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United Kingdom Manufacturing Companies Plot Their Recovery; WHO: 110 Vaccines in Development; Russia Has Second Highest Cases Globally; Paul Manafort Released from Jail; Local U.S. Governments Struggle with How to Reopen; Consumer Confidence Still Shaky; E.U. Issues Rules on Summer Tourism; South Korea Tests 20K after Night Club Outbreak; Germany Eases Border Control as New Cases Decline; Commencement in the Age of Coronavirus. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired May 13, 2020 - 10:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[10:00:00]
HALA GORANI, CNN HOST (voice-over): Hello and welcome to CNN's coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. I'm Hala Gorani.
London's public transportation system is filling up as Boris Johnson defends his decision to get the U.K. back to work.
Then a researcher racing toward a vaccine as some experts are warning that there may never be a vaccine.
And travel in the age of COVID. Voucher or refund for those dashed holiday dreams.
And what hotel hygiene measures can we expect? The E.U. transportation commissioner answers your travel questions this hour.
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GORANI: We are watching day one of a slow and cautious return to a new normal here in the U.K. Commuters in London were back on the Underground
during rush hour this morning after the government urged those who can do their jobs at home to get back to work.
But prime minister Boris Johnson said that he is keeping a close eye on how other countries are easing restrictions to ensure the U.K. doesn't make the
same mistakes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We are watching intently what is happening in other countries and it is very notable that in some other
countries where relaxations are introduced there are signs of the "R" going up again and that's a very clear warning to us not to proceed too fast or
too reckless.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Well, critics of Boris Johnson say he didn't look at other countries enough in the beginning of this pandemic and that is why the U.K.
has the highest death toll now in Europe. Nick Paton Walsh is joining me live in London from what was this morning a busy tube station.
What is it like today?
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN INTERNATIONAL SECURITY EDITOR: This morning on the first real day back to work after the confusing signals from the prime
minister was bustling. And it was clear that it was very difficult for people to maintain the social distancing required of two meters between
people.
Here behind me at Kings Cross, staff here say that in rush hour it was about 60 percent what you would normally expect to be on a busy day.
But just look at the concourse now, it has been like this most of the day, frankly, pretty much empty. Yes, this is not the peak travel times but
people certainly -- and I heard one station worker frankly scared to come back to work, still worried about the virus and the government's confusing
messages have not been helpful.
Here it still has the old message of stay home, protect the NHS. Now it is stay alert and control the virus. But the emphasis still on saving lives.
On a day, too, where as you know the stark economic warnings from the finance minister have said that in the first quarter we've seen a 2 percent
reduction in the U.K. economy and we should be in for worse for the second quarter.
But that real desire to get the economy moving again as much as possible still balancing out what you heard from Boris Johnson about the concerns of
the R rate rising again.
GORANI: And other countries, of course, are ahead of the U.K. in the number of weeks at least that they have lifted the lockdown restrictions in
their own territories. And some countries have seen a spike in cases.
Is there much concern there among commuters that the same thing could happen in the U.K. and that, at least for some, this may be too early?
WALSH: I think that it is exceptionally hard to gauge the public mood as a whole. There are polls suggesting that people are reluctant to put
themselves back into harm's way.
And certainly it seems roughly half of the working population is having some form of its wages subsidized or paid for by the government at this
point and aren't particularly keen, judging by the volume of traffic. The streets have been busy and that is one of the government's concerns, is
that the people are heeding the advice almost too carefully.
At the same time, some of the government messaging is certainly trying to slow the country down. It is not a binary switch of on versus off. We hear
messages today from ministers, saying that you'd be unwise, frankly, to book a lavish summer holiday because the advice could snap back and
reducing travel. And you are still not supposed to do anything other than the essential journeys, anyway.
So a possibility that we may see further relaxation, like household bubbles being created between certain countries.
[10:05:00]
WALSH: But that is all dependent on the numbers holding up. And today they are not great. Over 30,000 dead that we know of at this point in the United
Kingdom and a daily reported death toll of 494.
That is half what it was at its worst when counted through different measures but it's still not good. And that weighs on the government
announcements that we're hearing. A desperate need to get the country going again but also not so fast that we have to put ourselves back again a month
from now.
GORANI: Nick Paton Walsh, thanks very much.
And, of course, this is a lagging indicator, as many of our viewers know. It takes sometimes up to two weeks for symptoms to emerge once you have
been infected. So if you lift travel restrictions on a Monday, it is Monday two weeks later that you might see a spike in the number of cases if they
are related to the easing of lockdown restrictions.
Now Italy is an interesting case to discuss because it is seeing a spike in COVID cases a week after lifting restrictions but there is at least a
partial explanation. The daily number of new cases nearly doubled Monday to Tuesday to just over 1,400. More than 400 of those are from the hardest hit
region of Lombardy.
And officials say that there are cases from prior weeks that have not been previously counted. Our Ben Wedeman visited a town in the region that is
still reeling from the pandemic.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I'm Ben Wedeman in the cemetery of the northern Italian town of Nembro, one of the communities
hardest hit by coronavirus.
Here you see all the new graves that have been prepared. The death rate here has jumped by more than 1,000 percent in the early months of this
year. Now the situation in Italy is beginning to improve but the wounds of this pandemic will go on for a very long time.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: And as I mentioned, Italy started to lift its lockdown last week, some timid measures there, takeout food, for instance, is allowed. And
officials in Italy and elsewhere around the region will be watching closely to see numbers to see if the easing of restrictions will cause another
spike in cases because, if it does happen then, of course, officials will have to revisit whether or not easing restrictions might be premature.
So what is really the end game here?
When will our lives return to normal?
Many say it is when we finally get a vaccine. If you are vaccinated, you can't catch COVID. We can go back to visiting our elderly parents or
sitting in cafes. There are currently 100 vaccines in development.
And everyone wants to know will one of them work and, if so, when?
Listen to what Dr. Anthony Fauci in the United States had to say when one senator there asked him those questions during hearings yesterday.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. MITT ROMNEY (R-UT): Given our history with vaccine creation for other coronaviruses, how likely is it, I mean is it extremely likely we'll get a
vaccine within a year or two?
Is it just more likely than not or is it kind of a long shot?
DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: It is definitely not a long shot, Senator Romney. I would think it is more
likely than not that we will because this is a virus that induces an immune response that people recover. The overwhelming majority of people recover
from this virus.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: And that was Dr. Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute in the United States of Infectious Diseases. And joining me now
to talk more about vaccines is Robin Shattock, leading a vaccine development team, from Imperial College London.
Thank you, Professor.
First of all, do you agree with Dr. Fauci?
Or is it possible that Boris Johnson may be right when he says that a COVID vaccine may never be found?
ROBIN SHATTOCK, IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON: I would agree with Dr. Fauci and certainly we think that this is an easier target than some other viruses.
There is no guarantee that any single approach will work.
But I think by having you know over a hundred candidates now progressing towards being tested, that really increases the odds of getting --
hopefully several that work. But that's still just the start of the quest to get vaccines available globally.
GORANI: And how are your trials at Imperial College London doing?
[10:10:00]
SHATTOCK: So Imperial College is involved in two sets of trials. They're supporting the Oxford team that is developing a vaccine that's already in
clinical trials. And we have a second vaccine that we're developing ourselves that will start next month to be tested for safety and
immunogenicity.
But the journey from getting something into humans for the first time to showing that it works and it's safe, and safe enough and effective enough
to use, and then roll it out into the general population, takes a while. And it's unlikely that that will be achieved until early next year.
GORANI: And at what stage are the trials at Imperial College?
How does it work?
Sorry, you have to educate me.
Do you test them on animals?
Do you test them within a laboratory context before you test them on humans?
How does it work?
SHATTOCK: So all of these vaccines have gone through rigorous safety testing before they are moved to humans. That is obviously really important
to minimize any risks.
And then when they move into humans, the first phase is to really test them in small numbers of individuals so we can build up confidence in the
safety. And it is about accruing enough numbers to say, OK, it is safe enough now to use in 10 people, 100 people, 1,000 people, 100,000 people.
And that is why the process is, in some ways, frustratingly slow but you have to protect people's safety.
GORANI: How do you determine that they are safe to start using on humans?
SHATTOCK: So to determine they are safe in humans, you test them in animal models. And those are very well regulated. There are tests that have to be
done and are needed to be seen by regulatory authorities in the U.S., the FDA, or in Europe, the European regulatory authority. So very high levels
of scrutiny before anything is moved into a human.
By and large those will remove, you know, know, difficulties that you might see in small numbers of individuals. They still might not remove something
that would be extremely rare that you might see in maybe 100,000 or 1 million individuals.
GORANI: And what about until we have a vaccine?
Obviously countries and ordinary citizens across Europe and elsewhere need to make a living. The economies need to open back up. But until we have a
vaccine, and we haven't developed antibodies for COVID-19, we are all at risk.
How much of a risk in your estimation is it to open up before a vaccine is found?
SHATTOCK: Well, you have to remember that I'm not a public health expert or an epidemiologist. But I think that it is pretty clear that the virus is
not going to go away. And so we are likely to see unlocking and then closing down of, you know, people's behavior as the epidemic ebbs and
wanes.
So I think that we'll see that this is not going to be a definite progress towards complete unlocking. We'll probably see that it will be scaled up
and down as the epidemic comes and goes. And we'll have to deal with that until a vaccine is available.
GORANI: All right. Thank you very much for joining us as always, Robin Shattock, leading one of the efforts to find a vaccine against COVID-19.
Thank you.
For 11 days in a row, Russia has reported 10,000 new cases every day. Every single day. That gives Russia the second highest case count in the world.
Despite the spike in infections, Vladimir Putin is focusing on easing restrictions to kickstart the economy. But he is facing it all without his
top aide by his side. Matthew Chance reports.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MATTHEW CHANCE, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): News that Putin's spokesman has coronavirus is gripping Russia.
Dmitry Peskov may be only the latest official there to test positive, but he's the one closest to President Putin. It raises questions about the
health of the Russian leader.
For years, Peskov has been the public mouthpiece of his strong man president. Putin rarely appears without him at home or abroad. There's a
strong chance the two could have been in close contact.
To allay fears, Peskov has insisted there's been no in-person dealings between the two for over a month. The Kremlin says Putin has been working
remotely from his residence outside Moscow, although he clearly takes some meetings face to face.
[10:15:00]
CHANCE (voice-over): like this one with the head of the Russian state oil company.
It's a risk in a country reporting more than 10,000 new infections every day. And there are growing signs of the strain. At this hospital in St.
Petersburg, at least five coronavirus patients were killed in a blaze on their ward. Over the weekend, another died when a fire broke out in a
Moscow hospital.
Emergency workers say both incidents were caused by faulty ventilators bursting into flames. All this as the Kremlin moves to lift restrictions on
a national lockdown. But the coronavirus in Russia shows little sign of easing.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: Matthew Chance is joining me now live from London. He is usually based in Moscow.
Why is Russia not able to lower the number of daily infections that it is dealing with?
It has 10,000 a day for many days in a row now.
CHANCE: Well, I think part of it is the fact that they are carrying out more testing than before. And so it is a function of the fact that they
are carrying out so many tests that they are getting so many confirmed positive results coming back.
But even those grim results that we're hearing on a daily basis now, it is sort of seen as being -- people are quite skeptical about them. The mayor
of Moscow has come out and said that, according to his screening results, there are as many as 300,000 people infected in that city alone.
And so there is a huge amount of potential, you know, increases ahead for Russia in terms of the number of infections of coronavirus.
GORANI: So you are talking about cases, perhaps they are being revealed because of increased testing.
But what about hospital capacity?
Is the health care system able to cope in Russia right now?
CHANCE: You're right, the testing is just half of it. The other half of it is the fact that Russia's health care system seems to be visibly crumbling
in front of us as the pandemic sort of rages on.
We've seen, you know, doctors mentioning in that piece coming out and expressing their concerns about their working conditions, about the lack of
PPE and things like that. We've seen horrific pictures of medical staff crammed into makeshift wards because there is not enough space in the
intensive care units of ordinary hospitals.
And, of course, there are other technical problems as well. At least six coronavirus patients have been killed when their Russian-made ventilators
apparently burst into flames, setting fire to the walls around them. And hundreds had to be evacuated and six died. The Russians have now pulled
that particular model of ventilator from service.
But it underlines how much stress this pandemic is putting on sort of every corner of Russia's already fragile health system.
GORANI: Matthew, thanks very much.
Coming up, beaches are open again in Los Angeles. And other U.S. states are taking new steps toward reopening as well.
But will a dire warning from America's top health expert make local lead here America's top health expert make local leaders think twice?
And a summer holiday in Europe won't be what you are used to. My next guest talks about staying safe throughout your journey and keeping your kids safe
as well. We'll be right back.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[10:20:00]
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GORANI: We have breaking news out of the U.S. Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort was released from prison today to go into home
confinement. His lawyers made the request due to concerns over the high risk of coronavirus infections in prison.
Manafort has served about two years of a 7.5 year sentence on bank and tax fraud charges. His lawyer says that he will serve out the rest of the
sentence at home.
Welcome back. People in Los Angeles can enjoy the beach again if they would like to take that risk. L.A. County beaches reopened today but only for
swimming and exercise. Sunbathing and picnics are not allowed for now and people are expected to wear masks unless they are in the water. Stephanie
Elam has the latest from California on the tricky process of trying to get back to normal.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Small steps toward reopening in Los Angeles this morning. People can return to beaches for exercise and
recreation. Another option, after hiking trails and curbside pickup at some retail stores opened last week.
While stay-at-home orders are here to stay for at least the next three months, the L.A. County public health director stays restrictions will be
gradually relaxed.
MAYOR ERIC GARCETTI (D), LOS ANGELES: It's just a reminder of how delicate and fragile this time is but to not freak out when you hear a scientist say
that it's still going to be here and we're still going to be living under health orders, all of us in America, for many, many months, if not into
next year.
ELAM: After announcing new guidelines for regions of California meeting state standards in testing and declining cases, Governor Gavin Newsom
provided this tough reminder.
GOV. GAVIN NEWSOM (D-CA): This disease is still ubiquitous. It's still deadly. Seventy-seven people lost their lives in the last 24 hours to this
disease.
ELAM: This while on Capitol Hill, Dr. Anthony Fauci told the Senate Health Committee opening too soon could be deadly.
FAUCI: There is a real risk that you will trigger an outbreak that you may not be able to control, which in fact, paradoxically, will set you back,
not only leading to some suffering and death that could be avoided but could even set you back on the road to try to get economic recovery.
ELAM: This fall, most students attending the California State University system's 23 schools will attend classes online.
TIMOTHY WHITE, CHANCELLOR, CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY SYSTEM: We're a large university. Over 500,000 students and about 55,000 employees. So if
you have 500,000-plus people in close proximity on a daily basis, vibrantly interacting with each other, that's not conducive to mitigating the spread
of the disease.
ELAM: That massive closure calls into question whether children will return to elementary through high school classrooms in the fall.
And in New York City, curtains will remain closed on Broadway until at least September, signaling stay-at-home orders may be in place for quite
some time.
With most Americans now living under easing restrictions, one key model now projects more than 57,000 more Americans will die by July 4th.
[10:25:00]
DR. CHRISTOPHER MURRAY, DIRECTOR, INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH METRICS AND EVALUATION: We originally had thought that people would go the distance,
keep social distancing in place right through to the end of May.
But what's happened is that states have relaxed early, they've become more mobile. They're having more contact. And we're seeing the effects already.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
GORANI: All right. Stephanie Elam, thanks very much for that report.
Let's get you to the Middle East, now where the American secretary of state Mike Pompeo has made a quick trip to Jerusalem, the first foreign dignitary
to set foot in Israel since the coronavirus outbreak began. You see that he is wearing a face mask with the American flag printed on it.
He met with the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former rival turned coalition partner, Benny Gantz. And the visit comes as
Netanyahu eyes an American backed plan to annex part of the West Bank. In addition, the two discussed Iran as would be expected and as well as the
coronavirus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MIKE POMPEO, U.S. SECRETARY OF STATE: You and I and our teams can work together, I know that we'll deliver good outcomes and decrease risks for
people all across the world in this global pandemic. You are a great partner; you share information, unlike other countries and we'll talk about
that country, too.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: Just ahead, most of you, anyway, are tired of being cooped up in your homes and you might be yearning for a holiday.
How realistic is that you will get one this summer?
Are there any green zones around travel bubbles?
Our next guest is the ultimate authority on transporting yourself around the European Union.
And are you ready to go shopping again?
The world's retailers hope you are. Why they may have to wait before getting back anything resembling normal. We'll be right back.
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(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
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GORANI: Welcome back.
So are you planning a summer holiday in Europe?
You've got to be brave, really, because you might book a hotel room and you are not sure if you will get your deposit back if you have to cancel at the
last minute.
And the E.U. is desperate to get people to visit again because the travel industry in this part of the world is so huge. And it has been devastated
by global lockdowns.
Air France, for instance, is trying to reassure passengers by disinfecting planes regularly and requiring passengers wear masks on board all of its
planes. But the U.K. transport secretary is saying that you may be taking a big gamble.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRANT SHAPPS, U.K. TRANSPORT SECRETARY: Right now you can't travel abroad.
[10:30:00]
SHAPPS: If you are booking it, then you are clearly by the very nature taking a chance of where the direction of this virus goes and therefore
where the travel advice is in the future. So you know, that is not something that the people would want to take lightly of course.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GORANI: So there is traveling. That is something that you might not be able to do in the way that you were doing it before this summer or until a
vaccine is in place.
What about going into your office building, sitting at your desk in your cubicle or the desk that you share with others?
That might not be happening either anytime soon. Some employees of Twitter, for instance, are being told that the working from home situation may
become permanent. The social media company is giving some of its workers that option.
Twitter says the current work from home situation shows that it can be done on a wide scale. Its offices are not expected to reopen until September. So
we talk a lot about what life is going to look like after the pandemic, during the pandemic but the business world hopes that consumers will spend
like they used to before this pandemic wreaked havoc.
Uncertainty about the future has forced many to hold on to their money instead of spending it and that slows the economic recovery. Richard Quest
is joining me from New York to talk about that.
There is a lot to talk about beyond travel and whether or not we'll go to our work space and sit at our desks and share pens and the rest of it. The
big question for many people is when will this economy rebound because right now, it is in freefall.
And when you look at some of the figures out of the U.S., credit card debt is down, people are not spending the way they used to but they say that
they don't intend to even after this is over. This is -- we're in the red danger zone here when it comes to an economic recovery.
RICHARD QUEST, CNNMONEY EDITOR AT LARGE: The actions people are taking in not spending are entirely rational and reasonable, bearing in mind more
than 30 million unemployed and the fear of everybody else who is employed that they might be about to lose their job.
No one in their right minds is going to go out to make a major capital expense or book a large holiday or something like that until they can be
jolly certain that the money will continue to come in, they will still have an income.
And since consumers make up two-thirds of economic activity in the U.S., you can see how dangerous this is. Nor do I think for a moment that people
will go back spending anytime soon for the simple reason people are -- I say people, you, me, all of us, -- we're all terrified of the next round of
layoffs that we will be the one to get the notification.
None of us are safe. And if you own your own business, you are not safe, either, because obviously you've got the problem of people coming back to
work. So, yes, I could make an economic argument that it is good because it is reducing indebtedness.
But by the same token, there are many people taking on more debt because they have lost their jobs and they are basically living on what is left of
the credit card. It is a very sad and unsatisfactory situation.
GORANI: Absolutely. All of us are still in an extremely privileged situation in the sense that we're employed, thank goodness, but so many
people don't have, you know, that kind of daily reassurance that the money is still coming in.
And the issue is, if they decide, even if you are employed, if you decide that, for the next six months to a year, even if the pandemic spike passes,
that you are not going to spend, then all these predictions of 2021 seeing a return to quote-unquote "normal" economic conditions won't happen.
QUEST: Absolutely not. Let's get that straight off the table. I think what you are looking at is a rebound -- remember, I talked about this before.
That is the down leg of the V as the economy stopped. And as we open up again, there will be a rebound of economic activity.
The problem is it will only get to about there. It is not going to continue all the way and beyond for some years to come because, as long as there is
this uncertainty over what is allowed, what is safe, what are the boundaries of reopening, I can't see that we get anywhere near where we
were, which is why airlines, for example, were saying that they don't expect to see passenger levels back to where they were until 2023 and
beyond.
We are in this -- things will get better, that is the top line message.
[10:35:00]
QUEST: Things will get better but not much and not for some time to come.
GORANI: Are you planning any -- you're the most, you know, active world traveler I know.
How are you planning ahead?
QUEST: I'm not, basically. I'll probably go to the beach for a weekend at some particular point. I dare not go back to visit family and yourself in
London because, A, there is a two week quarantine period likely to be introduced when I fly back into the U.K. and I have no idea what the
quarantine period would be returning to the U.S.
What I do forecast is lots of people taking motoring holidays, particularly in Europe, as Schengen gets back to normal. Merkel says that she wants
travel controls lifted by the middle of June. So I would make sure that your motor car is in good fettle and check the oil and the water get on the
road.
GORANI: I don't know where I'll be going because, when I book something, I'm concerned that this booking will be canceled at the last minute and
I'll have nowhere to go. I think I might enjoy my own home for a few more months, it sounds like. Thank you very much, Richard Quest. We'll see you
later on "QUEST MEANS BUSINESS."
So we've been talking about transport, travel, tourism and your summer vacations. But specifically the E.U. has some new rules that are aimed to
phase in a return to tourism, making sure that it is not a lost summer for the travel industry.
The European Commissioner for transport, Adina-Ioana Valean, is in Brussels to explain some of the changes. So I don't know if you heard some of my
conversation with Richard, Commissioner, but there is a concern if you book a flight, will it be canceled at the last minute.
If you book a hotel or something like that and it is canceled because the lockdown restrictions are imposed once again, how can people be confident
that they should spend their money now without certainty in the future that they won't, you know, lose their investment in any future travel?
ADINA-IOANA VALEAN, EUROPEAN COMMISSIONER FOR TRANSPORT: Well, to be honest, I think Richard is right and I think we all should be very cautious
when we're planning ahead because while we don't have a vaccine or a treatment, the uncertainty, the risk will be there. So this is about people
willing to take a risk and how high the risk.
For us, the authorities, of course, we are trying to provide some guidance in what kind of measures for safe return, for transport modes should be put
in place. We will aim them to be proportionate and nondiscriminatory. We would aim them to be applied equivalent or in the same way all over the
Europe.
But when everything will start to move again, it is hard to say because it depends very much from the epidemiological situation in each country and
each region.
GORANI: So let's take them one by one.
How do you social distance and stay safe on a plane or a train if you are traveling in the E.U.?
What are the guidelines?
VALEAN: This is completely different because a plane and a train are completely different, as you can imagine.
(CROSSTALK)
GORANI: Let's start with the plane.
VALEAN: We're recommending as a matter of principle -- but I wanted to say that we are recommending as a matter of a principle that a safe physical
distance would be the first to observe. And then the wearing of a mask when distancing is not possible.
And this differentiates the train and the plane because we believe, in an aircraft, by one hand, you have different technological features because
the aircraft is built to provide more and more safety features. You will have very high standard air filtering, hospital grade in an aircraft than
you would have the way the air conditioning goes, it is a vertical flow.
So there are some features that will provide more security on an airplane. And then again the economics of a flight, you cannot imagine that a flight
can observe two meters between travelers inside because then, of course, maybe it would be worse to fly that route.
(CROSSTALK)
GORANI: -- but we've seen some airlines promise social distancing and not always deliver.
[10:40:00]
GORANI: So recommending the wearing of a mask.
What about in a hotel or bed and breakfast?
What are the guidelines in the hospitality industry?
You know, how can people be confident that it would be healthy and safe and secure?
VALEAN: As I said, it is a risk you take. So no one can give you a 100 percent guarantee. And we are not labeling that this is 100 percent safe.
But of course, there are no-brainers. You can imagine that all security safety measures to be taken in a hotel, disinfection, distancing, providing
services at a distance, protecting the personnel. All of this can be there and they can be served easily. But the risk is by the traveler himself
because no one can guarantee.
GORANI: And a question about the travel bubbles because this has been floated as a possible idea. For instance, the Baltic states thinking, OK,
the three Baltic states maybe could form a bubble and people could travel from one place to the other in different countries.
Do you think that is the future for the E.U. for instance?
VALEAN: Well, I hope not. But let's not call it a bubble. Let's call them regions. And with similar epidemiological situations, I think that we will
observe that national authorities would look and interact when they decide to open a destination. They will speak with a counterpart and say I'm
interested in opening a destination with you because, I don't know, statistically or I have travelers there or it is a destination.
What are your conditions, what is your epidemiological situation?
So I think that it will depend very much on the decision that the national authorities would take between member states from one country to another.
It might be different region, two countries with the same confidence that they can open up travel between them. Or it can be a region, how the Baltic
countries decided among themselves that it is safe enough to travel in between.
GORANI: All right. Thank you so much, the European transport commissioner, really appreciate it. And, of course, the hope is that people will be able
to travel as much as is safe and to get the tourism and travel industry back and preserve some of the jobs that have been lost. Thank you.
With more than 100 new coronavirus cases traced to this Seoul night club district, there are fears that a second wave of infections could be hitting
South Korea.
Plus night life in Germany stays ahead of the curve even as the country fights the global pandemic. We'll tell you about that.
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GORANI: After testing thousands of people, South Korea has traced 119 new coronavirus infections to a night club district from one infected man in a
night club, it spread very rapidly, reaching students and church congregations. Paula Hancocks spoke with the mayor of Seoul.
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PAULA HANCOCKS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: This is Seoul's nightclub district. Doors are closed until further notice. Many patrons are being tested for
coronavirus. Officials say they have tested more than 10,000 people so far after an infected 29-year old visited 5 different clubs earlier this month.
Seoul mayor Park Won-soon is leading the effort to trace everyone who was in the area over a 2 week period.
MAYOR PARK WON-SOON, SEOUL: COVID-19 is a battle of time. We should be finished within this week.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): Park is using all technologies available to track a patient.
HANCOCKS: Mobile phone records, credit cards, CCTV and the interview with the individual?
PARK: That's right.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): One issue was local media labeling some clubs affected as gay clubs. Human rights groups said it was difficult for some
patrons to then come forward for fear of facing discrimination and homophobia in a conservative country.
(INAUDIBLE) tells me there's also the issue of the 2-week self quarantine, even if they test negative. Patrons would need to tell their employer they
were at these clubs and reveal their sexual orientation.
Park introduced anonymous testing Monday, saying the number voluntarily coming to be tested doubled. This incident shows that even countries deemed
successful at handling the pandemic are just one patient away from another outbreak.
PARK: We cannot be safe even though we have zero cases for a long time and anytime the outbreak can come to our society.
HANCOCKS (voice-over): Park sees the outbreak as another lesson to stay alert -- Paula Hancocks, CNN, Seoul.
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GORANI: And the point that Paula is making there, that even if it appears that you have the pandemic under control, it takes just one person and you
saw it led to almost 120 people getting infected.
Now South Korea has tested widely from the beginning and has been praised from the beginning with managing this pandemic well. And even that country,
you can see how infectious it is, is having to deal with the occasional spike.
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GORANI: In Germany, officials are reporting a decline in new infections, less than 800 in 24 hours, but many industries are struggling, including
night life as the country, begins lifting its lockdown. Club owners are trying unique ideas to stay afloat. Fred Pleitgen reports from Berlin.
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FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): They're honking to the beat instead of stomping their feet at Germany's
first drive-in disco. Socially distanced partying with DJs and a massive light show all on the parking lot of the country's biggest nightclub Index.
We wanted to let our hair down and have fun despite coronavirus. It's awesome here, this woman says.
To comply with health guidelines, only two people are allowed in each vehicle. Nightclubs and discos have been shut since the middle of March in
Germany. The Index's owner says the car rave is popular but he's still not making a profit.
HOLGER BOESCH, CLUB OWNER, INDEX (through translator): You can't really profit from something like this, he says, but we expect that at some point
the contact restrictions will be eased and then more than two people can sit in a car. And, of course, it will start to become financially
interesting because at some point perhaps drinks can be served.
PLEITGEN: Most clubs are faring much worse. At the Suss. War Gestern club, a staple of Berlin's blossoming pre-corona party scene, all they can do is
make sure their music and lighting gear still work. Shutdown for almost two months, they've started a crowd funding campaign to stay alive.
PONY SCHWEDLER, SUESS WAR GESTERN NIGHT CLUB: It's been very, very tough, but we're trying to, yes, stay optimistic, which isn't easy at all, but
we're trying our best and we can only hope that this is going to end in a more or less acceptable way.
PLEITGEN: At least some cultural institutions, however, are coming back to life, like Berlin's Natural History Museum. However, only 600 people can
come per day due to physical distancing rules, the managing director says.
We're sold out for the first days, he says. Of course, 600 tickets per day is not a lot. It's about a quarter of what we usually have, but we're still
happy that people are coming back.
All guests have to wear masks while walking through the exhibits.
PLEITGEN (on camera): Asking guests to wear masks is only part of a larger hygiene concept that the museum has put in place. As you can see, there's
arrows on the floor here to make sure that guests walk in a certain direction to just make it easier for folks to keep distance from one
another. And then at some exhibits, like this one, you can see that it's taped off to make sure people don't touch it.
PLEITGEN (voice over): Strict hygiene rules are required to allow this and other museums to open up again during the pandemic. While other cultural
institutions, like most nightclubs, hope they too will soon be able to get back to their business before it's too late.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.
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GORANI: I'm thankful that I wasn't in my 20s during a global pandemic and had to party in a car. It is tough for a lot of people. But thankfully, as
long as they are healthy, that is all that matters.
Having a celebrity at your graduation is a rare treat but in this era of social distancing, it is a lot easier. Coming up, words of wisdom the class
of 2020 has received.
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GORANI: Millions of graduating students will miss out on typical commencement ceremonies this year. But thanks to technology, some
celebrities are offering words of encouragement to the class of 2020. Jeanne Moos has our story.
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JEANNE MOOS, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Lucky me, I'll always have my blurry old graduation photos, oblivious to social
distancing, tickling a fellow grad with a tassel. But now, what a hassle.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Class of 2020, what is up!
MOOS: A pandemic is what's up. Instead of caps tossed and celebrations on stage -- flesh and blood grads are being replaced --
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Emily Kristine Allen.
MOOS: By pictures, you barely have to get dressed for a commencement addressed.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm at home, you're at home.
MOOS: Pharrell Williams once sang --
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MOOS: But now, graduates have to be happy with the video commencement. The most famous celebrity to suffer from the virus told grads at Ohio's Wright
State.
TOM HANKS, ACTOR: You started in the olden times, in a world back before the great pandemic of 2020. You have finished Wright State during the great
reset.
MOOS: And the doctor's during the great reset told Jesuits high school grads that now is the time to --
FAUCI: To care selflessly about one another. Please hang in there.
MOOS: Stephen Colbert hung out on a couch, deliver his message to grads at Northwestern University in Qatar.
STEPHEN COLBERT, HOST, "THE LATE SHOW WITH STEPHEN COLBERT": Living by my family's motto, which is never stand when you can sit, never sit when you
can lie down.
MOOS: Instead of a gown, Ellen settled for a bath robe.
DEGENERES: We need smart people. Actually you don't have to be that smart. Just don't tell people to drink bleach.
MOOS: Invincibility juice, Alec Baldwin called it in his "SNL" address.
ALEC BALDWIN, ACTOR: I'm so honored to be your valedictative. Today is not about me.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Even without this pandemic, nobody reaches their dreams.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Most people just end up doing their job they don't hate until they retire.
MOOS: But leave it to Oprah appearing on John Krasinski's "Some Good News" to find the literally silver lining in a dark cloud.
OPRAH WINFREY, MEDIA MOGUL: When it's really dark and dreary on the ground and then you get in the plane and within three minutes, you shoot above the
clouds and you see the sun was always there.
MOOS: If only we'd get up the nerve to fly again.
Jeanne Moos.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Good luck.
MOOS: CNN.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Good luck.
MOOS: New York.
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GORANI: Good luck. I feel for those kids. I really do. It is a rite of passage, it is a big day that they are not getting this year. I'll speak to
a professor looking at the odd and frightening long-term, potential long term effects of COVID-19. That and a lot more after the break.
END