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U.S. Warns Russia Could Invade Ukraine At Any Point; Tonga Eruption Wipes Out Entire Communities; U.S. Secretary Of State To Meet With Ukraine's President. Aired 2-3a ET

Aired January 19, 2022 - 02:00:00   ET

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

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[02:00:30]

ROSEMARY CHURCH, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to our viewers joining us from all around the world. You are watching CNN NEWSROOM and I'm Rosemary Church.

Just ahead. Ukraine warns Russia has almost completed a buildup of forces near its border. And the White House warns an invasion could come at any point. The scale of the devastation is becoming clear in Tonga. Islands hit by Saturday's tsunami wiped out thick volcanic ash covering what's left, with more eruptions likely in the coming days.

Plus, anxiety, depression and increase in obesity. A new study reveals the sad reality of COVID-related school closures on children.

ANNOUNCER: live from CNN Center. This is CNN NEWSROOM with Rosemary Church.

CHURCH: Good to have you with us. We begin with tensions building in Eastern Europe where the White House says Russia could launch an attack on Ukraine at any point. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Kiev about 90 minutes ago on a mission to defuse the crisis. He will meet with Ukraine's President before travelling on to Geneva for face to face talks with Russia's Foreign Minister.

Sergey Lavrov says Moscow is still waiting for a response to its demand for security guarantees, including an end to NATO expansion and a ban on Ukraine's membership. Meanwhile, a shipment of anti-tank weapons from the U.K. has arrived in Ukraine. And Sources tell CNN the U.S. is considering more military aid to resist a potential Russian occupation. Ukraine tells CNN Russia has almost completed its build up of more than 127,000 troops in the region.

And even more forces are arriving in Belarus. A U.S. Senator just back from Kiev says Vladimir Putin would regret invading Ukraine. Take a listen.

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SEN. CHRIS MURPHY (D-CT): The Ukrainians are going to fight for their lives, there will be a long-term counter insurgency, it will be bloody, it will be drawn out. And it will be a black mark on Russia that could end up leading to Russia's downfall as the Afghanistan invasion arguably contributed to the Soviet Union's downfall. So this is a big decision moment for Putin. And well, I'm not sure that we're going to get some magical diplomatic agreement, we can certainly raise the costs to Putin And make clear to him that this is going to be long drawn out and very ugly, and that in the end, he'll wish he never set foot any further inside Ukraine.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: More now from CNN Senior International Correspondent Matthew Chance.

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MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice over): This is the actual video complete with soundtrack put out by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense. Being fired to the beat, javelin anti- tank missiles supplied by the U.S. as part of its growing military support. It's these kinds of weapons Ukraine hopes will help stop another Russian invasion and it wants more.

Cue a flurry of diplomatic fist bumps and grand promises of U.S. support. On Wednesday, Secretary of State Blinken visits Kiev but earlier this week a congressional delegation was here.

SEN. RICHARD BLUMENTHAL (D-CT): I think Vladimir Putin has made the biggest mistake of his career.

CHANCE: Vowing more tough action in Washington against Russian aggression.

BLUMENTHAL: We will impose crippling economic sanctions but more important we will give the people of Ukraine, the arms, lethal arms they need to defend their lives and livelihoods.

CHANCE: It's unclear if what Ukrainian officials call this strong show of bipartisan support will deter Russia or provoke it. It certainly doesn't look deter. These are the latest images of Russia's live fire military exercises near its border with the latest Ukrainian defense intelligence assessment, obtained exclusively by CNN says Russia has almost completed its military buildup. The Assessment it says there are now more than 127,000 Russian troops poised to invade.

[02:05:07]

CHANCE: Including Russian infantry units seen here practicing urban warfare, the kind that may play a major role if any potentially messy incursion into Ukraine is ever ordered. Sources in rebel-controlled eastern areas of the country tell CNN training has also been ramped up there. With a significant increase of rebel fighters and heavy weaponry on the front lines.

The new Ukrainian intelligence assessment says Russia supports more than 35,000 rebels and has about 3000 of its own military based in rebel territory.

Moscow denies having any forces there, and continues to insist it has no plans either to invade.

SERGEY LAVROV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): We do not threaten anyone, but we hear threats against us. I hope all of this only reflects emotions within the camp of Western countries. We will be guided by concrete steps and deeds.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHANCE: But those deeds and steps seem to point to escalation. These are new images showing troops from Russia and its ally Belarus preparing for joint exercises near Ukraine's northern border. It may be just a distraction. But as Russia continues to mass forces, Ukrainian intelligence says it now sees this region as a full fledged Russian theater of operation. In other words, another dangerous potential front line. Matthew Chance, CNN, Kiev.

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CHURCH: And Ukraine's former president says his country should be accepted into NATO. Petro Poroshenko spoke with CNN's Christiane Amanpour, and had some harsh words for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PETRO POROSHENKO, FORMER PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE: Point number one, don't trust Putin because it was never happened that Putin keep his word. Point number two, don't be afraid of Putin because this is the wake up we demonstrate the year 2014 attack in their troops. And point number three, it is absolutely necessary that international solidarity and unity. The whole world should be united against Putin and the whole Ukraine should be united against Putin.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And world renowned chess champion Garry Kasparov is a longtime critic of Vladimir Putin. He says the Russian president has been promising military moves against Ukraine for years, and sanctions from the West have not stopped him.

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GARRY KASPAROV, CHAIRMAN, RENEW DEMOCRACY INITIATIVE: Fifteen years ago in February 2007, Putin himself told about his plans to return two spheres of power just to control, you know, the former Soviet republics. And held with international law and it took four U.S. administrations to actually read this message because now he's messing up troops. And it is very serious. It's more than serious.

What we're discussing now, I heard this wars and wars crippling sanctions. It's too little. I hope it's not too late. Because let's not forget, President Biden had three talks with Vladimir Putin. One person and two on video on Zoom. And every time we were told that he made an alternate (INAUDIBLE) on Putin. Putin didn't hear him in the message or it was not the right message to deter Putin.

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CHURCH: Security experts in the U.S. are warning there could be more fallout from last week cyber attacks in Ukraine. That say U.S. businesses and government agencies should take extra care to monitor internet traffic coming from that country. Hackers infiltrated several Ukrainian government Web sites. And according to Microsoft planted malicious software. It's not clear who's behind the attack, but different Ukrainian officials have blamed Russia and a group from Belarus.

A second flight from New Zealand is headed to Tonga to survey the impact of Saturday's volcanic disaster. New Zealand's defense forces, it expects the flight to return in the coming hours and they will share the images with other countries to help recovery efforts. Tonga's government says they are facing an unprecedented disaster following the massive volcanic eruption and tsunami.

And CNN's Phil Black joins me now live from Melbourne. Good to see you, Phil. So what more are you learning about the situation on the ground in Tonga and of course efforts to get much needed a to the region?

PHIL BLACK, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Rosemary, the business situation on the ground is already difficult but being complicated further by those communication challenges. This is a country of around 100,000 people that essentially went dark in terms of communication almost all at once. The only underwater cable that connects Tonga to the rest of the world has been damaged. We're told that's going to take at least four weeks to repair.

[02:10:02]

BLACK: There has been some domestic, there is some local mobile phone coverage, some basic 2G coverage, it's pretty patchy, has been restored on the main island. But other than that there's really not much else. No internet, satellite phones are even struggling with hold because of all the ash in the air. But what we are hearing is that the need is great. And what is particularly acute is the need for water.

Water reserves have been contaminated from the dust and ash from the volcano, but also from the seawater that came ashore with the tsunami. For that reason, that's what the people of Tang are going to really need. Desperately in the next few days. Local Red Cross teams were told a heading out to some of the smaller islands already to try and ensure that they do have water supplies.

And there are New Zealand navy vessels steaming towards Tonga due to arrive on Friday with stores of water and desalination equipment to ensure that there is still more availability there as well. But there is going to be an ongoing challenge in terms of managing the incoming aid and help that Tonga is receiving. And that's because of COVID. The World Health Organization tells us that Tonga has very strict COVID rules.

Three weeks quarantine for anyone who arrives. Tonga is COVID free and no doubt it will want to stay that way. So what that means in terms of all the resources and the suppliers that it is desperate for. It's going to want those to be delivered. But it's very unlikely to want the people who are delivering it to come ashore or stick around. It would seem that logically that would have to be left to local people on the ground to distribute and ensure it gets to the people who need it most.

But at the moment we're told water and on some of those outer smaller outlying Islands, shelter, those are the core needs that people are going to really try to or need to get their hands on in the coming days, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Yes. Totally understand that. Phil Black joining us live from Melbourne. Many thanks.

Well, joining me now by phone is Curtis Tu'ihalangingie. He is Tonga's deputy head of mission in Canberra, Australia. Thank you, sir, for talking with us at this very difficult time for your nation, of course.

CURTIS TU'IHALANGINGIE, TONGA DEPUTY HEAD OF MISSION, CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA (via telephone): Thank you for having me, Rosemay.

CHURCH: Thank you. And so, what more are you learning about the extent of the devastation across your country in the wake of this massive volcanic eruption and tsunami and of course, the casualties.

TU'IHALANGINGIE: Thank you so much. According to what we have received from the first light that was sent by the Australian Government and the images we received, it's an extreme damage and -- so definitely there's a lots of damage throughout the main island and all the other island (INAUDIBLE) and unfortunately, we see that the main island, it's probably a volcanic eruption as roots definitely affect the agricultural product and also the food chain supplies in Tonga and definitely water.

CHURCH: That is a very big problem too. And of course, we do know that Australia and New Zealand sending much needed aid by sea. But what more does Tonga need from the international community at this very difficult time?

TU'IHALANGINGIE: Food, water, definitely yes, clean up -- cleaning facilities, mask and, you know, this information has been saved from Tonga that these are the much needed at the moment, but definitely in few days to come. The government of Tonga oronto will provide more teachers of more listed things that urgently need. But for now, mostly for equipment to help with clean up and mask for the population and water for everyone. Because there's very limited access to clean water at the moment and supply of water (INAUDIBLE) whether it's only for the emergency supply in Tonga.

CHURCH: And of course as you're talking to us, we're looking at these images just shocking of the eruption from this underwater volcano. And New Zealand says further eruptions are likely in the next few days and weeks. What information are you getting on this and how concerned are you that this will only make the situation more dangerous for the people of Tonga?

TU'IHALANGINGIE: Definitely, even though the government has been canceled the tsunami warning however, they are continuing to monitoring any activities. We are aware that there's a good chance that we will be erupt again at any time. You know, Mother Nature is unpredictable. However, we hope that It will not happen in any -- anytime soon while we need to focus on the cleanup and also to conduct research and rescue and survey and assess the damage and casualties in (INAUDIBLE)

[20:15:15]

CHURCH: And of course it as if it isn't -- this isn't enough for your nation to deal with. I do wonder how much you worry that COVID infections could rise in the midst of this as aid is delivered to a country that has fought hard to keep infections low.

TU'IHALANGINGIE: Very much this is a huge concern and we have discussed it with Australia. So with New Zealand and the rest of our donor partners and they are aware of it and they want to keep it that way. At the moment we are continuing to to implement the pre-tsunami COVID protocol which all cargo will be arrived and quarantine for three days. Anyone coming in that plane or on that ship will not be permitted to disembark.

So until the government will -- until the touring government will look into any review of the current COVID protocol. But for now, we will continue to implement the COVID protocol that has been implemented in Tonga for the past two years.

CHURCH: Curtis Tu'ihalangingie, thank you so much for talking with us. And we are so sorry to see what has happened to your nation. We hope that people can be receiving that aid sooner rather than later. Thank you so much, sir.

TU'IHALANGINGIE: Thank you for your time and thank you for having me.

CHURCH: Appreciate it.

Well, Tom has a Olympic flag bearer is helping raise money for those impacted by the devastating a reception and tsunami. The GoFundMe page has raised more than $300,000. The campaign says the money will go toward those in need along with repairing schools, hospitals and other infrastructure. Flagbearer Pita Taufatofua said on Wedensday his family is on a main island and their home is safe but he's still waiting to hear from his father and other family members in the lower islands.

And still to come here on CNN. Boris Johnson says no one told him a party at 10 Downing Street was against lockdown rules. Why this new I- didn't-know defense may not work in his political favor. We'll take a closer look.

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CHURCH: The British Prime Minister has a new response to the controversy around the lockdown defying parties. He didn't know he was breaking the rules. Mr. Johnson said no one told him a gathering held in the garden of 10 Downing Street in May 2020 was a potential breach of COVID-19 restrictions.

[02:20:10]

CHURCH: Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: Categorically that nobody told me and nobody said that this was something that was against the rules. It was a breach of the -- of the COVID rules. What we were doing something that wasn't a work event because, frankly, I don't think -- I can't imagine why on earth it would have gone ahead or why it would have been allowed to go ahead.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: And for more on this, let's bring in CNN European Affairs Commentator, Dominic Thomas. Dominic, always a pleasure to have you with us.

DOMINIC THOMAS, CNN EUROPEAN AFFAIRS COMMENTATOR: Thank you, Rosemary.

CHURCH: So the Prime Minister makes the rules. So how likely is it that anyone will buy his new excuse that he didn't know he was breaking the rules by holding a party or parties at 10 Downing Street during the lockdown?

THOMAS: Nobody at all. He seems to be currently the only person in Britain who somehow rather was not aware of what the rules are or certainly forgot what they were because shortly before these rules, violations, he had appeared on television. He is responsible for setting the rules. And so you have somebody here with this long standing record of lying essentially, now appealing to the British public for trust and respect.

And ultimately, everybody knows that his sort of ethical, you know, barometer is structured in such a way that it's less about, you know, do not transgress and more about do-not-get-caught transgressing. And so there are no excuses at this particular stage to take away from the fact that he is the prime minister and he is ultimately responsible for these COVID regulations and for the violations of them.

CHURCH: Yes. The buck stops with him. And of course, meantime, calls for Boris Johnson's resignation grow ever louder. But he has weathered situations like this before. So can he do it again even his efforts to trigger a leadership contest are underway right now?

THOMAS: I think they're in a number way of of doing this. I think there's clearly somewhere on Boris Johnson is an expiration date. We don't know exactly what that -- what that date will be. It's clear that he came to power at a -- in a special context after there being so many elections and so on. He delivered that promise of Brexit at a time when people were tired of elections and leadership change. But things have changed a lot.

ANd the British people have gone through a tremendous, you know, suffering during lockdown, personal losses, and, and so on, so forth. The fact remains, though, that Boris Johnson serves at the pleasure of the Conservative Party M.P.s. He holds on to this massive majority. And I think at this stage, they're waiting for the gray report, they'll just be findings, but just to see the extent to which the reputational damage to the party plays out the ways in which the public opinion shifts around this.

And whether or not these future findings serve as a catalyst to try and move Boris Johnson out of it, the position that he is in there. And whether or not there is in fact, anybody in the wings, who actually has the potential to not only save the party but really take over realistically from Boris Johnson.

CHURCH: Yes. And I wanted to come back to that. But do you mentioned that investigation, when might that be completed into the Downing Street parties? And once it's made public could that signal the end of Boris Johnson or at least the beginning of the end?

THOMAS: Well, the beginning of the end, I think is in play. This is not a sort of, you know, a criminal investigation. There will be findings and the findings will be what we already know that events took place, and that they were in violation and clear violation of the -- of the regulations set by the Prime Minister. The ultimate question is, I think the way in which this plays out in his party, the appetite for replacing him and that appetite, I think will be motivated by whether or not this report further leads to Conservative M.P.s being put under pressure in their constituencies.

And whether public opinion is really calling for the Prime Minister to be replaced. And so the conservatives will have to carefully balance out that with the understanding that a general election is still two years away, and whether a leadership change is automatically necessary in order to protect the conservative brand. So, a lot of calculations will be -- will be -- will be thought about during this time.

CHURCH: So who are the possible candidates so -- to replace Boris Johnson if it comes to that?

THOMAS: Yes. Well, I think this is a, you know, the million-dollar question. I mean, clearly, all those around him in his cabinet have viable chances of winning a leadership challenge. But there is no one obvious person. Of course the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the foreign secretary and the list goes on. [02:25:08]

THOMAS: But I think that even with that, there is a challenge. As I said, the general election is scheduled for May 2024. The Conservative Party does not want to end up in a position again, as it did with Theresa May, as it did with Boris Johnson. Were then selecting the new prime minister without going to a general election. And I think that's problematic, particularly at a time when the conservative brand has taken a beating because of the failed leadership of Boris Johnson.

And so it'd be interesting to see whether anybody really wants that position right now. And the sort of predicament and the problems that it brings to the Conservative Party. Should they entertain a Leadership Challenge at this particular juncture?

CHURCH: Yes. Right now. It's the poison chalice, isn't it? Dominic Thomas, many thanks, as always for your analysis. Appreciate it.

THOMAS: Thank you.

CHURCH: Well, still to come. Why the Hong Kong government believes many small pet store animals could cause a spike in COVID cases.

And a 5G rollout is on hold. But some airlines are still canceling flights to the U.S. over safety concerns. We'll have the details for you on the other side of the break. Stay with us.

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CHURCH: Welcome back, veryone. Well, the Omicron virulent is fueling a record rise and COVID cases across parts of Europe. Italy reported its highest record of daily COVID infection since the start of the pandemic in the past day. A similar situation in France, which reported a record daily high of more than 464,000 new COVID cases. But even as cases climb, a new study published by the French Council of Economic Analysis shows the health pass used in Europe has saved lives.

Since its adoption last year it prevented nearly 4000 deaths in France and more than 1000 in both Germany and Italy. The World Health Organization chief says everyone must remain vigilant amid this latest surge.

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TEDROS ADHANOM GHEBREYESUS, DIRECTOR GENERAL, WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION: Omicron continues to sweep the world. In some countries cases seem to have peaked, which gives hope that the worst of this latest wave is done with but no countries out of the woods yet.

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CHURCH: Meantime, the U.S. government has launched its Web site for free COVID-19 tests. People can order a maximum of four tests to be shipped straight to their home. The Web site's formal rollout is in the coming hours. Well, parts of Asia tightening their COVID safety measures amid fears of new outbreaks and surging cases.

[02:30:00]

Japan's Prime Minister will announce stricter restrictions in 13 regions after a record rise in infections.

Meantime, in Hong Kong, thousands of people have signed a petition to stop the government ordered culling of small animals. Officials fear they could spread the coronavirus. CNN's Ivan Watson joins me now with the latest from Hong Kong.

Good to see you, Ivan. So, what is the latest on this disturbing story and why is the government so convinced that these small animals are spreading COVID?

IVAN WATSON, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: The latest is, Rosemary, that the Hong Kong government is telling residents of this city, if you bought a pet hamster, during December 22nd or after that date, please surrender it to the authorities so that it can be killed. And this is not a joke. This is front page news here in Hong Kong. The culling of an estimated 2,000 hamsters and potentially other small animals.

Now, where is this coming from? Let me unpack this. The health authorities say that at the beginning of this week, an employee of a pet shop in the busiest shopping district here tested positive for COVID. And then the health workers tested the hamsters in that shop, as well as 78 chinchillas and rabbits. And 11 hamsters came back with positive results for COVID infections. And that has convinced health authorities here that it is possible that this small animal imported from Europe may have given COVID to a human being.

Listen to this doctor, who is the head of the center for health protection.

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DR. EDWIN TSUI, CONTROLLER OF THE CENTRE FOR HEALTH PROTECTION: It's quite a large amount of animals, the hamsters are tested with positive results. And with the shopkeepers which has a more frequent exposure to the hamster and the involvement, we cannot exclude the possibility that the shopkeepers, was in fact -- was -- actually infected from the hamsters.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

WATSON: So, here are the government's newest guidelines. All pet shops in Hong Kong selling hamsters must suspend business starting yesterday. Hamsters also have to be tested at those pet shops for COVID. And the import of small mammals is being suspended immediately.

That, in addition, to the order going out to the public to hand in your pets to be killed. This is part of the Hong Kong government's efforts to try and keep the city to zero-COVID cases. The restaurants are closed after 6:00 p.m. right now, primary schools and kindergartens are closed right now, for example. Yet, there were about 17 new cases recorded on Tuesday.

Animal rights activists have come out saying this is cruel behavior. They're signing petitions trying to get -- put a stop to this. And the Hong Kong health authorities are trying to defend their decision saying that Denmark called a bunch of farmed minks in an effort to spread -- stop the spread of COVID. That's different from pets that people have in their homes, of course. The Center for Disease Control in the U.S., it says that, "The risk of animal spreading COVID-19 to people is low." Rosemary?

CHURCH: Yes. It is just extraordinary isn't? Ivan Watson joining us live from Hong Kong. Many thanks.

While some international airlines are canceling flights to the U.S. over the uncertainty connected to the rollout of 5G networks. They announced service cuts at certain airports beginning Wednesday. That's despite the announcement from Verizon and, CNN's parent company, AT&T of another delay in the rollout near some airports. The Federal Aviation Administration has warned a potential 5G interference with critical airplane technology.

PETE MUNTEAN, CNN AVIATION CORRESPONDENT: This issues all centers on radar altimeters, a really sensitive instrument. I've seen them in Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida. They give a hypersensitive reading of an airplanes high above the ground. And the concern is that this 5G network could interfere with that signal from the radar altimeter being sent from the airplane to the ground and back to the airplane again.

It's a really critical problem for pilots because they rely on that instrument when the plane is coming into land, typically at times when the weather is poor and they can't see the runways. So, it's a really serious problem in the airlines today.

CHURCH: U.S. airline executives warned President Biden that 5G restrictions at some airports could lead to a thousand flight disruptions per day.

[02:35:00]

Well, still to come, new research is shedding light on the impact pandemic school closures have had on children's mental and physical wellbeing. We'll take a closer look at that.

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Well, new research highlights the toll pandemic school closures have had on children's mental and physical health. Researchers looked at dozens of studies from 11 countries across the board, they found increased levels of depression, anxiety among young people, and found students were less engaged with their schoolwork. They also found impacts on children's physical health with lower levels of physical activity and an increase in obesity. On top of that, students experiencing food insecurity could be missing their one nutritious meal a day when not at school. Judy Ho is a clinical and forensic neuropsychologist and author of the book, "Stop Self-Sabotage" and she joins me now from Los Angeles. Thank you so much for being with us.

JUDY HO, CLINICAL AND FORENSIC NEUROPSYCHOLOGIST: Great to be with you, Rosemary.

So, this new research suggesting the impact of the closure of schools during the pandemic is truly having this wide range in impact on kids mental and physical wellbeing. But it's difficult, isn't it? Because, I mean, for those of us who are parents, I mean, my children, for instance, have thrived in that situation. But for others, it can be a very drastic outcome, can't it? So, talk to us about the scope of those reactions to the pandemic closures.

HO: You are absolutely right, Rosemary. There is a range of reactions to the lockdown and having to transition to learning, mostly online, maybe away from your usual friends. And I think for those who the pandemic had negatively impacted, it really comes down to that lack of social communication, social community. And some younger students are able to find a way to still have that community, have that closeness, and have social connection, but others have not.

And social connection, for children and adults alike, is essential to mental and physical health. And we have so many studies that document this in adults already, now we are seeing the same impact in children. And it's no surprise to me because this is a time when children are really trying to develop their social skills and understanding who they are and developing their identity as well.

CHURCH: Yes. Particularly for those younger kiddies. I really feel for parents of kids going to elementary school because there are so many milestones in that education. And of course, the beginning of this pandemic, it was totally understandable that closed would -- that schools would close as teachers and authorities and health experts wrapped their minds around what we were dealing with here.

[02:40:00]

But now, two years later, we have masks, we have vaccines for most people over five. So, we have so many tools available to us. There really is no excuse, surely, to be closing any schools at this junction.

HO: And I think it really comes down to, Rosemary, having those protocols in place. I personally know many educators and there's still isn't a lot of consistency in terms of the procedures that are being put in place in the schools to keep everyone safe. So, we have all these tools but not every school is consistently using them and, adding to that, is the anxiety of the teachers and staff themselves.

So, there's also a wide-ranging reaction among the teachers and staff. Some teachers are actually really anxious to be in schools right now and that's obviously going to impact the quality of education they're able to impart on the children in their classroom if they're not feeling secure about the protocols that are in place for them.

CHURCH: So, what advice would you give to parents, particularly, also kids and teachers of course in this situation on how they can deal with this anxiety that a lot of these children are experiencing at this time? What is the best advice you can give everyone for this?

HO: That's a great question. I think for the children and parents of children, it's really important to find some way to have social connection. If you're not able to have that safely in-person or even if they are in-person the children still feel like that's lacking because they're really anxious being in the school and they're not able to really tend to their social communications there.

So, really make sure that you're building that somehow into the schedule that you have for your children with your extended household, with other family members, finding innovative ways to have that social connection. That is key. Children need the social connection. They need to practice for the social skills.

For parents and staff and teachers who might be anxious about the school protocol, speak up. I think this is time where we have to advocate for ourselves. Talk about the tools at our disposal. If you don't like something that's going on and you think that the school is not being as if they can be, let's talk about it. This is not the time to stay quiet and just go to work and be passive about it. You really just have to stand up and advocate for yourself and the safety of everybody around you.

CHURCH: Such good advice on all levels there. Dr. Julie Ho, thank you so much for joining us. Appreciate it.

HO: Thanks, Rosemary.

CHURCH: Well, SpaceX has launched another 49 of its internet satellites into orbit.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Three, two, one, zero. Ignition. And liftoff.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

CHURCH: There it goes. A rocket carrying the Starlink satellites lifted off from NASA's Kennedy Space Center about six hours ago. The first stage of the rocket landed off the Florida Coast about nine minutes after the launch, as planned. And just minutes later, the second stage deployed the satellites. Thousands more will be boosted into space in the coming months.

And thanks so much for joining us. I'm Rosemary Church. World Sport is coming up next. Then I'll be back with more news from all around the world in about 15 minutes. You're watching CNN. Do stick around.

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