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UK PM To Address Lifting Lockdown Restrictions; Hospitals Losing Millions Of Dollars In Fight Against Virus; Cases Surge To All-Time High As U.S. Heads Into July 4th Weekend; Brazil Reopens As COVID-19 Cases Near 1.5M, Experts Warn Worst Yet To Come; NFL's Washington Redskins To Undergo "Thorough" Review Of Name. Aired 12-1p ET

Aired July 03, 2020 - 12:00   ET

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

[12:00:03]

KIM BRUNHUBER, CNN HOST: All right, we're going to take you live to 10 Downing Street and that's where British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set

to speak about lifting lockdown restrictions. Mr. Johnson warns British citizens not to overdo it at pubs, hair salons, and movie theaters when

things open up.

And he adds, if there is a second wave, the U.K. is ready to deal with it. We're waiting for him to come up to the podium. So in the meantime, let's

go to Scott McLean, who joins us live at Downing Street. So just set the scene here. Tell us what's at stake and sort of recap what these travel

corridors exactly will how they'll function.

SCOTT MCLEAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Sure, Kim. So this is a pretty monumental moment for the U.K. in terms of their coronavirus response and continuing

on the path that they have been on which is pretty positive.

They're doing more than 150,000 coronavirus tests on average per day and they're getting less than 1,000 positive results that is much, much better

than it was a month or two months ago. And so, they -- tomorrow they're going to be reopening, as you mentioned, hair salons, pubs, restaurants,

things like that.

And this is a really big test for the U.K. to see whether they can stay on track. Obviously you put a couple pints in somebody's hands. And then you

know, maybe all bets are off when it comes to social distancing. The Prime Minister says he's confident that there's not going to be a second spike,

at least not one that's going to overwhelm the healthcare system.

But there are plenty of doubters as well just have to look at the United States, you know, that if you lift restrictions too soon, you can end up

with big problems. The other bit of this is the travel corridors that you mentioned.

The U.K. announcing today, a list of 59 countries and some other territories as well where Britons can travel, anyone in the U.K. can travel

to and come back to this country without going into 14 days of quarantine. I can tell you I just finished today, 14 days of mandatory quarantine after

traveling to Belgium. You have to stay inside of your house.

Now, it's not very well enforced. I never got a phone call during that --

BRUNHUBER: Scott, I'm going to stop you now because here we have U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson just about to speak.

BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We are now reporting regularly fewer than 1,000 new cases each day. The Office for National Statistics estimates

that between the 14th of June and the 27th of June, the most recent period they have analyzed 25,000 people in the community in England had the virus,

one person in every 2,200.

Sage assessed that our rate, the average number of people each infected person passes the virus onto remains between naught 0.7 and naught 0.9

across the U.K. Sage also assessed that in England, the number of new infections is shrinking by between 2 and 5 percent every day. And while the

number of people dying with coronavirus remains too high, the numbers do continue to fall.

Now, of course, this picture is not universal. There are areas such as Leicester, where the virus is still more prevalent than we would like. We

always said there would be local outbreaks requiring local action. This is to be expected and will, I'm afraid be a feature of our lives for some time

to come.

But that should not take away from the great progress we've made together as a country against this vicious disease. This progress is the reason why

we've been able slowly carefully cautiously to ease the national lockdown. Without doubt, lockdown has saved many hundreds of thousands of lives. But

it has also had a devastating impact on our way of life and our economy.

And of course, lockdown has not yet been lifted entirely. Indoor gyms, bars, swimming pools are still closed. Mass gatherings are still

prohibited, social distancing is still essential. I want these restrictions to be lifted as soon as possible, of course I do. And we've established

task forces to work rapidly and closely with the sectors that remain closed to explore how they can be COVID secure.

And I'm pleased to report that good progress is being made. Next week, we will set out a timetable for their reopening. Though of course, I can only

lift those remaining national restrictions as and when it is safe to do so. I'll go remains to enable as many people as possible to live their lives as

close to normally as possible in a way which is as fair and as safe as possible.

[12:04:57]

And to achieve this, we need to move away from blanket national measures to targeted local measures. So instead of locking down the whole country, we

will lock down specific premises or local areas where the virus is spreading. Instead of closing down nonessential retail and hospitality

nationwide, we will only shut establishment locally as required. Instead of shutting all schools for most pupils from September, we will only shut

those schools where it is absolutely necessary to control an outbreak.

And instead of quarantining arrivals from the whole world, we will only quarantine arrivals from those countries where the virus is sadly not yet

under control. We're already implementing this targeted approach in England. In Weston-super-Mare, we identified an outbreak in a hospital,

closed it to visitors and new admissions, tested all staff and patients and gave the hospital a deep clean. The outbreak was contained and the hospital

is open again.

In Kirklees, we identified night break at a meatpacking plant, shut down the plant, moved into mobile testing it, tested all employees, and traced

the contacts of those who were positive. The outbreak was contained. And the plant has reopened with additional safety measures in place.

And of course, more recently in Leicester, we identified a community wide outbreak which was not restricted to a single location. Unlike Weston-

super-Mare and Kirklees, Public Health England engaged with the local authority mobile testing units were deployed, full data was shared. Council

wide data was shared on 11th of June. Postcode level data was shared last week.

This enhanced monitoring through additional testing showed that the infection rate in Leicester was three times the next highest infection rate

in any other city in the country. So on Monday, the Health Secretary announced a local lockdown measures in Leicester for an initial period of

two weeks.

In each of these cases, the problems identified were specific to Weston- super-Mare, Kirklees, and Leicester. So of course it made sense to take action locally, rather than re-impose restrictions on the whole country.

And we are learning the whole time. With each local outbreak, we see what works well and what not so well, so that we do better next time.

Informed by our experience of these cases, we have developed an approach for controlling future local outbreaks which has five principle components,

monitoring, engagement, testing, targeted restrictions, and finally, as a last resort, lockdown.

First, monitoring. Public Health England, working with the Joint Biosecurity Centre, will examine carefully data on the spread of the

disease and people's behavior across the country. They will look out for emerging trends, rising case numbers, and other indicators, while taking

into account local factors.

Critically, we have made local data available to all Directors of Public Health in local authorities, so they too can monitor what's happening in

their area. And local data will also be available to the public on the gov.uk dashboard.

Second, engagement. If monitoring identifies local problems, NHS Test and Trace and Public Health England will work with the relevant local authority

to develop a deeper understanding of the problem and identify solutions. Working with local agencies, we will seek to keep the local community

informed at every stage, so they know what is happening and what actions, if any, they need to take.

Third, testing. We now have substantial testing capacity nationwide and we have the ability to target that capacity at local areas in order to get a

grip on emerging outbreaks. Scaled-up testing at a local level, combined with contract testing -- tracing, forgive me, contact tracing through NHS

Test and Trace, can control the virus and thus avoid more stringent measures.

Fourth, targeted restrictions. If the virus continues to spread, we will restrict activities at particular locations and close individual premises.

As in Weston-super-Mare and Kirklees, we will restrict access to places which become hotspots for the virus, while testing people who have spent

time in those places, and tracing the contacts of anyone who tests positive.

[12:10:13]

Fifth, local lockdown. If the previous measures have not proven to be enough, we will introduce local lockdowns extending across whole

communities, as in Leicester. That could mean shutting businesses venues that would otherwise be opened, closing schools, or urging people once more

to stay at home.

Local lockdowns will be carefully calibrated depending on the scientific and specific circumstances of each outbreak. And we are continually

exploring smarter means of containing the virus. So that is the approach we will take as local outbreaks occur and we will set out more detail soon.

Let me end by looking forward to this weekend. Tomorrow, there will be a moment of remembrance for those whose lives have tragically been lost

before their time.

And at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, the NHS's 72nd birthday, we can all come together to clap those who have worked tirelessly and selflessly to help

the nation get through this pandemic.

I know everyone will be looking forward to the relaxation of national restrictions. As lockdown eases, we should focus on supporting the

livelihoods of business owners and their employees up and down the country, all of whom are opening their doors for the first time in more than three

months.

They are our local restaurants, hairdressers, libraries, museums, cinemas, and yes, pubs. They are also hotels, B&Bs, indeed much of our tourism

industry. All these businesses and their workers have put in a heroic effort to prepare their venues for this reopening, to work out a way to

trade in a way that keeps their customers safe.

But the success of these businesses, the livelihoods of those who rely on them, and ultimately the economic health of the whole country is dependent

on every single one of us acting responsibly. We must not let them down.

Lockdown only succeeded in controlling the virus because everyone worked together. And we will only succeed in reopening if everyone works together

again because we're not out of the woods yet. The virus is still with us and the spike in Leicester has shown that.

If it starts running out of control again, this Government will not hesitate in putting on the brakes and re-imposing restrictions. Anyone who

flouts social distancing and COVID-secure rules is not only putting us all at risk but letting down those businesses and workers who have done so much

to prepare for this new normal.

So as we take this next step, our biggest step yet, on the road to recovery, I urge the British people to do so safely. Remember, don't gather

in groups of more than six outside or two households in any setting. Keep your distance from those outside your household, two meters if you can, one

meter with precautions if you can't. Wash your hands. Let's all stay alert, control the virus, save lives, and enjoy summer safely.

Thanks. Do either Chris or Patrick have anything that you want say now? OK. Well, let's -- I think in that case, we will go straight to our questions

from members of the public and the media. And we've got a question first from David from Milk and Keys (ph), David?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The event industry has been decimated by the restrictions put in place to combat COVID-19 situation. With no end in

sight for these restrictions, our industry faces a long period in forced closure. Will the government offer any further assistance to the events and

arts industry to ensure that it survives the next few months? Thank you.

[12:15:06]

JOHNSON: Well, thank you very much David. And the events industry, the arts industry, the theater sector, all of them have had a incredibly tough time.

And I know how difficult it has been. What we've tried to do, David, is to support every sector of the U.K. economy, jobs, incomes to the tune of 120

billion pounds.

So far, I know that, particularly in the events and arts industry, people are anxious about when it's going to be their turn to unlock. And that's

why I've announced tonight that we will next week be setting out a timetable so that we can get you all preparing get underway, and make sure

that we're working together to get your businesses as COVID secure as we can possibly make them.

We'll be setting out a timetable next week. But David, the crucial thing is that we want life to get back as I said, as fast as possible to as normal

as possible, get the disease down so that the events and arts industry really have a chance of recovering. But you can also take it, David, that

we will be doing everything that we reasonably can to support, you to support the arts, the theater, the events world in the interim.

Nothing from either Chris or Patrick, I thank you so much. Can we go to Hina (ph) from Leeds (ph) please? Hina (ph) asked, there are fears of a

second wave from doctors and those who are experts in the medical field. What are the contingency plans in place if a second wave was to occur?

Well, I'm going to ask both Chris and Patrick to comment on this. But clearly, that, you know, a huge amount of work has been devoted to the

possibility, you know, of a second wave ever since the disease arrived in this country and indeed before because our anxiety about the second wave

has been very much at the forefront of our minds.

We will obviously keep all sorts of measures in reserve, the local lockdown that I talked about, the regional lockdowns, a national lockdown, of course

has to be as it were the response of the ultimate resort. We really don't want to do that again. We really don't want to do that again.

So we will also be looking at other ways in which we can respond to the possibility of a second wave that reflect the vulnerabilities of particular

groups and the prevalence of the second wave in certain areas. And we'll be bringing forward more detail about exactly how we propose to do that

shortly.

But I wonder whether Chris and Patrick want to say anything more about the second wave.

PATRICK VALLANCE, U.K. GOVT. CHIEF SCIENTIFIC ADVISER: I mean, a second wave is something which everybody I think realizes is a possibility. And in

fact, we're beginning to see the possibility of some second waves elsewhere in the world, and this possibility will exist with us for a very long time.

So we have to prepare for that. And there's a lot of preparations going on. Clearly, the best thing to do is to try and make that as unlikely as

possible. And that's why the points that the Prime Minister was making about as the economy is opened up, all of us taking that extremely

irresponsibly, sticking to the social distancing rules, sticking to the two meters, if we can, one meter plus with mitigations if we cannot.

All the other things that have been recommended, ranging from the simple things like washing your hands to using face mask on public transport, all

of these things are absolutely essential. And if individuals, families, firms, do not take them seriously, the probability of a second wave goes up

very, very sharply.

But there are of course also things, winter is one of them, which may work to the virus's advantage, even if we are all of us working incredibly hard,

and we have to be ready for that possibility. And clearly there are plans. And as the Prime Minister says, they start off with dealing with local

outbreak. And then it is possible to gradually escalate.

But what we want to do is minimize the chance and then deal with individual outbreaks as they happen.

JOHNSON: Well, I completely agree.

BRUNHUBER: All right, we've been listening to Boris Johnson, the British Prime Minister, speaking ahead of easing coronavirus lockdown measures

starting tomorrow. We heard him hailing the U.K.'s progress against coronavirus while emphasizing that vigilance is still essential. And he

said the country now needs to move toward locally imposed measures to deal with individual coronavirus outbreaks rather than nationwide blanket

measures.

[12:20:00]

And he urged people as he has been doing to behave responsibly to avoid hampering the nation's opening. Scott McLean joins us live from Downing

Street. So the Prime Minister said reopening our biggest step yet, but in his words, we are not out of the woods. He said the government will not

hesitate to put the brakes and re-impose restrictions, but this time, localized restrictions as we saw in Leicester. What did you make of his

comments?

MCLEAN: Hey, Kim, yes. He certainly did not -- he certainly made sure that people knew the significance of this moment that this country is in and the

importance going forward of everyone taking personal responsibility for their part.

He said, look, he wants to get the economy fully open as quickly as the next guy, but it's going to require everyone here to take steps to do that.

He doesn't want to impose a blanket lockdown if he can help it. And you really can't emphasized, as you said, you know, these locally made measures

as a stopgap measure to sort of deal with problems locally.

And I think, to the government's credit, they have done a really good job of ramping up the testing rates. And obviously, they want to do that more

locally, as they see certain pockets crop up and things like that. But it sort of raises the issue that leaving your house, going out into public

almost puts you at risk because if you go to the pub, the pub is going to be taking down your information, they'll know that they'll be able to

contact you or the government will be able to contact you if there's an outbreak there.

And so you may have to quarantine for 14 days. And the Prime Minister is obviously relying on people taking the personal responsibility to actually

stay home. There is not strict enforcement on any of these rules. As I was explaining before the press conference started, Kim. And so the Prime

Minister is really taking a gamble here on the British public to do their part.

Still a lot of unanswered questions though especially when it comes to those travel corridors that we're going to be seeing, this 59 countries and

several other territories that people can go to and come back to this country without quarantining. The government has not been very clear as to

why those countries were chosen, and why some were left off the list, some are obvious when it comes to places like Sweden and the United States,

which have not done a very good job of controlling.

Other countries are maybe more of a mystery as to why they've been left off the list places like China, which, at least according to the official data,

if you believe it has things relatively under control. Canada is another case where things seem to be relatively under control, also, not on the

list there, Kim.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Well, let's turn now to Anna Stewart, who also is in London. I want to talk a bit more about those travel restrictions. We

didn't hear much about it. So we still have lots of questions about that. For instance, the process of review for countries like, you know, the U.S.

here, that won't be on the list. What happens?

ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: Yes. There was such a focus in that press conference on how they're going to control any further outbreaks across the

U.K., particularly with local lock downs as Scott was saying.

Very little, though, on the just announced, new travel corridors, which is huge news in the U.K., a quarantine, a blanket quarantine was introduced

here just over three weeks ago. So it wasn't in place for very long. That is being replaced with an exemption list. And as Scott was saying, some

countries are on it, some aren't. And so many questions around this, and I'm sure that journalists in that press conference will be asking the Prime

Minister, firstly, for countries like Portugal, for countries like United States, they are not on the exemption list. They have people traveling from

those countries into the U.K. will still have to quarantine.

When will they be reviewed? Will there be a regular review for these countries? Travelers will want to know this. Tour operators will want to

know this. This is a really key question to try and kick start the travel and tourism industry. Will quarantine be more strictly enforced for

countries that are on the so called red list or currently not on the exemption list? So far, the enforcement of the current quarantine has been

incredibly lacks.

There hasn't been a single report of a fine for anyone breaking quarantine. And I can tell you anecdotally, I know plenty of people that have come back

from countries and not obey the strict two-week quarantine so far, and another big question about the devolved governments of Wales and Scotland.

Now, the measures announced today were very, very late. We expected them to be announced much earlier in the week. They will only now apply to England,

not Wales and Scotland, with no real infrastructure of border in place. It will be very difficult for Wales and Scotland to have a different policy to

that of England and enforce it.

BRUNHUBER: All right. Anna Stewart, thank you very much for your analysis there.

[12:24:43]

Well, that's it for us. I'm Kim Brunhuber in Atlanta. The news continues now on CNN, coming up next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN HOST: -- and in many places struggling to keep up with the demand for care. But it is more than being overwhelmed with an influx

of patients and ICU beds running low, some hospitals are essentially going broke, losing millions, in some cases billions of dollars.

CNN's Sara Sidner has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SARA SIDNER, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The dreaded sound of an emergency seemed to be the only sound filling the air in New

York City for far too long.

JAKE VITULI, FIRST RESPONDER: The beginning of this whole pandemic was very, very hectic. It was crazy. It was crazy. It was the craziest of my

career.

(voice-over): While hospitals were packed with coronavirus patients here, they were also losing staggering amounts of money.

MICHAEL DOWLING, CEO NORTHWELL HEALTH: We've hit our hospitals to the tune of about $1.6 billion. So it has been roughly between 300 and $400 million

a month that we have been losing.

(voice-over): From the largest healthcare system in New York that has treated more than 40,000 COVID patients, to the Seattle suburbs where the

first known major coronavirus outbreak hit in late February.

DR. JEFF TOMLIN, CEO, EVERGREENHEALTH: Even in this first month of March, we projected a $15 million loss and that's one small hospital healthcare

system.

[12:30:02]

(voice-over): To hospitals across Michigan, both rural and metropolitan.

ROBERT CASALOU, REGIONAL PRESIDENT & CEO, TRINITY MICHIGAN SOUTHEAST REGION: Our revenue went down immediately 60 percent, I mean overnight.

SIDNER (voice-over): The American Hospital Association estimates that hospitals and health systems will have losses this is year of $323.1

billion. The hospitals that saw a surge of patients, and the ones that did not, resulting in real life impact for some health care workers.

ELISE HOLLENBECK, FURLOUGHED NURSE: Being a nurse, I never thought that I would be on unemployment, ever.

SIDNER (voice-over): But that is what happened to Elise Hollenback, a nurse and mother of two in Empire, Michigan.

HOLLENBECK: I get really emotional thinking about it for my kids. You know, what is their reality now going to look like?

SIDNER (voice-over): Her reality changed when the hospitals didn't see a coronavirus surge but had to abide by the state orders suspending medical

procedures and surgeries that kept the hospital in good financial health. Less work meant furloughs even as coronavirus spiked across her state.

HOLLENBECK: I have no idea what our life will look like.

SIDNER (on-camera): Harder life?

HOLLENBECK: Yes. Yes. Different. Harder.

SIDNER (voice-over): It seems counter-intuitive. But during a pandemic, hospitals would lose money. But here's what's happened.

MICHAEL DOWLING, CEO, NORTHWELL HEALTH: The reason for that of two fold. One is that we canceled most of the other services, including most surgery,

to be able to accommodate COVID patients.

SIDNER (voice-over): The other reason, hospitals say they generally lose money treating COVID-19 patients because it rounds mounds of personal

protective equipment, its staff intensive and creates the need to retrofit areas to protect everyone.

TOMLIN: So we live on very thin margins in the world of healthcare. And for something like this it's really apocalyptic in terms of what it means.

SIDNER (voice-over): And if that's not bad enough, as hospitals reopen for all manner of emergencies and surgeries --

(on-camera): This place looks pretty empty.

DR. KEVIN HANSON, CHIEF OF EMERGENCY MEDICINE, EVERGREENHEALTH: Yes, it's - -

SIDNER (on-camera): Is this normal?

HANSON: No.

SIDNER (voice-over): The public isn't showing up, even when they need to.

HANSON: That's one of our concerns is we know there are people having strokes, having chest pain, having, you know, pneumonias, appendicitis and

they're not really coming in.

SIDNER (voice-over): Sara Sidner, CNN, Seattle, Washington.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KATE BOLDUAN, CNN HOST: Wow. Thanks, Sara.

Coming up for us, celebrating July 4th during a pandemic. The changes you may want to make to holiday plans to protect yourself and those you love.

A quick programming note, Dana Bash and Don Lemon, they'll be hosting CNN's Fourth of July in America. An evening of fireworks and an all-star musical

lineup. It all begins tomorrow, 8:00 p.m. Eastern.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:36:59]

BOLDUAN: The mayor of Miami Beach has this message for, really, everyone ahead of the July 4th holiday. There is nothing more American than staying

home to protect yourself and others. But more likely, for being honest, many people are planning to not be staying home, already planning a

barbecue or a gathering or planning to head to the beach or the pool. How do you do this right? How do you keep yourself safe, and those you love

safe?

Here with me is CNN Contributor Erin Bromage, Biology Professor specializing in immunology at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth.

Erin, thank you for being here. You have been able to do what few people have been able to do. Explain in very clear terms how the virus spreads and

where the risks really are.

I wanted to get your take on this weekend, on this holiday. I've heard people wondering, first and foremost on pools, is it safe to be in a pool

with bunch of other people?

ERIN BROMAGE, CNN CONTRIBUTOR: It can be safer. It's not safe. Nothing that we do during a pandemic when we bring people together is safe. But we can

do things safer. We still need to maintain that physical distance of at least six feet between different households. If we get too close, those

respiratory droplets can pass from one person to another and you end up an infection establishing.

I'm not worried about it transmitting through the water. We don't typically drink gallons and gallons of pool water from that. I'm more worried about

getting too close in conversations when we are in the pool.

BOLDUAN: You clearly haven't met my two-year old when you're talking about how much pool water someone consumes, but you're absolutely right.

Officials in states like Florida and California are closing beaches this weekend. What is the safest way, though, to be at the beach? Because so

many other beaches as we've seen around the country are not closing.

BROMAGE: Yes. So every county, every state is a little different. You know, there's wildfires of infections burning in Arizona or in Texas. It's

beginning in California. We're seeing it in areas of Florida. So we have to take different precautions in those particular areas because there just

appears to be so many people infected right now.

But in other areas of the country where we have contained the infections through social distancing and mask use, heading to the beach is not

necessarily a risky endeavor. Maintain your space at all times when you're heading down to the beach and when you're on the beach. Just create that

physical distance between you and members of other households. And then just enjoy the time that you have there.

BOLDUAN: Yes. What about barbecues? Should people be grilling? Can we cook food and serve it to our friends safely? Or is the risk still too high?

BROMAGE: Again, it's very regional. In a pandemic, we shouldn't be gathering. I mean, it just -- we are giving the virus the fuel that it

needs to move between others. But like you said at the introduction, people are going to gather. So we need to do this as safely as we possibly can.

[12:40:05]

Limit the number of households that you bring together. Every extra household you bring is an extra risk that you are bringing in that you are

going to infect or they are going to infect you. Know your numbers, as in what does your state look like now?

There are certain regions of the country, Arizona, where you just should not be gathering at all. But if you come to, for example, Massachusetts

where we've done incredibly well, we can start pulling two families, maybe three families together and just make the event safer through physical

distancing, through making sure that our seats are separated further apart, that we're not sharing serving utensils. That we just have thought about

how to put it together. But we can definitely make it safer in those areas where community transmission is low.

BOLDUAN: Not sharing serving utensils is something I could see not remembering that level of precaution but that's a great point. Connecticut

and New Jersey, they're allowing outdoor amusement parks to reopen just in time for this weekend. Do you think that is safe? It is outdoors, right,

but you're getting on a roller coaster, or a ride in a park with a bunch of strangers you'd assume.

BROMAGE: After the sacrifices, those states have gone through with the population, with, you know, stay-at-home orders and people losing their

jobs, this just seems reckless to me. I know it seems fun. But you put a person at the front of the roller coaster enjoying their ride, screaming

and yelling, what is coming out of their mouth is hitting the people directly behind them.

When you start standing in lines for an extended period waiting to get on ride, we know that that leads to infections. We've seen it with elections

where people have been infected while waiting in lines to come up and vote. So there's just so many things that are not right about this from an

infection control standpoint. I don't understand that logic.

BOLDUAN: What are your thoughts on public bathrooms right now?

BROMAGE: So public bathrooms are sort of this black hole of understanding with the coronavirus. We know a person that is infectious does actually

release infectious viral material in their feces. We know that when you flush a toilet, there is a thing called a toilet plume that sends what's in

that bowl up into the air.

So theoretically, there is a risk associated with bathrooms and those toilet plumes. But if they were a real driver of infection, we probably

would see that more in the data. And so far, there's only been one possible association that has been reported to date. So, treat them with caution.

But they're not something that we should be running away from actively if we need to use them.

BOLDUAN: You're now making me though more averse. Thinking about the flush plume makes me more averse to public bathrooms yet again. Thank you so

much, Erin, I really appreciate it. I hope you have a very safe holiday.

BROMAGE: You're welcome, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Thank you.

BROMAGE: You too.

BOLDUAN: Coming up next, a warning from health officials, why reopening Rio de Janeiro is being described as, quote, sending the population to the

slaughterhouse.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:47:54]

BOLDUAN: Brazil is one of the countries hit hardest around the world by the coronavirus pandemic, second to the United States in the number of COVID

cases. And even though health experts are warning it is still too soon for Brazil the reopen, officials are moving toward that. Large cities like Rio

de Janeiro allowing restaurants, gyms and bars to reopen now.

CNN's Shasta Darlington is live in Sao Paulo. Shasta, one modelling expert has put it this way, reopening like this is sending people to the

slaughterhouse. What is going on?

SHASTA DARLINGTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Kate. And if you see pictures of what Rio looked like last night, you really get a

sense of people not wearing masks, patrons at bars spilling out onto the sidewalk. You know, more than 61,000 people have already died from COVID-19

here in Brazil. The peak isn't expected until about mid-August. But with the country bracing for what's expected to be the worst recession on

record, several cities are already relaxing restrictions.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DARLINGTON (voice-over): Dining in front of Rio's famed shores, patrons attempt a return to normalcy. As Brazil's second largest city reopens for

business.

ALINE DA SILVA, BAR MANAGER (through translation): We just opened after almost four months of being closed. Now we're coming back.

DARLINGTON (voice-over): On Thursday, Rio de Janeiro entered its latest stage of reopening, allowing restaurants, bars and cafes to accept a

limited number of customers with social distancing rules in place. Residents can also return to the gym. Rio is joining other cities around

Brazil in the phased reopening, as the world's second worst hit country sees coronavirus cases nearing 1.5 million, with a steady increase in new

daily infections.

ROBERTO MEDRONHO, RESEARCH DIRECTOR, CLEMENTINO FRAGA FILHO UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL (through translation): We have the problem of people who are going

to work because the economy is being reopened. If they become infected, they will take this infection to their relatives, many of them elderly,

many of them with complex health issues.

DARLINGTON (voice-over): Despite warnings from experts, many regional leaders are desperate as finances plummet and unemployment soars.

[12:50:04]

Now millions of Brazil's informal workers face a stark choice -- go to work and risk infection or go hungry.

MATIAS SANTOS, FOOD DELIVERY WORKER (through translation): We are totally exposed to the coronavirus every day without any protection. And because

companies do not deliver masks, we have to make our own mask or buy them and buy hand sanitizer.

DARLINGTON (voice-over): As coronavirus wreaks havoc on Brazil's already fragile economy, it aggravates some of the country's chronic problems. In

the Amazon rainforest, deforestation is surging. Environmental activists warn illegal loggers and ranchers, burning more land as the pandemic

stretches official resources.

That may be responsible for jump in fires, the most in June since 2007. Now, fears are rising of a coming dry season. With more smoke posing

respiratory dangers.

CARLOS SOZA JR., MEMBER, INSTITUTE OF PEOPLE AND THE ENVIRONMENT OF THE AMAZON (through translation): Flash and burn clearing of land already

represents a serious health problem. If we have land clearing and COVID-19 together, this could mean catastrophic consequences for the region.

DARLINGTON (voice-over): A burning Amazon also adds to threats facing indigenous populations, where COVID-19 is sweeping through communities.

Brazil's government has sent medical workers and military to help protect some isolated tribes. But the virus has already infected thousands of tribe

members and killed dozens. That's according to the government's special indigenous health service.

The indigenous population now part of a grim milestone. On Wednesday, Brazil reached more than 60,000 coronavirus deaths. A tribute to those

victims lit on Christ the Redeemer, Rio's famed statue acknowledging the morbid toll of COVID-19 as the city reopens amid crisis.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

DARLINGTON: Now, the main proponent of opening here in Brazil has been the President himself, Jair Bolsonaro, who has repeatedly downplayed the virus,

calling it a little flu, and insisting that hunger and unemployment could kill more people than COVID-19. But experts say this premature reopening

could make it hard to ignore the deadly impact and that we could really see rather than a second wave, just a prolongation of that first wave, Kate.

BOLDUAN: Absolutely. Shasta, thank you.

Coming up next, this just into CNN, a big announcement from the NFL Commissioner about the Washington Redskins and the team's name. After years

of criticism, is change coming?

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[12:57:15]

BOLDUAN: This just in. The Washington Redskins now says that it is going to be reviewing the team's name, a thorough review, as it put it. But it's

been criticized for years of course. The team name as being racist. But in this moment now of national reckoning now on race, is this time different.

CNN's Sport Correspondent Carolyn Manno, she's joining me now. Carolyn, what's motivating this this time? What are you hearing?

CAROLYN MANNO, CNN SPORTS CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're hearing, Kate, just a little over an hour ago that the team released a statement saying that

they've been having internal discussions about this over the last couple of weeks and that they are prepared to take a very close look at a name change

which runs completely contrary to what team owner Dan Snyder has been saying for years that he absolutely unequivocally would never change the

name of the franchise. But I do want to read you a little bit of what he said today.

So he says, "This process allows the team to take into account not only the proud tradition and history of the franchise, but also input from our

alumni, the organization, sponsors, the NFL and local community it is proud to represent on and off the field". NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell quickly

added his support to this team's announcement, Kate, also saying in his statement, "In the last few weeks, we have had ongoing discussions with

Dan, and we are supportive of this important step".

The mention of sponsors, Kate, in Snyder's remarks is especially important here because like I said, this is a conversation that's been reignited

again and again and again. With Adweek recently reporting that investment firms totaling excess of $600 billion have threatened to really just pull

out of the franchise if they don't find brands that align with things like diversity and inclusivity. The things that matter to them now that it's

going to be a real problem for them and that's a very loud alarm bell for a team owner particularly around a pandemic.

BOLDUAN: Yes, that's for sure. Also the corona -- the pandemic is doing away it appears with another summer tradition this year. What are you

hearing about Major League Baseball's All Star game?

MANNO: Yes, it's being shelled for now, unfortunately, the first time that's happened since 1945. It was scheduled to go on July 14th, it was

scheduled to be at Dodger Stadium. They had waiting for decades for that, but it's just another one of those things on the sporting calendar, Kate,

that has fallen away. They are trying to get a season together as we speak the first day of spring training, so we still have the Nathan's Hot Dog

Eating Contest. So that's --

BOLDUAN: That's for sure. That's what I was actually just going to inform you. Great to see you, Carolyn. Thank you.

The one summer tradition that is still on is the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest. The Fourth of July tradition is going to go on tomorrow but

with changes because of COVID. It's going to take place in a private location. No crowd watching. Only five competitors are going to be eating

at a time instead of the customary 15 to allow for social distancing.

Last year's champions, Joey Chestnut and Miki Sudo who ate up to 71 and 31 hot dogs respectively. They will be back.

END