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Connect the World
Positive Test Soars To 27 Percent In Miami-Dade County, Florida; World Health Organization Alarm Over COVID-19 Resurgence In Europe; Major U.S. Cities Dealing With Rise In Violent Crimes; London Metropolitan Police Injured In Clash At Illegal Party; Eiffel Tower Reopens After Longest Closure Since World War II. Aired 11a-12p ET
Aired June 25, 2020 - 11:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[11:00:00]
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN ANCHOR: Hello and welcome to another hour of "Connect the World." I'm Kim Brunhuber in Atlanta. Ahead this hour, U.S. cases
spikes and tripling in Latin America. The latest Coronavirus headlines plus, what one Former British Prime Minister says we must do to avoid the
next pandemic.
Then, crime on the rise in several U.S. cities, we'll explain the many reasons why? And later, CNN is live in Liverpool where the team could be on
the verge of clinching their first English League title in 30 years.
Coronavirus cases are surging in the three most populous U.S. states. California, Texas, and Florida are all reporting record one-day case
numbers this week and cases are spiking in several other states. ICU hospitals in Houston, Texas are almost full. The Governor has just issued a
captured to expand hospital bed capacity in the state's hardest-hit counties.
A CNN health expert is warning big metropolitan areas in Texas could face an apocalyptic surge in cases. In Florida, the rate of positive COVID-19
tests is skyrocketing in and around Miami. It was 27 percent Wednesday, almost three times the target goal. Florida's Governor is resisting the
State Health Department's recommendations to make wearing masks mandatory.
Now, California's Governor is pleading with residents of his state to wear masks as cases surged there. Stephanie Elam joins me now from Los Angeles.
Stephanie, I just moved from Los Angeles here about a month ago. When I left, everything seemed under control. What's happening?
STEPHANIE ELAM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I know. Maybe it's because you left, Kim but welcome to the CNN family. I can tell you that in this time here, we
were looking at pretty stable rates and then over the last two weeks, these numbers started to change here.
And the Governor of California, Gavin Newsom announcing that the hospitalization rate now at 29 percent over the last 14 days that moving
average that they keep their eyes on there. Also, what we can tell you is that there were 7,149 new cases that were announced for yesterday of new
cases in the state.
And that just crushed the previous day record, which was 5,000 so these numbers going up exponentially at this point. Now, I did ask the Governor
about this, and the fact that the state is perceived to have lost footing here, whereas early on, it was seen as a state about how to respond to the
Coronavirus the first state to go into that stay-at-home order and ordering people here to wear masks?
But the Governor was saying though that it was crucial that early on that they bring down that curve and they say they crushed the curve here so that
at the earliest time when this started, they could not have had enough beds or personal protection equipment, ventilators and all the equipment needed
for people, if they needed to be hospitalized.
But he says now, they are ready. The hospital beds are being used in just about 8 percent for COVID patients. But still, these numbers are not good.
They're not going in the right way. The Governor is also pointing out that businesses are open more. People are out mixing a bit more in the state.
You've also seen Memorial Day, the weather is getting nicer, so people out more from that and just general fatigue. And you spend a lot of time
telling people that they need to focus on wearing their masks correctly and also washing their hands correctly, something that he says that most
Americans don't spend a lot of time on how to wash their hands and spending that time teaching their kids?
He says, we can't get tired of this, because as younger people are going out, they may be out, fine, their symptoms are low, but they could take
that back and take it home to their older relatives and that could cause problems there. We could see hospitalizations.
So overall, the idea that California has lost its footing is something that people are watching here and how they're responding to it? The Governor
saying, if necessary, they will have to shut down and bring back some funding from some of these counties if they don't respond the way that they
need to, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: Yes, well, I mean on that note, we've seen, you know, some local areas, some local sheriffs saying, we will not enforce the recommendations
that are even in place right now. So how do you go about doing that? And will they have to sort of go back to the way things were before, because we
could see people really fighting against that?
ELAM: Yes, for sure. A lot of the law enforcement saying that's just not going to be worth our time to stop somebody, giving them a ticket for not
wearing a mask. So I think that is exactly why Governor Newsom yesterday pointed out the financial controls that he has.
And he's like, it's imperative and it's our duty that if the counties aren't doing their part to shut down restaurants or whatever business it is
that's reopened, that we can go after them and enforce the counties to respond. Obviously, no one wants to see that here.
[11:05:00]
ELAM: And you're seeing this idea of how to respond changing? Here in Los Angeles, they just announced - the Mayor here announcing that they've
increased testing now and they can test over 13,000 people a day. Before, it was just 7,700 people.
So they're trying to increase this, because this county in particular is really the epicenter of the outbreak in the state. And so looking at ways
to do that, but also, this idea that people are fatigued and also, as I asked the Governor, do you think that President Trump is partially to be
blamed, because he doesn't want to wear a mask in public?
And his response was to look at the infectious disease leader here in the United States, Dr. Anthony Fauci. He says that he always points out that
he's always wearing a mask and that is exactly what Californians need to do as well, Kim
BRUNHUBER: But I'm told many people still not doing that in California. So hopefully that will change. Thank you so much, Stephanie Elam in Los
Angeles. So now let's head to Florida, where there's an alarming spike in positive COVID-19 cases around Miami, but no concrete action by the
Governor.
CNN's Rosa Flores joins me from Miami. So, Rosa, it's important to note it's not just that cases are going up, but hospitalizations, intensive care
visits, ventilation use have all begun to increase over the past two weeks but still no statewide action?
ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You're absolutely right. The Governor of this state, Ron DeSantis, doubling down yesterday, saying that he is not
going to require masks statewide, but as you mentioned, there is a huge concern.
An expert that I talked to put it very simply because the increase in cases is on the majority young people between the ages of 18 and 34 this expert
said, look, there's young people out partying, not wearing masks, not social distancing. And then they're going home and infecting their parents
their grandparents.
Then they're going to work and intermingling with their coworkers and spreading the disease that way. Here in Miami-Dade County, in Southeast
Florida, this is the epicenter of the crisis in the State of Florida. So we checked the numbers this morning, and according to the Mayor's office, they
had a 27 percent positivity rate yesterday.
Now, the goal for the County is to not exceed 10 percent. Well, they've exceeded 10 percent for the past ten days. You mentioned hospitalizations.
We checked, Jackson Health here, which is one of the biggest health systems in the State of Florida, is reporting a 108 percent increase in the number
of COVID-19 patient hospitalizations in the past 16 days.
Now, this is a very big county. Yes, I'm in the middle of a city here, but in South Miami Dade, the south side of this county, there's a farm
community. There's an agricultural community. According to the Mayor, there's an outbreak in that area that involves farm workers.
Now these farm workers, according to the Mayor, live in very close quarters and they need to be isolated. But they don't have room at home. Now, they
don't need hospitalization, according to the Mayor, so what the county is doing now is it's stepping in and providing hotel rooms to these
individuals who have the Coronavirus and don't have a place to isolate at home.
Now, there is a mask mandate in the County where I am and in our neighboring County of Palm Beach to the north. And now, leaders here,
politicians, are thinking about upping the ante and imposing fines on people that don't wear masks.
But as you mentioned, when it comes to statewide, Governor Ron DeSantis mentioning yesterday that he is not imposing a mandate statewide and here's
the thing. Yesterday, Florida broke the record of the number of daily cases with more than 5,500.
Today, we just received the numbers from the Florida Department of Health another day of more than 5,000 cases. So these cases continue to increase.
The concern continues to increase on the local level. But according to the Governor, the decision on whether you should wear a mask or not is going to
be left up to individuals and local authorities, if they want to impose a mandate, Kim?
BRUNHUBER: Very troubling numbers there. Thank you so much, Rosa Flores in Miami. Well, on the other side of the globe, Beijing is trying to reassure
local residents that meat and seafood sold in the regular supermarket is safe to eat.
A Beijing market officially had blamed imported seafood for the recent cluster outbreak of COVID-19 that shut down parts of the city. An official
now says the outbreak is basically contained.
Now Europe, on the other hand, is having resurgence in weekly cases for the first time in months. You can see here some tourists are returning to the
Eiffel Tower. Now, the World Health Organization says the region continues to report almost 20,000 new cases and more than 700 new deaths daily.
[11:10:00]
BRUNHUBER: So if it's left unchecked, the W.H.O says Europe's health systems will be pushed, "To the brink" once again. Now, the situation is
very dire in Latin America, as well. The Pan-American Health Organization says the region's cases have tripled over the last month.
So let's go now to Brazil's largest City Sau Paulo and our Shasta Darlington. Shasta, local officials are now lifting quarantines, despite
the growth in cases. Is it possible that Brazil's death toll could eventually overtake that of the U.S.?
SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN REPORTER: Well Kim, that's certainly one of the hypotheses. And what we're seeing in Latin America is that for a long time,
it was a couple of weeks, maybe a month behind the United States. But in recent weeks, the rate of transmission has really accelerated.
There are now more than 2 million cases of COVID-19 in Latin America, as you mentioned, that's triple what it was just a month ago. The Director of
the Pan-American Health Organization warns that governments are under pressure to ease these social isolation measures due to the economic and
political crises that we're seeing here and elsewhere.
But this is happening even though the transmission hadn't really slowed down in many of these countries, especially in Brazil, where we've
registered well over 1 million cases. On Wednesday alone, the Health Ministry reported more than 42,000 new infections. That's the second
highest daily increase on record.
The shopping malls, stores have already started opening up in several cities across Brazil. The schools are looking at opening in September. And
meanwhile a judge has ordered the Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro to wear a mask in public or face a fine, worth about $380 a day, because he
has been so reluctant to do so.
As you know he rarely puts them on for public events or when he joins these rallies full of supporters and he shakes hands and he embraces the crowds.
Well, for the past couple of days, he has been wearing masks because of this judicial order that really only covers Brasilia, the capital.
The government seeking to overturn that decision in the meantime it, looks like he may be forced to wear that mask. That doesn't mean he hasn't
stopped downplaying the virus. He insists Brazilians should go back to work or the economic fallout from these isolation measures will be worse than
the virus itself, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: All right. Shasta Darlington in Sao Paulo thank you very much. Well, considering the devastation caused by virus the world didn't even
know existed until a few months ago. What should we do to avoid the next pandemic?
A Former British Prime Minister thinks there may be a way to head it off my full interview with David Cameron coming up in about ten minutes.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:15:00]
BRUNHUBER: Well, there's been a troubling spike in violent crime in the U.S. Some experts now say it's sparked by both the stress of the global
health crisis and long overdue questions about racism and police tactics. Brynn Gingras has our story.
BRYNN GINGRAS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: In many major cities across the country, gun violence is on the rise. In a Chicago suburb, a 13-year-old girl hit by
bullets while watching TV the gunfire outside her window among more than 100 shootings in the windy city last weekend. In Minneapolis--
(BEGIN VIDEOCLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I saw people just shooting, just 30, 40, 50 shots.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GINGRAS: Officials say more than 100 people have been shot in the last month since the death of George Floyd. And in New York City, NYPD crime
data shows the number of shooting victims is up, 414 percent last week compared to the same time period last year. Chief of Department Terence
Monahan calls it troubling.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TERENCE MONAHAN, NEW YORK POLICE CHIEF OF DEPARTMENT: It goes back to 1996 that we haven't seen this level of violence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GINGRAS: Researchers with the council on criminal justice looked at homicide rates across 64 cities this year compared to the previous three
years.
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THOMAS ABT, CO-AUTHOR, COVID-19 & HOMICIDE STUDY: If you see significant sudden changes in crime trends across the country, you need to look at some
type of national shock to the system. Sort of broader, underlying structural trends are not going to explain it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GINGRAS: As part of their study released this morning, the authors cite two major trends the Coronavirus pandemic and the aftermath of Floyd's death.
Historically, incidents like the police-involved killing on Michael Brown in Ferguson, Freddy Gray in Baltimore have led to a period of more gun
violence.
Now many cities are seeing more violent crimes as protesters calls to defund police department and police reforms across the country are put into
place. In Atlanta, a task force is working to rethink training policies for the city's officers.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
KEISHA LANCE BOTTOMS, ATLANTA, GEORGIA MAYOR: There is a fierce urgency of now in our communities.
DERMOT SHEA, NEW YORK POLICE DEPARTMENT COMMISSIONER: It will be felt immediately in the communities that we protect.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GINGRAS: Last week, the NYPD disbanded its anti-crime unit, plains clothe officers who combated violent crime, but those aggressive tactics were
often met with controversy. Monahan says constant police changes are causing confusion among the rank and file.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MONAHAN: How do the communities want us to police? Quality of life policing in New York was one of the things that got us to where we were. The cops
are questioning, what do communities want us to do? And there were people out there that were taking advantage of it.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GINGRAS: And then there's the pandemic.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABT: Public resources, police, hospitals, service providers and community- based providers means there's less resources to fight violent crime. And the pandemic has placed people under great financial, mental, and emotional
strain and so all of those things can trigger more violence.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GINGRAS: The Council's research had already found killings in major cities were on the rise this year starting in January and February. Now a dramatic
increase in numbers as cities reopen after shutting down in the spring. A nationwide trend many believe will continue.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ABT: We are deeply concerned that in the months ahead, we may see more violence in the future.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
GINGRAS: Researchers and members of law enforcement say the burden to bring crime down can't solely rest on the soldiers of police.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
MONAHAN: We need to hear from the communities that are living through this gunfire, that have to see it each and every day, what exactly do they want
us to do? This is a monumental period in policing.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BRUNHUBER: Brynn Gingras joins us now from New York, where some changes to police tactics are already underway. So explain a bit more about what the
NYPD and others need to do to reverse these trends?
GINGRAS: Yes Kim, like you said, there was a package of bills that were signed by the Governor here in New York, all relating to police reform. And
we talked to the NYPD brass specifically about how these changes affect them. And they say, listen, we welcome the change.
We want to reform, we want to do better. But when politicians are considering all of these reforms like you saw in Atlanta and other places
all across the country, they said, there need to be a balance.
Not only does the community need to be helped by these reforms, but police need to still be able to do their jobs and figure out ways to police it and
still continue to get crime down. But as you heard just in my story there, they say, this does have to be a community, a white effort with a lot of
people chipping in, not just police officers, but community leader, district attorneys to prosecute cases.
And again, lawmakers to make sound reform that can help both sides. So it's a complicated issue. There isn't one easy answer, but it's certainly one
that collectively, we are hearing everyone has to get onboard together in order to reverse any trends that are likely going to continue right now in
the upward direction, Kim.
BRUNHUBER: But the fact that police reform has stalled in Congress on a national level, is the only hope here sort of local solutions, given, you
know, that we have no national leadership on this?
[11:20:00]
GINGRAS: Yes, and I think the local municipality, city governments are really states as well, are taking their own action right to get something
on the books to start this reform process, which we've been seeing called for since, you know, of course, years but more since the death of recently
in Minneapolis of George Floyd.
But even, we talked to NYPD brass about that. And basically they're saying, you know, we still - you know, we need to know exactly what we're up
against? Everything is changing so rapidly that even the rank and file who are trying to police on the street are confused though what they can do and
can't do?
So it would help if there was some federal guidance as to what exactly the policing should look like in the future.
BRUNHUBER: All right. Brynn Gingras in New York, thank you very much. Protesters in the south declared an autonomous zone in Seattle, Washington,
may be facing a setback. Residents of the Capitol Hill neighborhood where the CHOP zone was set up have filed a class action lawsuit against the City
of Seattle. They're blaming the city for what they call extensive harm, saying the organized protest has caused harassment, loss of income,
property damage, and a lack of safety.
Rising racial tensions in the U.S. have triggered similar feelings across the world. Activists are now demanding that governments remove statues of
historically racist figures. In Belgium, a teenager has made it his mission. CNN's Scott McLean has his story and the history behind it.
SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: For decades the ugliest chapters of Belgian history have been buried. Out of sight and out of mind. Like this
century-old burial ground just outside of Brussels containing the remains of seven Congolese. Dignity and death was not a luxury these people
received in life. They were brought to Belgian to be put on display.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It was basically like human zoo. Daytime, they had to do row races on the lake and women had to cook. And basically, Belgians came
and looked at it. It was pure racism.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCLEAN: That human zoo was commissioned by King Leopold II in 1897. The killing of George Floyd in the U.S. has opened an old wound in Belgium.
King Leopold made Congo his own personal possession, sending troops to pillage the ivory and rubber by enslaving the local population.
Those who fought back paid with their hands, feet, or lives. At least half a million died. And yet today Leopold is memorialized in street names
statues across Belgium.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NOAH, CAMPAIGNER TO REMOVE LEOPOLD II STATUE: (Foreign Language)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCLEAN: The visual legacy of a king who reigned for 44 years may well be taken down by a boy who has only been live for 14. Noah, born in Belgium to
Congolese parents has got more than 84 people to sign his petition demanding the City of Brussels take down Leopold statues by June 30th.
Pierre Kompany was born in colonial Congo and is now Belgium's first black Mayor. He thinks correcting Belgium's problems with racism start with a
proper education about the past.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PIERRE KOMPANY, GANSHOREN, BELGIUM MAYOR: (Foreign Language)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCLEAN: Vandals have already torched a Leopold statue in Antwerp, taking a sledge hammer to a bust in Brussels and dumped paint on another outside the
African museum, which still houses artifacts pillaged from Congo.
The Director Guido Gryseels spent half a decade scrubbing its colonial image, but he may soon have a new headache. Several cities and towns are
looking to the museum to give their Leopold era statues a new home.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GUIDO GRYSEELS, DIRECTOR-GENERAL, ROYAL MUSEUM OF CENTRAL AFRICA: We haven't really decided yet whether we want to become a memorial or shrine
for Leopold II or whether we can convert it in some sort of work of contemporary art?
MCLEAN: And so here you've try to decolonialize this museum, and yet you may end up with a colony of Leopold statues?
GRYSEELS: Yes, but it will be in a different context.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCLEAN: Last week, parliament voted to start a truth and reconciliation commission to a tone for the sins of Belgium rule in Africa, but in
response to know its petition the Brussels Mayor says he doesn't have authority to remove any statues.
[11:25:00]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
NOAH: (Foreign Language)
(END VIDEO CLIP)
MCLEAN: Removing the statues won't reverse the atrocities of yesterday but the empty - may force Belgium to learn a lesson that's long overdue. Scott
McLean, CNN, Brussels.
BRUNHUBER: A great story. Coming up, a Former British Prime Minister is calling on the World Health Organization to be replaced over its handling
of the COVID-19 crisis. My exclusive interview with David Cameron, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRUNHUBER: A Former British Prime Minister is calling out the World Health Organization and calling on the world to prepare for the next pandemic. In
an op-ed, David Cameron argues, we can either try to fix the whole system including the W.H.O from start to finish, which given the size of such a
task and the politics involved would almost certainly fail or we can try to fix the first and most vital part, scanning the world for viruses and
making sure that information is shared rapidly.
So joining me now to discuss the proposal is Former British Prime Minister David Cameron. Thank you very much for joining us. So the obvious question,
why do we need yet another Global Health Organization? I think many would agree changes need to be made, given what's happening in the world right
now. But surely it would be easier to reform the W.H.O than create something new from whole cloth?
DAVID CAMERON, FORMER BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: I think we've seen twice, first with Ebola and now with Coronavirus that while the W.H.O does do good
work, that very early work of scanning the world for the next virus and informing the world about what's happening, the W.H.O hasn't been brilliant
at.
And I think there are two problems. One is that the current system relies on countries to tell the W.H.O what's going on in a particular country, and
often they're unwilling to, and then it relies on the W.H.O telling everybody else what is happening and what needs to be done?
And again, for reasons of politics and bureaucracy and others, that often hasn't happened. So rather than trying to solve the whole problem, let's
just fill the gap with a new organization that will be science led, that would have members across the world, that would be independent and
nonpolitical.
That could tell us what emerging viruses and problems there are? I look around the world and see the organization like GAVI "The Global Alliance on
Vaccines and Immunization" has been a huge success very, very effective. It was built on philanthropy the private sector and I think we could do
something similar here.
[11:30:00]
CAMERON: So I think for those reasons, this would be a good step forward. And we have the G-20 this year being shared by Saudi Arabia. So there's a
chance to get the world together and make this one small adjustment which could make a big difference were this to happen again?
BRUNHUBER: You mentioned, relies on philanthropy. I mean, critics have pointed out that one of the problems of W.H.O is that its funding comes
from its members some big nations like China have massive influence. So who would fund this new organization and how would it prevent itself from
perhaps being similarly pressured?
CAMERON: Well, the G-20, perhaps, could kick start it with a mixture of public and charitable funding. If you look at the Global Alliance on
Vaccines and Immunizations which I mentioned, it is 20-year-old now.
It was started by big contributions from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation which gave it independence and also gave it a sort of - it was a
bit more lean, a bit more flexible, a bit more of its age rather than some of these UN Organizations which whey they do excellent work are by their
very nature quite bureaucratic and quite political.
And of course the politics here does matter because when it comes to the G- 20 this year, there's a danger of having China on one side saying let's just expand and better fund the W.H.O and the United States on the other
saying, well, the W.H.O hasn't succeeded and so we aren't willing to fund it and therefore we could be stuck with no progress.
My suggestion of saying let's fill this one critical gap with a new flexible organization that people can belong to and scientific
organizations can belong to that's independent, science-led, nonpolitical and that can tell us about the next virus and what we should do about it
and early reporting, as we know, is absolutely vital.
BRUHUBER: All right. Early reporting, knowing about a possible pandemic is one thing, but as we've seen in this country, in the U.S. and in the UK
among others, you know, believing those messages is quite another. You know, W.H.O officials claim that their messengers were loud and clear, but
not heeded in the U.S. and the UK. So how would the new organization solve that problem?
CAMERON: Well, we can always argue about whether countries reacted early enough and lockdown early enough and there will be plenty of time once this
is over to make those decisions. But there was delay of the cases in China and then China reporting to the W.H.O. and then there was a further delay
before the W.H.O declared a public health emergency.
And having you know sat in the Prime Minister's Chair and chaired those National Security Council meetings, we made the problem of a pandemic as
sort of a tier 1 national security risk. We established mechanisms to try and deal with that.
But of course, you don't know the precise sort of pandemic or the precise sort of virus that's going to hit you. If you're preparing for pandemic
flu, that's one thing. If you're preparing for what we just had, a Coronavirus, that's quite a different thing.
And that's why an organization that's science led and right on top of what the emerging viruses are and what their character is and what response
needs to be would be very, very important, indeed.
BRUNHUBER: You keep stressing science led, but leading experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci recently warned of an anti-science bias in the U.S. and does
that and the rise of nationalism worldwide make it harder for any science- based world organization to have any clout?
CAMERON: Well, certainly, we have a problem in both of countries with anti- vaccination movements and people questioning science, and that's a thoroughly backwards approach. But if you had a body that was seemed to be
independent and was seemed to be independent and science led and was making available this information, it would give governments even fewer excuses
for not acting when the time comes.
That's why I think it's so necessary. As I say, trying to find something where the world can come together at a time when international institutions
aren't much in vogue and aren't necessarily working well, we don't want to waste this opportunity of a G-20 with just a fight about pro-W.H.O or anti-
W.H.O. It would be better to try to put in place something that could make a difference and with China and America could agree to.
BRUNHUBER: All right, Mr. Cameron, thank you so much for joining us. We appreciate your time.
CAMERON: My pleasure.
BRUNHUBER: In the U.S., younger people are at the center of a new surge in Coronavirus cases. Now this trend is showing up across southern and western
states where officials say younger crowds are likely to ignore social distancing guidelines. CNN's Elizabeth Cohen talks to a couple of patients
about their experience.
[11:35:00]
ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: This is the last play Jerry Ward thought he'd end up, in the hospital with COVID-19 at age 29.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JERRY WARD, COVID-19 PATIENT: I threw a house party for a cousin's birthday and three days later, everyone started texting saying that we all wasn't
feeling well.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COHEN: Jerry says ten people from that party in South Florida, all in their late 20s and early 30s have been diagnosed with COVID-19.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COHEN: What message do you want to get out to people your age?
WARD: They should take it serious. Only go to places that are as-needed, such as doctor's appointment, work, stuff of that nature.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COHEN: But some young people in Florida are gathering in groups and not wearing masks. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis noting that in March the
median age of confirmed cases in his state was 65. Now it's 35.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. RON DESANTIS, (R-FL): What we've seen, particularly over the last week as a real explosion in new cases amongst our younger demographics.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COHEN: Some people like Jerry have underlying medical conditions and need to be hospitalized, but most young people recover at home or have no
symptoms, but they can still spread the virus.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. LILIAN ABBO, UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI: The message to the young population is, yes, you can get hospitalized. And you can get others infected and sick
as well. You need to protect yourself and others.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COHEN: That's the message Taisia Graham is trying to get out. She's 23 and recovering from COVID-19. She made this YouTube video.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TAISIA GRAHAM, COVID-19 PATIENT: This is like the worst feeling I ever felt in my whole entire life.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COHEN: Taisia is now isolated and missing her 2-year-old daughter.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
COHEN: When you look out and see young people your age in Florida out there partying in large groups without masks, what do you think?
GRAHAM: Honestly, I was one of the people that went out in the very beginning. Now that I have COVID, now, I think it's really important that
people really take this serious.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COHEN: Taisia and Jerry hoping that if they tell their stories--
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GRAHAM: The process has not been easy and it still probably is not going to be the easiest to finish this off.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COHEN: Then maybe others won't have to suffer like they have. Elizabeth Cohen, CNN reporting.
BRUNHUBER: We'll be right back after a quick break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BRUNHUBER: London's metropolitan police say 22 of their officers were slightly wounded while trying to break up an illegal party Wednesday night.
Video posted to Snap Chat shows a chaotic scene. Police say a large, unlicensed music event was taking place in Brixton in South London. The
crowd turned hostile when the officers confronted them. Illegal parties have been gaining popularity in the UK because the pandemic has forced
entertainment venues to close.
[11:40:00]
BRUNHUBER: Now, tensions between police and the public are also heightened and that coincides with the growing black lives matter movement that's
calling to end police brutality and racism. CNN International Diplomatic Editor Nic Robertson is live in the Brixton District in London. So Nic,
take us through what happened?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: The police said that they were called because there was loud music and a lot of people gathered,
which sort of contravenes the latest guidance on COVID you know no more than six people should get together at any one time in close proximity.
So they came. The police say that they asked people to move on. They say that that didn't happen so the police invoked powers to clear the area.
That's when the confrontation started. The Prime Minister has called this an ugly situation, an appalling situation. He said that it can't be
repeated and that he'll use the full force of the law.
The Mayor of the London City said - in touch with the metropolitan police here in London. I'm in touch with the MET, completely unacceptable events
in Brixton overnight. Violence against the police will not be tolerated. Large gatherings during COVID-19 are deeply irresponsible and risk the
lives of others.
Well, this is the scene now as a couple of police officers just up the street chat with people there's young guys here playing soccer, other
people working out. It's a very relaxed environment, very different environment today.
But the reality across London we had just two days ago, the Prime Minister saying essentially come July 4th, where it was going to be a relaxation in
a lockdown to a degree, still the maximum number of six, but people would use their "Common Sense", there were no laws enforcing this. This was just
guidance for people.
And if you go to any park in London, I was in the one close to me last night, it was absolutely full of young people party mood and spirit and
music turned up loud, big groups of people drinking. People are just tired of the lockdown. The weather's good it is always not good here in the UK
and they're getting out and enjoying it.
And in this particular incidence here, the police came in confrontation with the people out enjoying themselves. In the neighborhood I was lived
and when I went through those parks last night it there was no evidence of the police there. So I think generally what we're seeing is people taking
what the Prime Minister has said and running with it way beyond the government's guidelines.
BRUNHUBER: Nic, you mentioned the good weather. We're now hearing about another major incident, this one peaceful, but also the weather involved
here. We've seen some people flocking to beaches despite the restrictions and now we're hearing of some disturbing scenes in - that have officials
rein their hands?
ROBERTSON: Sure. I mean look, you know the people who can only go to local parks are going out to parks to get some sort of solace from the lockdown.
The people that have got cars and are able are going further. They're flocking to big sandy beaches on the south coast of UK, tradition holiday
venues.
Both people would have gone overseas but that's not an option so they're taking the opportunity, the sunshine, many people not at work, of course,
because of the lockdown, people on furlough. They're going to the beach. There were so many people on the beach, thousands crowded on to this
particular beach that a major incident has been declared.
It's a problem, because local people have said, look, we're not ready for this influx. The government said its okay for the 4th of July, but local
communities are not ready to take in so many people. The social distancing that the government wants to happen doesn't appear to be happening.
But the police haven't been given any extra powers to combat and control. And imagine thousands upon thousands of people in a small town, that town
would not have the police force able to police that kind of situation.
So you know the police here, as we saw last night, are caught in a very difficult situation. The government's relaxation is giving people a sense
of freedom that the government doesn't intend. And there are no controls effectively over it at the moment.
BRUNHUBER: Well, I warrant we're going to see lots more scenes like that one in the future if weather permitting. Thanks so much, Nic Robertson in
London. Well, sports are trying to return from lockdown, but with athlete's still testing positive for Coronavirus, how hard is that becoming? We'll
ask one of the world's top golfers, Justin Rose, next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[11:45:00]
BRUNHUBER: It's been one of the longest waits in football, but after 30 very long years, that wait could be over for Liverpool today. Don Riddell
can tell us how they could win the Premier League without having to kick a ball. Don, the season has lost all meaning for me as an Arsenal supporter,
but not so for Liverpool fans, right?
DON RIDDELL, CNN WORLD SPORT: I pity you. You must be a long-suffering Arsenal fan. Kim, thanks very much. That is right, Liverpool haven't won
the English League Title since 1990 and they have never won the Premier League Title, but after comprehensively beating Crystal Palace on Wednesday
night, it is almost within their grasp.
Trent Alexander Arnold put Liverpool ahead with a brilliant free kick mid- way through the first half and by the end of the game, the score line was empathic 4-nil a screamer from Fabinho the pick of the goals.
It really was a dominant display from a team that's been head and shoulders above every opponent this season and it means that they now need only two
points from seven games to clinch title and they might not even need to play again because if Manchester City cannot beat Chelsea in their game
later today within the next few hours, then Liverpool will be champions.
World Sports, Alex Thomas is in Liverpool to gauge the mood for us. Alex, the world has changed a lot in the three decades since Liverpool last won
the title, but it's changed a lot in the last three months of course with the Coronavirus lockdown. So what do you think the city is going to be like
if they are able to clinch it today?
ALEX THOMAS, CNN WORLD SPORT: I think we can expect a bit of a party. They know how to do it in Liverpool, there is no doubt about that Don. It's the
third year running. I've been up in these parts towards the end of the season.
An indication perhaps in itself of how this club is starting to get back to where it used to be always in the running for major honors. Two years ago
was disappointment for the 20-plus thousand fans at Anfield behind me.
When they watched from a big screen, as Liverpool lost to Real Madrid in the Champion's League Final being held in Ukraine that year, 12 months
later, they were championships, beating Tottenham 2-nil the first time that Jurgen Klopp the Manager had lifted the Champion's League Trophy.
The sixth time Liverpool have done and now they're on the verge of being crowned English Champions for a 19th time, although no one back in 1990
thought we would have two wait three decades for it to happen again until they're over the line.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JURGEN KLOPP, LIVERPOOL MANAGER: You should not underestimate how much this team wants it? This team really wants it. They want to fulfill the wishes
of the people at home, really. We all have a common dream and we have to work for it. And we have to work our way for it. We cannot play like other
teams. But we can play pretty good stuff.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
THOMAS: So just to reiterate, there will be no football at Liverpool's home ground, Anfield Stadium behind me later on Thursday. Instead, all eyes will
be on that match in West London, where Chelsea face Liverpool's closest challengers, Manchester City.
City must win to take the title race into next week, when they face Liverpool themselves in exactly a week's time. And we'll know just in over
five hours' time, Don.
But if you want to read more about this amazing 30-year wait, then I urge you to go to cnn.com/sport and read Amy Lewis's excellent article, "30
Years of Dreaming" Liverpool's agonizing wait for English football's biggest prize.
It puts into context what an amazing five-year project it's been for Jurgen Klopp the Manager and for Liverpool's American owners, the Fenway Sports
Group, Don.
RIDDELL: Yes. It's been a great piece from Amy Lewis. I echo your sentiments. It's well worth the read. And it's going to be worth the wait,
hopefully, for Liverpool. No doubt they've observed it this season. Alex, thanks very much.
Meanwhile the Travelers' Championship Golf Tournament is underway in Connecticut. It is the third PGA Tour event since the three months
Coronavirus - it just came to an end. But a number of players have had to withdraw from the action, because either they or their caddies have
contracted COVID-19.
[11:50:00]
RIDDELL: The four-time major champion Brooks Koepka is the most notable absence. His caddie tested positive on Wednesday given the travel
restrictions that are also now being applied in some states in the United States and elsewhere, things could get tricky for the world's top golfers.
On the eve of the tournament, I spoke with the world number 13 Justin Rose and I asked him how safe he's feeling right now?
JUSTIN ROSE, FORMER WORLD #1 GOLFER: I feel very safe. I think the tour doing everything that they can and everything within their power. And I
think the spread of the virus, it's vague and difficult to know exactly how people are catching it whether it's a just a grocery store visit?
I mean, obviously this - the tour creating the bubble, and within the bubble you feel very safe, but you can't live 100 percent of the time in
that bubble. So there are transitions from tournament to tournament where you're out in the real world.
So it does just not know exactly where guys are getting exposed, but I think the procedures here in Connecticut seem incredibly strict and tight.
No access to the clubhouse without a mask and it definitely feels a little bit different this week to the last couple of weeks that we've played.
RIDDELL: What would it take for this event, this week, to be scrubbed? What would it take?
ROSE: I don't know what it would take. And I wouldn't really want to suggest what it would take? But I think five, ten? Who knows? I don't know
what the number is. But I guess there comes a point where people have to think about it.
Like I said, I still feel safe and I think there's a lot of great procedures in place. And that's why I think golf has an advantage over
other sports too is that you know we're not in close contact with our competition.
It's a sport, there's many golf clubs all around the world that are now open with certain procedures and precautions in place and I'm hoping that
that is a benefit for us. But we need the guys to continue to stay safe and healthy.
RIDDELL: The European Union is talking about banning travelers from the United States, because the U.S. hasn't got a grip on the Coronavirus.
You're an international golfer. A lot of you play all over the world. We've heard that the Tristate area is going to mandate 14-day quarantine for
anybody coming from a state with a high infection rate. What is all of that going to do to your sport?
ROSE: Well, it obviously makes freedom of movement incredibly difficult. And you know, what I worry about is obviously getting caught up and not
seeing my family, who are back in the UK now. Yes, obviously, I am watching CNN and I am watching the news. And I am seeing cases spike.
And the headlines aren't great. So I think, obviously, places like New York that were clearly a hot spot and have done a great job bringing things down
don't want to basically put themselves in the same situation.
But two-week quarantining is very difficult and prohibits a lot of things obviously business, family, movement, seeing people. So it makes things a
lot more tricky for sure from a logistical point of view. But, you know, I'm committed to the opportunity to do my job, something that I love, and I
hope that the opportunity to do so continues as long as possible here.
RIDDELL: It must be so difficult playing without fans especially an event like the Ryder Cup, where arguably the fans are an integral part of the
action. I know a number of players have spoken about whether you should play that this year or not without fans. What do you think?
ROSE: Well, yes, firstly, we're definitely missing the fans out here. And I would say it's almost somewhat easier to play without fans, because there's
no distraction out here. It feels a bit more low-key, but we miss the fans.
When you're playing down stretch and are trying to win a tournament and the energy and the buzz that the fans bring, that definitely gets the juices
flowing and that's why we practiced to feel those emotions. And none more so than the Ryder Cup, I mean, Ryder Cup is all about the fans really to be
honest with you.
And my view is I don't know how much we can just stack into 2021, because 2021 becomes a bit of a logjam and the way things are trending, who knows
how 2021 looks? You can't just make this thing vanish overnight. So I'm cautious about pushing too much into 2021. The Olympics is already there.
But the only thing I was kind of curious about is if on TV, you could create the intensity between two players, going head-to-head almost like
eye-ball to eye-ball without crowd almost like the silence being the intensity. That was the only thing I was wondering, if that could still be
a spectacle for TV. But clearly the fans are an important part of the jigsaw puzzle.
RIDDELL: But you think as is, better to just play and move on?
ROSE: I would much rather play with fans to be honest with you, but it's a flip side. Is it that simple? And it's the new normal, right? Our new
normal seems to be playing without fans at the moment. Everyone talks about that. It's about maybe just accepting it. I'm not sure what the
alternatives are, but 2021 is looking like being a very busy year if things keep getting pushed that way.
RIDDELL: Justin Rose there. These are complicated times, professional golfers just trying to figure it out and make the best of it just like the
rest of us. Kim, back to you.
BRUNHUBER: That was a fascinating interview. Thanks so much for that. The Eiffel Tower, one of the most famous landmarks in the world, is reopening
after the longest closure since World War II. But everything won't be back to normal just yet.
[11:55:00]
BRUNHUBER: Tourists will have to convince themselves that it's no pain, no gain to go up, as CNN's Cyril Vanier is about to show us.
CYRIL VANIER, CNN ANCHOR AND CORRESPONDENT: During the worst days of the Coronavirus crisis, Paris' Iron Lady still played her part with a simple
message to health care workers from a grateful nation, thank you.
The Eiffel Tower, visited by almost 7 million tourists a year, shut down three months, one week, and four days ago the longest closure since the
Second World War. I haven't been back to the Eiffel Tower in many years and my first impression that the ground level right here is an underrated
vantage point of the tower itself.
Just look up. This feels pretty special. The first level, a reminder that the Eiffel Tower experience is now COVID compatible distancing, signage,
face masks and hand gel, the new normal. The tower keen to show it's even going a step further, regularly checking that surfaces are well and truly
disinfected.
For now, the lifts are closed because of distancing rules. So if you want the view, well, you have to earn it. It's also more fun this way 745 steps
to the second level. That's a 15-minute climb for an estimated 4,000 to 5,000 visitors expected on day one.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PATRICK BARNCO RUIVO, CEO, EIFFEL TOWER: This is for me the best view that we can have from Paris. That's why it gives you big emotion when you come
here.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
VANIER: Notre Dame, The Louvre, The Sacre Coeur, The Arc De Triomphe all there if you know where to look.
At the risk of sounding cliche, the view here truly is amazing. You feel like you're floating above the city and you have a direct line of sight to
all the landmarks. Cyril Vanier, CNN, Paris.
BRUNHUBER: And before we go, a programming note. Anderson Cooper and Dr. Sanjay Gupta host a CNN Global Town Hall, "Coronavirus: Facts and Fears"
that's 8:00 pm Thursday in New York and 8:00 am Friday in Hong Kong and it will air again at 7:00 am on Friday in London and 2:00 pm in Hong Kong,
only here on CNN. That's it for "Connect the World ". I'm Kim Brunhuber in Atlanta. Thanks for watching. Please stay with CNN.
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