. More than 2,000 of flights have been cancelled globally today as airlines wrestle with staffing shortages and people calling in sick. More than 3,000 of flights have been delayed in total. Airlines canceled more than 6,000 flights on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

Nadia Romero is at what's usually America's busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. And you know a big story there. This isn't about people concerned about COVID. It's just people not turning up to work, so they have to cut back.

NADIA ROMERO, CNN U.S. CORRESPONDENT: Yeah. And that's what we're hearing from the airlines, right? That they just don't have the flight crews, Max, in order to keep up with their flight schedule.

Now, some of this is at shortages that airlines had been dealing with for a while now. Some of it can be connected to the Omicron variant. We have heard of some technical difficulties on certain flights that have caused delays or cancellations. And we have had weather issues starting last week on Wednesday with snow and with icy stormy conditions happening here in the U.S. in the Midwest and in the Pacific Northwest.

All of that together, plus the normal holiday travel inconveniences have made it a nightmare for many people. Luckily, it's not 1997, so people have cell phones, they've got their websites that they can go on and check and to see if their flights have been cancelled before they get to the airport. But for some people they don't find out until they arrive. And those are usually people who are delayed.

[09:10:07]

Max, we spoke with a man yesterday. He was the only person I've spoken to over the past three or four days who was excited that his flight was cancelled. He said his flight was delayed and then by the time he got to the security checkpoint, they told him your flight is no longer. And so, he turned back around, and he was happy to go home and spend another day with his family before heading back to New York.

Most people, though, not excited about getting their flight cancelled, especially not after they've already made their trek to the airport with their bags. They're ready to get on that flight. And then they find out the flight is no longer.

Most people say to me, Max, that they wanted to deal with all of the troubles of traveling right now simply because they haven't seen their families since before the pandemic, since 2019. Max?

FOSTER: OK. Nadia, thank you.

Let's take a look at more stories making headlines around the world for you.

There are negotiations on reviving the Iran nuclear deal are resuming in Austria. The talks have made little progress since they resumed in November after five-month pause. The head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization told Russian media that Tehran doesn't intend to enrich uranium beyond the 60 percent level even if sanctions aren't lifted.

At Northeast Brazil, heavy flooding has left at least 18 people dead and nearly 300 injured. Floods have affected nearly 40 cities throughout the state of Bahia. More than 35,000 people have been forced out of their homes, according to the Civil Defense and Protection Agency.

Jurors are expected back in federal court in New York to resume deliberations in the sex trafficking trial of Ghislaine Maxwell. They asked several questions last week about witness testimony and FBI notes before they were dismissed for the Christmas holiday. The long- time associate and former girlfriend of the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has pleaded not guilty to six federal counts including sex trafficking of a minor. The three-week trial has highlighted - was highlighted by testimony from four women who said Maxwell recruited and groomed them to be sexually abused by Epstein.

Coming up on CNN NEWSROOM.

No vaccine, no job. New York City's stringent new vaccine mandate.

Plus, South Africa begins a week of mourning for Archbishop Desmond Tutu. We take a look at his legacy.

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FOSTER: Let's get more on our top story.

The impact of Omicron variant across the world. From today, a new vaccine mandate goes into effect for private sector employees in New York City. Workers will have to have at least one vaccination dose or will not be allowed to opt out of vaccination through regular testing. Children as young as 5 will need to show proof of at least one shot before accessing indoor dining, fitness or entertainment facilities. And adults will need to be double jabbed.

[09:15:00]

CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen joins me with some insight into this.

First question really about how this is going down. Has there been much resistance to this? Is there much support for in New York?

DR. LEANA WEN, CNN MEDICAL ANALYST: I think there's a lot of support for the concept that people need to be vaccinated to access indoor public spaces that are optional. So, indoor dining, entertainment venues as an example. These are things that are nice to have. They're not necessary, but a lot of people find them to be desirable. And many people also want to be surrounded by others who are fully vaccinated, because that reduces their own chance of contracting COVID.

And so, this is something that already in the United States has been happening in multiple cities. New York City already has had such a requirement, they're expanding it. But also, Los Angeles, Seattle, Philadelphia, Boston among others, are starting such types of vaccine requirements.

I think that there is broad support in many parts of the country for those types of requirements. Where there is less support is making vaccination mandatory for employment. I think many people find employment to be something that's not optional. It's required to be earning a wage for your family. And so, I think that's where there's more pushback.

FOSTER: So, presumably there will be test cases on that, people who want to work but may have a legitimate reason not to take the vaccine. You know the line on that needs to be drawn somewhere, and probably in the courts.

WEN: Right. I do think having testing and masking as an opt out is actually a reasonable thing do. I believe in the two out of three rule for things that are indoors. Vaccines, testing or masking. So, you could have indoors where nobody's wearing a mask, but everybody's vaccinated and tested. Or if people are not vaccinated, you still make them have let's say twice weekly testing and masking is required.

So, I do think that an opt out for most employment is reasonable and that's, in fact, what the federal mandate from the Biden administration has. And I would imagine that New York City will probably end up having to siege to that type of pressure as well.

FOSTER: It's important isn't it for everyone to be vaccinated in order to sort community vaccination to work, and to sort of prevent the spread of virus. But there is a challenge isn't it when it comes to children. Because whilst adults might not have an issue taking the vaccine themselves, it's a different thought process isn't it when you're deciding for someone else, particularly your children. And lots of people who are vaccinated that necessarily what led children to be vaccinated. So, that's a new challenge going forward.

WEN: I think there has been this pervasive misunderstanding that somehow children are immune from severe outcomes from COVID-19. And while it's true that kids tend to become less severely ill than adults. COVID is now one of the top 10 leading causes of death among children in the United States. There have been hundreds of kids who have died and tens of thousands who have been hospitalized and maybe living with long-term consequences.

I'm the mom of two little kids. I have a 20-month-old and a 4-year-old who were unfortunately both too young to be vaccinated. But I cannot wait for them to be able to get the vaccine because that will give me and my husband and our entire family piece of mind, right? And my husband and I are not worried for ourselves. We're vaccinated and boosted. We are protected from severe outcomes. We would like to have the same protection for our children too.

FOSTER: Interesting debate developing amongst the medical community here in the UK which is about terminology and whether or not we should stop calling them restrictions and start calling them protections instead? And they want to change the debate around it when government speaks about it, when media speaks about as well. Do you think just some sympathy for that view that we should be calling them protections rather than restrictions?

WEN: Well, language really matters when it comes to COVID and right to everything else. And it is true that when we're talking about things like vaccines, we really need to be framing vaccines, for example, as the ticket to freedom. It's not a restriction on our freedom. It's what allows us to get back to pre-pandemic life. The same thing for measures like testing and masking. It will allow us to get back to the things that we value the most.

FOSTER: OK. Dr. Wen, appreciate your time as ever. Thank you.

WEN: Thank you.

FOSTER: Now there will be a week of remembrance to honor the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu. A number of events are planned, following the death of the Nobel Peace Prize winning human rights campaigner. He passed away on Sunday in Cape Town, South Africa.

There's been an outpouring of love for Archbishop Tutu with tributes from world leaders and other notable figures around the world.

From Monday until Friday, the bells at St. George's Cathedral in Cape Town will ring every day for 10 minutes starting at midday.

[09:20:00]

Let's bring in our Larry Madowo now. He joins us live from Nairobi, Kenya. I mean, what a challenge really marking this man's death - death and life and celebrating that life. LARRY MADOWO, CNN CORRESPONDENT: And they're trying to make sure that the protocols they observe and the celebrations in his honor are worthy of the kind of man he was, the South African treasure - the national treasure he was South Africa and African hero and international icon. And we've heard today, Max, about the arrangements for his funeral service will take place on New Year's Day in the morning of January 1st at St. George's Cathedral that's where the bells are tolling every day at midday. And his ashes will also be interred at that cathedral in Cape Town.

During the struggle against apartheid, it was known as the people's cathedral. And so, it's a fitting place for his final resting place for Archbishop Desmond Tutu or the Arch as he was called. He was much beloved by people in South Africa, Max.

I remember couple of years ago in 2016 flying from Cape Town to Johannesburg and he came on the flight and he got a big round of applause, some people were standing, they were hooting and hollering and trying to appreciate the man who by then was already advanced in years, had to retire from public service but is still really a part of South African life. They remembered him for his work in opposition to apartheid, winning the Nobel Prize back in 1984. And even after that still continued to speak about injustices whenever he saw them.

One of his famous quotes is that "If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor."

That's one of the quotes that have been shared repeatedly in social media by people around the world who are honoring him and using tributes coming in from the Dalai Lama, from the pope, from the queen of England, from President Joe Biden, from presidents across Africa and the world. The prime minister of India, and Pakistan, from leaders, kings, and queens and ordinary people around the world who are honoring this man who, while he was an Anglican preacher, who gave political speeches.

He insisted he was not a politician, that he was a priest. And he -- his most animating feature and his last work really against apartheid because he held that this system of racial segregation in South Africa was evil, unchristian, and immoral and he made it his life's work to oppose it.

FOSTER: Larry in Nairobi, thank you.

Coming up after the break, more details from police here in the UK over a Royal security breach with a suspect detained under mental health law.

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FOSTER: More details emerging about a Royal security scare. Windsor Castle just outside London where the queen is staying for Christmas. A teenager has been detained under the Mental Health Act.

For more, we're joined by CNN's Salma Abdelaziz. She's in London.

And you know the boy here, the more frightening this is. That it does appear to be an isolated incident.

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: It is indeed, Max. And a very shocking one occurring on Christmas morning at about 8:30 local time. Metropolitan police and Thames Valley police responding to an incident on Windsor Castle grounds.

Now we understand security procedures were triggered within a matter of minutes. That means he was captured on surveillance footage. Security services were aware very quickly. So, this suspect did not trespass on any buildings or any actual indoors in any way.

[09:25:02]

It was simply on the grounds of Windsor Castle that the authorities were able to detain again this 19-year-old man from Southampton. He was in possession of a weapon. And that weapon is a crossbow, Max.

We understand later on that the authorities - that he underwent a health assessment with the authorities. That's when it became clear that mental health was an issue in this incident. And we now understand that man is detained under the country's mental health law.

But it is, of course, something very concerning for the Royal family. The queen has already had to cancel her traditional trip. She generally goes to her Norfolk estate, Sandringham, for Christmas time. This year, she had to stay back again because of the widespread Omicron variant out of an abundance of caution for her health and safety. And the safety of her loved ones, she stayed behind in Windsor Castle to celebrate there. This is also the first year the queen is celebrating without her husband, the late Prince Philip. There was very poignant message from the queen, her annual Christmas message was deeply personal one.

So, very disturbing news but for now, of course, an isolated incident. The authorities dealing with this individual, with this suspect under the Mental Health Act and the queen of course at Windsor Castle safe and well with her family. Max?

FOSTER: Salma, thank you very much indeed.

And that annual Christmas message was the most-watched thing on Christmas Day. So, it's still - people looking towards the queen at these times of crisis.

Finally, everyone's friendly neighborhood "Spider-Man" is now worth $1 billion would you believe and climbing.

(VIDEO PLAYS "SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME" TRAILER)

FOSTER: It really is a great movie. Spidey's latest outing. "Spider- Man: No Way Home" crossed the billion-dollar threshold at the global Box Office.

Tom Holland stars as Peter Parker. He battles super villains spanning their characters nearly 20-year film history. "No Way Home" is the first film to reach the billion-dollar mark since 2019's "Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker." And it's the second largest domestic opening of all time. Way to go, Spidey.

And thank you for watching CNN NEWSROOM. I'm Max Foster.

Coming up next, "Tomorrow Transformed."

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