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U.S. State Department Reducing Staff at Embassy in Ukraine; Fears Mount Over a Possible Russian Invasion of Ukraine; Some Governments Threaten Unvaccinated with Fines, Taxes; Hong Kong Housing Estate Under Lockdown Amid outbreak; Wuhan Two Years Later: Legacy of China's COVID Policies; Environmental Damage from Peruvian Oil Spill Could be Long-Lasting; Hong Kong Struggles to Cope with Mental Health Crisis. Aired 12-1a ET

Aired January 24, 2022 - 00:00   ET

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

MICHAEL HOLMES, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Welcome, everyone. I'm Michael Holmes. I appreciate your company.

[00:00:18]

Coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM, the U.S. State Department calls for a reduction in staff at its embassy in Ukraine, citing the threat of military action by Moscow.

A housing estate under lockdown in Hong Kong after nearly 200 positive COVID cases. The latest in a live report for you.

And the fashion world mourning the loss of an icon. How the world is remembering the designer, Thierry Mugler.

ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Center, this is CNN NEWSROOM with Michael Holmes.

HOLMES: And we are following new developments in Ukraine this hour, as fears over a possible Russian invasion continue. We have now learned the U.S. State Department will be reducing staff levels at the embassy in Kyiv, starting with nonessential staff and family members.

The U.S. says it comes amid the threat of Russian military action. Ukraine says Russia has now deployed more than 127,000 troops in the region.

In the coming hours, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken is set to meet with E.U. foreign ministers virtually and brief them on his meeting with Russia's foreign minister. Ahead of that, America's top diplomat issued one of the strongest warnings yet.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP) ANTONY BLINKEN, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: If a single additional Russian force goes into Ukraine in an aggressive way, as I said, that would trigger a swift, severe and united response from us and from Europe.

And again, there are other things that Russia could do that fall short of actually sending additional forces into Ukraine. And again, across the board, we're prepared with Europe for a swift, and calibrated and great united response.

We're looking at every single scenario, preparing for every single one.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Meanwhile, Russia lashing out at the U.K. foreign office one day after it said Moscow might be considering a pro-Russian politician as a candidate to lead Ukraine. The Russian embassy in the U.K. called that idea comical and demanded London put an end to, quote, "stupid rhetorical provocations."

Let's head to Washington now, where CNN White House correspondent Arlette Saenz is tracking the latest developments.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ARLETTE SAENZ, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: The U.S. is making changes at an embassy in Kyiv, as concerns mount over Russia's aggression towards Ukraine. The State Department ordered the departure of all families of American diplomats, as well as authorized the departure of some non-emergency government personnel.

Now, officials say that this decision was made out of an abundance of caution. And in that travel advisory that was released, they wrote, "There are reports Russia is planning significant military action against Ukraine. The security conditions, particularly along Ukraine's border and Russia-occupied Crimea and in Russia-controlled eastern Ukraine, are unpredictable and can deteriorate with little notice. Demonstrations, which have turned violent at times, regularly occur throughout Ukraine, including in Kyiv."

Now, this advisory also urged the departure of U.S. citizens from the country via commercial or other private transportation options. Officials said that if Russia moves forward with an invasion of Ukraine, the U.S. would not be in a position to evacuate its citizens from the country.

They were saying they make this decision out of an abundance of caution. But there has been rising concern over the course of the past few weeks about Russia's intentions with Ukraine.

Now, the U.S. shipped its first shipment of lethal aid to Ukraine, in order for the country to have defense mechanisms in place, should Russia move forward with that invasion.

The first shipment arrived on Saturday. And Ukraine's defense minister tweeted that on Sunday, a second plane landed with 80 tons of weapons from our friends in the USA. He added, "And this is not the end."

The U.S. has been evaluating what kind of military assistant the country and its allies can offer to Ukraine in this scenario. Additionally, the Pentagon has been drawing up options for President Biden to potentially bolster U.S. military presidents in Eastern European NATO countries, which had been rattled by these rising tensions between Russia and Ukraine.

Now, President Biden convened a meeting of his national security team from Camp David on Saturday, where he talked about some of these deterrence measures that have been put into place.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued a stern warning to Russia on Sunday, saying that any type of invasion would be met with a swift and severe response from the U.S. and its allies.

The U.S. is trying and hoping that that diplomatic course will lead to this de-escalation and tensions from Russia towards Ukraine. But they also say they're planning for all scenarios.

Arlette Saenz, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Joining me now from Washington, D.C., is Jill Dougherty. She's a former CNN Moscow bureau chief and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University's Walsh School of Foreign Service.

Always a pleasure, Jill.

Now, Putin takes risks but he's calculated. He knows how to play the game of brinkmanship. Given he no doubt does not want an Afghanistan- style occupation of Ukraine, what do you think he's planning? What might be his calculation?

JILL DOUGHERTY, ADJUNCT PROFESSOR, GEORGETOWN UNIVERSITY'S WALSH SCHOOL OF FOREIGN SERVICE: You know, there are objectives -- several objectives, but I think overall, it's the big picture. I mean, he wants to replay, redo the end of the Cold War. And especially, to create this global security arrangement for Russia along its borders, basically in Eastern Europe. That's No. 1 but more immediately with Ukraine.

He could have some more limited objectives. He certainly wants to destabilize Ukraine and make sure that it doesn't move any further into the embrace of the west. And he can do that through multiple things.

I mean, you and I have talked about this. We're paying a lot of attention, and rightfully so, to the military side of it, to the buildup on the border, et cetera.

But there are other things that President Putin can do that would be -- could be very effective. It would be more -- and I don't like this word very much, because it's so undefined -- but hybrid. There are other things that he could do like false flag, provocations, disinformation, et cetera.

HOLMES: You know, short of an invasion, despite the warnings of consequences from the west for any move across the border. Do you think Putin could perhaps move forces into the Donbass region, where there are, you know, Russian sympathetic forces there?

They claimed to be protecting Russian passport holders and speakers and have a Crimea-style referendum to join Russia.

DOUGHERTY: Certainly, in fact I was watching Russian TV, as I often do tonight, and they were discussing -- these are not officials, but they were on state TV. They were discussing that, you know, we could recognize those two areas in the Donbass as independent entities from Ukraine.

And so that is entirely in the cards. And they wouldn't have to do much. You know, you could send in to some unnamed or unmarked forces -- the little green men, as we call them.

HOLMES: Yes.

DOUGHERTY: We saw in Crimea, and do that, actually, quite easily.

HOLMES: Yes, I saw them firsthand. I was in Crimea when they came in in 2014.

You are a Russia watcher. Politics, media, everything. What have you seen that gives you a sense of how the Russian people conflict and who they blame for it?

DOUGHERTY: Well, you know, there's a very, very interesting poll by the Nevada (ph) Center, which is quite reliable polling company in Russia. And they showed -- they surveyed Russians.

And what did they find out? OK, so 50 percent of Russians in this poll don't believe that there is going to be war at all. And another 15 percent absolutely don't believe that there is going to be a war.

So, the overwhelming majority think there will be. But there was a sizeable minority, 39 percent, that believe that there will be. And this -- what they're talking about is Ukraine-Russia war.

What they really are fearful of is NATO-Russia war, which they almost believe is happening. And then who do they blame? OK, 50 percent, 5-0, half of them blame NATO in the United States in between 3 and 4 percent blame Russia.

HOLMES: Wow.

DOUGHERTY: So that's really significant. TI think -- you know, the quote that I -- Michael, I'm sorry. But the quote that I paid attention to was they're dragging us into war. They're dragging Russia into war.

HOLMES: That's an interesting viewpoint. Real quick. We're almost out of time. In that domestic sense, does

Putin need to get results from the whole situation? Would it hurt him on the home front to gain nothing at the end of the day? And if so, what would an off-ramp look like that would allow him to save face?

[00:10:04]

DOUGHERTY: Well, you know, if the Russian people actually understand that he wants a redo of the end of the Cold War, that's one thing. And I'm not convinced that they really understand all of the nitty gritty of this dynamic that's -- that's unfolding.

But what he has done is he has created a fear among the Russian people that the enemy is at the gate, that we look at it as Russia coming into Ukraine. They look at it at Ukraine, NATO, the United States and the West moving to Russia.

And so he has succeeded in scaring the Russian people into believing that they -- their lives are in jeopardy from this. And that, I guess, you could say, is probably one of the main things that he wanted to do.

HOLMES: Yes, yes. Interesting days and weeks ahead.

Jill Dougherty, as always, thanks so much.

Now, the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces are tightening their siege of a prison housing ISIS suspects after inmates took over the facility. There has been fierce fighting since Thursday.

Now the SDF say at least 27 of their fighters, dozens of ISIS members and at least 15 inmates have been killed so far. Hundreds of civilians, including women and children for their homes and nearby areas following the ISIS attack.

Taliban officials are meeting with leaders from the international community in Norway to discuss human rights and other economic social and political issues.

Norwegian officials say the meetings in no way recognize the legitimacy of the Taliban but are a necessary step to prevent an even worse humanitarian disaster.

And the Taliban spokesman says the cooperation is the only way to solve Afghanistan's problems. The meetings will continue through Tuesday.

Taiwan says mainland China sent nearly 40 war planes into its air defense zone on Sunday, the largest such incursion so far this year.

Taiwan's defense ministry says that the planes included dozens of fighter jets and a nuclear-capable bomber. In response, Taiwan says it deployed air defense missile systems to monitor the situation.

Beijing's show of force coming one day after the U.S. and Japan conducted naval drills east of Taiwan. The French fashion designer, Manfred Thierry Mugler, has died at the age of 73.

Mugler was known for his provocative and exaggerated designs. He launched his first clothing label in 1973 before starting his self- named label.

More recently, he was known for styling iconic look for Beyonce, Lady Gaga and rapper Cardi B.

The creative director of Mugler's fashion label, Casey Cadwallader, wrote on Instagram, quote, "You changed our perception of beauty, of confidence, representation and self-empowerment."

Coming up here on CNN NEWSROOM, anger over COVID restrictions spills out into the streets of Belgium. We'll have the latest for you. And Hong Kong is struggling to contain a growing COVID outbreak in a housing estate.

Plus, a backlash to some of the government's harsher measures. We will have more in a live report with Kristie Lu Stout, next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[00:15:50]

HOLMES: Well, authorities in Belgium say some 50,000 people demonstrated against COVID restrictions in Brussels on Sunday. Clashes between police and protesters led to at least a dozen arrests. And as you saw there, police pulling out the tear gas. They also used water cannon.

Now, according to authorities, three officers and 12 demonstrators were hospitalized because of their injuries.

Now, governments around the world have been trying to figure out how to overcome vaccine hesitancy and skepticism, since data, of course, shows that vaccinations are the best protection against coronavirus. Well, now some plan to hit the unvaccinated where it hurts the most, in the wallet.

CNN's Nada Bashir explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

NADA BASHIR, CNN PRODUCER (voice-over): It just got more expensive to be unvaccinated in Austria. The country's Parliament passed a measure to make COVID-19 vaccinations mandatory for all adults.

WOLFGANG MUECKSTEIN, AUSTRIAN HEALTH MINISTER (through translator): If we want to break the circle of lockdowns, we need this law and an end to the restrictions to protect us from the coronavirus. And I think that's what we all want.

BASHIR: After being passed by the upper house of Parliament and signed by the president, Alexander Van der Bellen, the measure is set to come into force in February with fines of up to roughly $4,000 rolling out in mid-March for anyone who can't provide proof of vaccination. It will be the strictest COVID-19 law in Europe, affecting all

Austrians 18 and older, though pregnant women, people with valid medical conditions, and those who have recovered from coronavirus in the past six months will be exempt.

It's a get-tough tactic that comes after weeks of volatile protest in Austria by a vocal minority of a coronavirus restrictions. And many countries facing similar resistance say they've heard enough.

In Greece, people over 60 who choose not to get vaccinated now face fines of more than $100 a month. Health officials say the financial leverage seems to be working.

For more than 90 percent of people in that age group have now received the shot. Many in the weeks after the mandate was announced in late November.

A similar fine is set to begin next month in Italy, where people over 50 and unvaccinated by choice will also face fines of more than $100. And by mid-February, workers over 50 must have a health pass, showing the vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19.

Otherwise, they face a fine of up to $1,700. The Italian prime minister justified the step, saying it's mainly the unvaccinated who are straining the country's healthcare system.

MARIO DRAGHI, ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER (through translator): We must never lose sight of the fact that most of the problems we have today come from the unvaccinated. Non-vaccinated people are much more likely to develop the disease and severe forms of the disease.

BASHIR: Quebec's premier also calling out the unvaccinated, saying they are putting a financial burden on others and should be taxed for that.

FRANCOIS LEGAULT, QUEBEC PREMIER: Those who refuse to receive their first dose in the coming weeks will have to pay a new health contribution.

BASHIR: Though details have yet to be finalized, the premier says the tax could exceed 100 Canadian dollars. They will not apply to those who can't take the shot for medical reasons.

Quebec has been one of the worst-hit of Canada's provinces. The premier says, even though only about 10 percent of Quebec's population is unvaccinated, those people make up 50 percent of patients in intensive care.

Critics say such a penalty could face legal challenges.

CARA ZWIBEL, GENERAL COUNSEL, CANADIAN CIVIL LIBERTIES ASSOCIATION: The worry is that it does, you know, set a precedent that this is the kind of thing that's permissible. And so, you know, the same logic that applies to this measure would apply to, you know, taxing people because of certain choices that they make.

BASHIR After almost a year of pleading with people to get vaccinated, many European governments are losing patience with the holdouts.

[00:20:05]

French President Emmanuel Macron says he wants to piss off the unvaccinated. But a growing number of places say it might be more effective to make them pay up instead.

Nada Bashir, CNN, London.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: A COVID outbreak in a Hong Kong community has spread to more than 170 confirmed or preliminary positive cases. Hundreds of people are under a snap lockdown after cases were reported over the weekend.

CNN's Kristie Lu Stout joins me now live from Hong Kong. And Kristie, you're outside the Kwai Chung housing estate. What is the latest on the outbreak there?

KRISTIE LU STOUT, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Michael, I'm standing outside the crowded housing estate. It's located north of the Kowloon Peninsula here in Hong Kong. And this is effectively the epicenter of the Omicron outbreak here in Hong Kong.

On Sunday, Hong Kong reported about 125 new locally-transmitted cases of COVID-19. It is the height daily total in a year. Of those cases, 104 are linked to a cluster here at this housing estate.

A number of residential buildings here, with thousands of people inside, have been under lockdown. Two buildings, including the one right next to me, under a five-day lockdown. Thirty-five thousand residents have been ordered to undergo mandatory COVID-19 testing.

You may see a few of them behind me as they line up to enter this area to my left, a multi-purpose area that's been turned into a snap testing area for COVID-19.

Officials acknowledge the severity of the outbreak here over the weekend. We heard from Carrie Lam. She described the outbreak here in Kwai Chung as, quote, "exponential." I want you to hear this from Hong Kong's top leader.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

CARRIE LAM, HONG KONG CHIEF EXECUTIVE (through translator): We are worried that the exponential growth of cases that we have seen in other parts of the world is now happening in Kwai Chung.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STOUT: And many residents here in Kwai Chung are, frankly, fed up. In fact, when Carrie Lam visited this building on Sunday, she was met with jeers and angry slurs. In the end, her visit lasted only 15 minutes.

Back to you, Michael. HOLMES: Wow, I guess the situations is genuinely testing Hong Kong's

zero-COVID strategy. How do authorities defend that strategy? How long do they keep it up?

STOUT: Yes. Hong Kong and China pursues a very strict zero-COVID strategy. After since, what, a few dozen cases of Omicron were detected locally, a number of measures were put into place.

Now, we have not just primary but secondary schools that have been closed. Restaurant dine-in services no longer available after 6 p.m. Museums are closed. Transport by airlines severely disrupted because of zero COVID.

The question was put to Carrie Lam over the weekend. She defended the strategy, saying that No. 1, it's needed for Hong Kong to eventually reopen. This is their priority, reopen with mainland China, as well as the rest of the world.

And No. 2, she acknowledged the fact that the vaccination rate here in Hong Kong is just not high enough. At the moment, only just over 70 percent of the total population have been vaccinated, fully vaccinated. But when you look at the vulnerable population, the elderly population, that number is far lower -- Michael.

HOLMES: Yes, surprising in a way.

Kristie, thank you. Kristie Lu Stout in Hong Kong there for us.

STOUT: You got it.

HOLMES: Now, with less than two weeks to go before the Winter Olympics and just days before the Chinese new year, mass testing on the way for more than 2 million people in Beijing.

At least five cases have been reported in Fengtai district in the past two weeks, resulting in hundreds being quarantined and a ban on public gatherings.

Now, Chinese authorities have also lowered the testing threshold for participants, essentially making it easier for participants to produce a negative test.

So far, more than 70 COVID cases have been registered among personnel related it to the Olympics, all of them non-athletes.

It was two years ago when Chinese authorities locked down Wuhan, sealing off the city of 11 million for 76 days.

CNN's David Culver takes a look back at China's COVID policies since that moment.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID CULVER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Snap lockdowns, mass testing and tracking our every move. Two years ago, this would have seemed like a sci-fi movie. While China's methods to combat the outbreak have evolved, the

containment measures remain just as fierce and relentless and exhausting.

(on camera): Much of what is happening today in China is rooted in the actions sparked on January 23, 2020. The thought of that 3 a.m. phone call from that day still makes my adrenaline rush: "Wuhan is going on lockdown. You've got to get out."

(voice-over): My team and I scrambled to get to the train station. We weren't the only ones. Crowds already building. The world about to learn what China's version of a lockdown looked like.

[00:25:03]

(on camera): A city of more than 11 million sealed off, people confined to their homes. The streets emptied. A metropolis seemingly frozen in time.

Hospitals flooded with panicked patients. Military mobilization followed. In days, crews built field hospitals and quarantine centers to isolate the infected. The lockdown lasted 76 days.

Looking back, this was the start of China's zero-COVID policy.

After leaving Wuhan and returning to Beijing, my team and I continued our reporting isolated in a hotel room --

(on camera): Mic check, one, two, three.

(voice-over): -- for 14 days, an early sampling of what's now so familiar. Quarantine and work from home.

(on camera): You can even do it and slippers.

(voice-over): Today in China, 21 days is mostly standard quarantine for international arrivals, with some cities requiring additional time of isolation on top of that. That's if you're able to even get into the country.

(on camera): Was it an overreaction?

(voice-over): In February 2020, Chinese officials said the U.S. was overreacting when it cut off flights from China. But today, it's China keeping others out. Its borders are virtually closed off.

They knew the virus as an imported threat. Their efforts to contain it matched only by the propaganda efforts to control the narrative of how it started.

WOLF BLITZER, CNN ANCHOR: Following breaking news.

CULVER: By spring of 2020, the U.S. and the rest of the world were battling their own outbreaks and China, returning to near normal. Crowds began flocking to popular spots again. And in April, Wuhan came out of lockdown. The desolate streets filling

up once again. A packed summer pool party shocked the then-socially- distanced world.

Today, the city's economy recovering and people no longer fearful of leaving their homes. Though the emotional wounds in residents who lost loved ones early on, those may never heal.

Health surveillance, or contact tracing, has played a major role in China's COVID control, its power unchecked in cyberspace, just like in the real world. The government keep tabs on everyone, using an increasingly sophisticated digital surveillance infrastructure, flagging those who might get too close to a confirmed case.

They also set up physical checkpoints to screen people. You pass through them to enter parks, malls, restaurants, stores, the airport and tighten control that we thought was only temporary.

Even as China rolled out its own vaccines throughout 2021, the strict measures remained, and the public sphere of the virus intensified, fanned by propaganda.

Travel within China eased a bit, but every few weeks there was a jolting reminder. A cluster of new cases prompting new lockdowns and mass testing of tens of millions, entire city population.

As the Olympics neared, sporadic outbreaks continued to surface. Fresh images reminiscent of Wuhan's lockdown, though not lasting nearly as long, leading to more unease. From neighborhood sealed off, to workers sleeping in their offices, to shoppers trapped in stores, sudden lockdowns and quarantine have dissuaded many here from traveling.

Two years on, COVID policies first slapped on Wuhan now replicated nationwide.

(on camera): Portraying its strategy as a resounding success, China now sees its role in the global stage with more competence. Authorities doubled down on enforcing tough measures for another Beijing Olympics that will be safe and spectacular, so they insist, even as the pandemic rages on.

David Culver, CNN, Beijing.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Now, for the fifth straight day, India has reported more than 300,000 new COVID-19 infections in a 24-hour period. That's according to data from the government.

Vedika Sud is in New Delhi with an update for us. So, these numbers, Vedika, they're huge. What is the latest on the data? And how is the government dealing with the situation?

VEDIKA SUD, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: There's an interesting bulletin (ph), Michael, that has been released by Instacorps (ph), which is a consortium, a conglomerate, rather, of these labs that have been genome sequencing COVID-19 testing in India.

They have now said that most of the cases are Omicron driven and that the variant is in community transmission here in India. That's important to not give in there, that they also go on to say in the same bulletin, that the number of cases being reported from big cities, metros like Mumbai and Delhi, have been on the rise and an exponential rise.

And now we know, and we have been saying is for a while that the variant that's driving these cases in India is the Omicron variant.

How is this different than the second and third wave? Well, if you remember, we've spoken about this on a number of occasions. The Delta variant was the variant behind the second wave in India, which was devastating in terms of the death toll and the numbers that we had seen. The was this huge demand for oxygen, especially in Delhi, which is home to India's capital.

Also, the bulletin goes on to say that hospital and ICU beds are also getting busy and that the threat remains unchanged when it comes to the Omicron variant.

[00:30:13]

Now, a lot of states in India continue to keep those restrictions in place. Delhi still has the weekend curfew. However, what's interesting is that the state of Maharashtra, which has been one of the states that has reported the highest caseload ever since the beginning of the pandemic, has started school from today, which comes as a relief to parents.

That also remains a worry while the Omicron variant is the dominant variant in India.

Interestingly, the election watchdog (ph) for the third time, Michael, has gone ahead and extended the ban on political rallies and gatherings till the end of the month. Five states are going to elections next month. One of the most important states, Utter Pradesh, which is the most populous state, is one of them.

So the election watchdog also making sure that some measures are in place while other states, other than Mumbai and Delhi, which medical experts say these are the cities that I'm talking about, have already crossed the peak. And other states are still reporting high cases of COVID-19 here in India, Michael.

HOLMES: All right. Vedika Sud in New Delhi. Appreciate the update. Thank you.

We'll take a quick break here. When we come back, the latest relief efforts in Tonga following the devastating volcanic eruption and tsunami just over week ago now.

And cleaning up one of the consequences of the eruption near Tonga. The latest on an oil spill in Peru. That's when we come back.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MAKA PAILATE, TONGA RELIEF COORDINATOR: There's a lot of love. Yes, you can see here, there's a lot of love here. And thinking about our home, back in the islands. And I guess that's why. That's why you see today. It's that kind of love.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

HOLMES: Tongans in New Zealand donating and coordinating aid to help the island nation deal with the devastating recent volcanic eruptions and tsunamis. Outside aid has started arriving in recent days.

But COVID concerns have complicated relief efforts. Tonga has only had one case of COVID since the pandemic began, and strict restrictions remain in place.

Ash from the January 15 eruption blankets much of the country. The government estimates around 84 percent of Tongans were directly impacted by the disaster.

An aid worker described what he's seen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DREW HAVEA, VICE PRESIDENT, TONGA RED CROSS SOCIETY: Dust in (UNINTELLIGIBLE) is a huge problem. People are still struggling to clean their homes, struggling to clean the roof of their houses. So everybody is -- even the unaffected areas by the tsunami, all affected by the ash. So we have community groups now, and villagers are out on the road, sweeping the road, making sure to clear it.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

[00:35:32]

HOLMES: Now part of the damage from the Tonga eruption can be seen thousands of miles away. The cleanup from the January 15 oil spill in Peru is under way. And environmental groups warn the damage could be long-lasting.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES (voice-over): Waves of black sludge wash up on a popular beach in Peru. This time of year, it should be filled the sunbathers. Instead, emergency crews in biohazard suits scoop oily sand into barrels to be transported to toxic waste treatment facilities.

The blackened beaches here, yet another casualty of a powerful volcanic eruption under the sea, thousands of kilometers away near Tonga.

Peru says a tanker ship spilled some 6,000 barrels of oil into the sea more than a week ago while it was off-loading the crew to a refinery. Unusually high waves caused by the eruption were to blame for the accident. Repsol, the company that owns the refinery, has said it isn't responsible for the spill and says maritime authorities should have issued warnings about the rough seas.

The Peruvian government, though, says Repsol should pay for the damages.

An environmental emergency has been declared for the next 90 days. So far, health officials say 21 of Peru's beaches have been polluted. Dead seals, fish and birds are washing up covered in oil. And fishing activities in the area have been suspended.

Local residents say they, too, have been impacted.

"Nothing. Nothing has sold," this fish vendor says. "The fish, more than anything, gives off the smell of oil, and people don't buy it."

Environmental groups say that cleaning the beaches with shovels and buckets is not nearly enough. And the damage to the country's rich marine life could be long-lasting.

Repsol says it has deployed more than 1,300 workers to the area, along with large vessels and skimmers to try to filter the oil from the ocean.

The United Nations also sending a team of experts to help with the emergency response. Still, few who live around here think that this will go away soon.

This man says, "Everything is toxic right now. Look at the oil stains on those stones. It's hard to clean them immediately. It will take years. Everything here is polluted."

A disaster initially caused by a force of nature, though some say the devastating effects in Peru could've been mitigated. An investigation is ongoing, many people are questioning why the ship was unloading in such conditions and if there was sufficient warning about the dangers.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: A quick break here. When we come back, why more people in Hong Kong say they're feeling depressed and the challenges they face getting help. That's after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

HOLMES: Hong Kong is struggling to cope with a growing mental health crisis from the coronavirus pandemic to social changes in recent years. As more people show symptoms of depression and anxiety, the healthcare system is struggling to cope.

CNN's Will Ripley reports.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Beneath Hong Kong's bright lights, a dark secret. Depression and suicide rates rising. The city's happiness index falling. Many in Hong Kong struggling. Experts call it a mental health epidemic.

One of the hardest hit groups young people, like University of Hong Kong student Steph Hong.

STEPH HONG (ph), UNIVERSITY OF HONG KONG STUDENT: What I would call the worst day was that complete lack of hope.

RIPLEY: Lack of hope about the future in a city rocked by upheaval in the past few years. From the protests, to the pandemic, and China's ongoing crackdown on Hong Kong's freedoms.

DR. LUCY LORD, FOUNDER, MIND HK: It's always been a perfect storm of social change, political change and -- and now a pandemic. And the Hong Kong system is struggling to cope with the epidemic of -- of mental health.

RIPLEY: Hong Kong's public health system, overwhelmed. Patients with non-urgent cases are waiting from nine months to almost two years to see a psychiatrist. The average visit, just six to eight minutes.

Dr. Lucy Lord is an obstetrician who suffered debilitating postnatal depression.

LORD: Everybody has mental health, just like we all have physical health.

RIPLEY: She's the founder of Mind HK, a foundation focused on fighting mental health stigma.

Only a quarter of those suffering seek professional help. One in seven face a common mental disorder in Hong Kong.

It's even worse for high school students. More than half show signs of depression.

LORD: Intervening early doesn't just save people's lives, it saves their families. It saves their relationships. It saves their careers. It -- it saves everything.

RIPLEY: Getting help early, the key to Steph Hong's recovery from a life-threatening eating disorder when she was in high school.

HONG (ph): Conversations about mental health are only really as scary as you make them.

RIPLEY (on camera): When you share your story, how often does it happen that you open up to someone and then they open up to you and say, I've been struggling, too?

HONG (ph): All the time. almost every time, Will. And it's quite wonderful to see that, because I'm here and I'm alive to share this story.

RIPLEY (voice-over): Ashore shared by many in Hong Kong. Only a few getting help they so desperately need.

Will Ripley, CNN, Hong Kong.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

HOLMES: Thanks for watching and spending part of your day with me. I'm Michael Holmes. Do stick around for WORLD SPORT. I'll see you in about 15 minutes or so.

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