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Trump Refuses Virtual Debate; V.P. Candidates Dodge Questions, Shift Focus to Trump; Trump Has Jeopardized America by Isolationism; New COVID-19 Restrictions in Iceland. Aired 10-11a ET
Aired October 08, 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]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. KAMALA HARRIS (D-CA), VICE PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: American people when you tell them the truth.
MIKE PENCE, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: You're entitled to your own opinion but you're not entitled to your own facts.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BECKY ANDERSON, CNN HOST: This hour, as the lights go out on last night's V.P. debate, news that the next Biden versus Trump showdown may not happen.
Why is just ahead.
And I will speak to Iceland's prime minister to see how she is going to tackle the country's record number of COVID-19 cases.
Plus, Lebanon just can't catch a break. How the pandemic is piling misery on top of the country's many other crises.
ANNOUNCER: Live from CNN Abu Dhabi, this is CONNECT THE WORLD with Becky Anderson.
ANDERSON: Time to get your head around one thing going on in America these days before the next development comes and slaps you right in the face.
Believe me, that's right.
Before we are even done getting to understand what happened in last night's vice presidential debate, in just the last hour, Donald Trump throwing the
next presidential debate up in the air.
The American president for now at least claiming he doesn't want to take part because he thinks the decision to hold it virtually makes it a, quote,
"waste of time." But he does interviews remotely all the time; like, say, with FOX Business News in the past hour or so.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DONALD TRUMP (R), PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I heard that the commission a little while ago changed the debate style and that's not
acceptable to us. I beat him easily in the first debate, according to the polls that I've seen but I beat him easily and I felt I beat him easily, I
think he felt it, too.
No, I'm not going to waste my time on a virtual debate. That's not what debating is all about, you sit behind a computer and do a debate, it's
ridiculous and then they cut you off whenever they want.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: There it is, they can "cut you off whenever they want."
You will remember Mr. Trump interrupted Joe Biden at least 128 times in that last debate. That was his MO. Let's not forget why it's being made
virtual. It's because Mr. Trump's White House, seen here, pretty much emptied out after he and a bunch of his closest aides tested positive for
COVID-19.
For the record, for his part, Joe Biden's campaign said that he is more than happy to take part in the new format. By the end of the day -- and you
can file all this in the nothing new under the sun file -- because way back in 1960, Richard Nixon and John f. Kennedy held their third debate
remotely. Yes, that is 60 years ago.
Connecting all of this for us is Joe Johns, who is live for you from the White House itself.
Future debates will be held remotely. Joe, JFK and Nixon, after all, held their third in 1960 away from each other.
What are we in for in the next week or so, sir?
JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: First thing I think you have to say, before you really go too far on this debate issue, is this is
a president who is very erratic, prone to changing his mind, prone to canceling meetings before he decides to go to them, prone to canceling
negotiations before he decides to reenter the negotiations. Even with the stimulus up here just this week on Capitol Hill you've seen that.
So the question, of course, is will this hold?
Now one of the president's top economic advisers, Larry Kudlow, said just a little while ago here in Washington he thought that this could be
renegotiated. And so the question is what's going to happen next.
Now what we also know is what the president said is, he is not going to participate in a virtual debate. This virtual debate was announced by the
debate convention just this morning here in Washington, indicating that debate in Miami was going to be held with the candidates in different
remote locations because of concerns over coronavirus, including concerns about the crews, the camera crews and technicians, who would have to
participate in this, were the president there.
As you know, he tested positive for coronavirus and just spent the weekend over in Walter Reed hospital.
The reactions were quick; the head of the president's campaign, his campaign manager, put out a statement blasting the commission and also
indicating that, instead of the debate, the president will do a rally.
We don't know where that rally will be. And I guess the other thing to say is that Joe Biden, the Democratic candidate, has said he would participate
in a remote debate but also said that, if the president still has COVID, there should not be a debate. So this is all about the Miami debate, which
was supposed to be a town hall.
[10:05:00]
JOHNS: We don't know what would happen to the third and final presidential debate, which was to occur in Nashville, Tennessee. That's still up in the
air -- Becky.
ANDERSON: I guess, you know, the bigger picture here is, what does this all mean for the remainder of the campaigns?
We are well into October; this election, of course, is November 3rd.
JOHNS: Right. The first question you asked there is which candidate needs a debate more right now. And if you look at the polling in the United
States, it indicates that Joe Biden is expanding his lead over the incumbent president.
Even the president's favorite news network, FOX, has Joe Biden up by double digits. So that would suggest that it's the president who needs the debate
to try to make up some ground.
And it also -- this decision also gives Joe Biden the opportunity to blame the president for canceling a debate that he doesn't really need at least
at this point.
So it's also true that the president has pulled himself out of public appearances and debates and such before. Four years ago, it certainly
didn't hurt him at that time. He ended up becoming President of the United States. But it just sets up another example of how volatile this campaign
is and what's going to happen is anybody's guess -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Joe, I said at the beginning of this show, just when you think you're getting your head around what's going on in Washington, something
else comes along to slap you in the face. It's not the easiest thing to be reporting on this minute by minute stuff that's going on.
But of course, as ever you do a terrific job.
Last question before I let you go, are you OK after that raccoon attack?
JOHNS: Right. OK. I know.
(LAUGHTER)
JOHNS: The video of that is crazy, right?
And it happened right out here early in the morning just yesterday. The truth is -- and some people don't catch it -- that this is not something
that actually went out over the air, it happened right while I was off the air and about to go on. And it's the second time it's happened out here.
And then the folks on the show decided to put it out on social media. And, you know, I had mixed feelings about putting it out because I felt silly
about it. But in these times I did feel people deserved a good laugh and I think that's what people have gotten.
ANDERSON: Well, I can tell you, they put it out on the show; it went viral. We picked it up and our international viewers have seen it now. And
I have to say it made me laugh oud loud last night.
And I have had a lot of reaction from our international viewers, who felt the same way. Listen, we all could do with a laugh at the moment. I don't
mean for it to be at your expense but, you know, thank you.
(LAUGHTER)
JOHNS: Oh, yes, right. Exactly. Thank you.
ANDERSON: Thank you, sir.
All right. So there we are. Where were we?
Oh, yes, debates. Let's zip back to last night. Wednesday night's V.P. debate, where coronavirus, of course, played a big part and rightly so. Not
just physically, you can see the Plexiglas dividers, but it loomed large in the back and forth between Senator Kamala Harris and vice president Mike
Pence as they battled the issues.
Another 50,000 Americans testing positive; Harris was pretty direct about all of that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: The American people have witnessed what is the greatest failure of any presidential administration in the history of our country.
And here is the thing: on January 28th the vice president and the president were informed about the nature of this pandemic. They were
informed that it's lethal in consequence, that it is airborne, that it will affect young people and that it would be contracted because it is airborne.
And they knew what was happening and they didn't tell you.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: The key part of that response, vaccines, of course. Pence accused Harris of spreading doubt about vaccines. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PENCE: You continue to undermine public confidence in a vaccine. If a vaccine emerges during the Trump administration, I think is unconscionable.
And, Senator, I would just ask you to stop playing politics with people's lives.
The reality is that we will have a vaccine, we believe, before the end of this year and it will have the capacity to save countless American lives.
And your continuous undermining of confidence in a vaccine is just -- it's just unacceptable.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: And for all it's worth, in a CNN instant poll, Kamala Harris did come out as the winner in all of this.
[10:10:00]
ANDERSON: Viewers certainly saw a lot less chaos than last week's presidential debate and a bit more decorum and a bit more policy. However,
there was nothing new. Both sides stuck to the battle lines that were drawn a long time ago.
The real winner of the debate was arguably this little guy here, a fly, which captured the attention of the world in a way neither candidate, quite
frankly, did. The uninvited third guest sat atop Mike Pence's head for several minutes, much to the delight of those on social media.
The Biden campaign is already having a bit of fun with it. They have introduced this fly swatter, which reads "Truth over flies." Bad news is,
if you want one, they are already sold out.
My next guest offered this advice to the vice presidential candidates leading into the debate: do no harm; reinforce the top of the ticket and
pass the commander in chief test.
Anna (sic) Stewart joins me now, she is a Republican strategist and former communications director for Ted Cruz's presidential campaign.
Did they hit your three points, Alice?
ALICE STEWART, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: I think each of them did in terms of neither one of them did any harm. They didn't say anything dumb.
They were civil and they were respectful to each other for the most part.
They did reinforce the top of the ticket. They made sure that everyone understood the contrast between the two opposing campaigns and what they
would offer the American people.
And I do really think both of them actually did make the case for how they could potentially step into the role and have the skills and qualifications
to be commander in chief if necessary.
The big difference I think that Mike Pence made is that he showed a real stark contrast between a Trump-Pence ticket and a Biden-Harris ticket. He
demonstrated the fact that with the Trump administration, we would certainly have a limited government. He made a stronger case on trade, on
energy, certainly on manufacturing.
He made a stronger case on a lot of the things that are important to the American people and certainly Supreme Court. He also held Kamala's feet to
the fire with regard to fracking, which is an important energy issue for this country.
The Biden ticket has not really come clean on whether or not they support this vital energy source. And they refused -- still refuse to answer the
question whether or not, if Biden won, he would pack the Supreme Court, which would really change the trajectory of the power of the Supreme Court.
And that's an answer that really I think that the American people deserve.
ANDERSON: The question is, will either of their performances move the dial?
And it has to be said -- let's just go back and have a look at the latest CNN poll, with Joe Biden 16 points ahead in that poll and, in others,
including a FOX poll, Joe Biden some 10 points ahead.
Pence needed to do some work last night.
Do you think that he did enough to change the sort of numbers, to help change the sort of numbers we're seeing on our screens now?
STEWART: Well, that's a great question, Becky. Typically these vice presidential debates don't change the overall trajectory of the election,
it's not going to really move a lot of numbers.
But what we're looking for is likability. The independent voters -- that's between like 4 percent and 7 percent of people out there, independent or
undecided likely voters -- are the ones that are the key target. And they typically gear toward persona over policy: who appeared more likeable, who
appeared as someone that really connected with them.
And I think, look, Kamala Harris did a phenomenal job on making the case on COVID and she did show that she has leadership skills. But I feel as though
her snickering and laughing and her demeanor was a little off-putting.
I do feel like Mike Pence came off as a little more likeable and calm and in command of the stage up there. So those factors are important for these
undecided swing voters that are still out there, trying to make up their minds.
ANDERSON: Yes, and there is a significant number of people who may still be making their minds, although we have seen a significant number of people
who have already voted of course. The mail-in voting seems to have taken off significantly in this campaign.
From COVID to climate, Mike Pence -- yes, Mike Pence -- repeating the need to listen to science and fact. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PENCE: Look, Senator Harris, you're entitled to your own opinion but you are not entitled to your own facts. And, Senator, I would just ask you stop
playing politics with people's lives. President Trump has made it clear that we're going to continue to listen to the science.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Let us remind our viewers of the president's thoughts on the science.
[10:15:00]
ANDERSON: Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
TRUMP: It will start getting cooler.
WADE CROWFOOT, CALIFORNIA SECRETARY FOR NATURAL RESOURCES: I wish --
TRUMP: You just watch.
CROWFOOT: I wish science agreed with you.
TRUMP: Well, I don't think science knows, actually.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Our viewers can make of that what they will.
But what are your thoughts?
STEWART: I think the vice president made a strong point by making sure and acknowledging that there is something to be said for global warming and
climate change.
But the president and this administration has been clear all along that they are not as in support of the notion that it is manmade as much as it
is just a fact of sheer nature. And that is why they steer clear of strong federal government regulations on industries that are working to create
jobs and provide for this economy and that's a big factor.
I think the president made a -- vice president made a strong case for that last night and also reinforcing, as he said, that Kamala Harris and the
Democrat ticket can have their feelings about things. But it doesn't change the facts. And that's an important point that he made last night.
ANDERSON: "Facts not flies" is how the Biden campaign is working the narrative today. Listen, I've run out of time but thank you for your
reflections. Important to get some insight and some analysis from all sides on what is going on at the moment because, look, what happens in America is
really important.
We get it.
But what about the rest of us?
You know, the other 95 percent or so of human beings on the planet, there are 7 billion of us.
STEWART: Right.
ANDERSON: And the two candidates did dig into how they will shape the foreign policy of the world's most awesomely powerful country. We want to
get to know how all of that could affect your life, your job and your world. We will connect all of that with our crack team up next.
And a testing time for Iceland. The small remote island had COVID-19 under control. It was a sort of poster child, as it were, and then seemingly it's
lost its grip. I will ask Iceland's prime minister what happened and what she proposes to do next in a live interview a little later this hour.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: So, Susan, it's about relationships. And the thing that has always been part of the strength of our nation, in addition to our great military,
has been that we keep our word. But Donald Trump doesn't understand that because he doesn't understand what it means to be honest.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Senator Kamala Harris there, slamming the Trump administration's foreign policy record at what was the U.S. vice presidential debate last
night.
[10:20:00]
ANDERSON: Harris and vice president Mike Pence sparred over Mr. Trump's relationship with world leaders, Harris arguing that his approach has made
America less safe.
Well, for more on how this affects your world, wherever you are watching in the world, let's bring in the team, international diplomatic editor Nic
Robertson, joining us from London, and senior international correspondent Sam Kiley, who is here with me in the UAE, reporting tonight from Dubai.
Nic, this was a chance for Kamala Harris and, indeed, Mike Pence -- but let's talk about Kamala Harris -- to not only talk to the American people
but to the international audience.
What impression did she give?
NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, that quote you just ran as well was very interesting because she went on to say that
President Trump betrays his friends and embraces dictators.
And I think this was a shout out to those countries, you know, many in the European Union being among them, who would have thought of the United
States as being a more friendly, allied nation before Donald Trump took office.
So it was a shout out there. I think also she was able to give a bit of her sort of credentials, you know, talking about her mother coming to the
United States when she was 19 years old; talking about how she had been elected the first woman of color to the California state attorney general's
office -- so she was on the Intelligence Committee, privy to detailed intelligence information.
So this was -- she was able to sort of set out her stand a bit, that she is somebody who has worked her way up, who has solid credentials and wants to
work with the United States' allies.
ANDERSON: None of that, though, gives us a clear idea about what a Joe Biden administration might look like on the international field.
I know, Sam, you've been taking a look, particularly at a sort of Trump versus Biden perspective on the Middle East. Kamala Harris did touch on the
Iran nuclear deal last night. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
HARRIS: He has walked away from agreements. You can -- look at the Iran nuclear deal. Because of Donald Trump's unilateral approach to foreign
policy, coupled with his isolationism, he pulled us out and has made America less safe.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: Is it clear yet, Sam, what a Biden administration would look like, for example, here in the Middle East?
SAM KILEY, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I think it's becoming a lot clearer. Now there will be some Middle East governments, particularly
the Saudis, the Emirates, Bahrainis, who will be feeling a little bit anxious because they have thoroughly approved of Donald Trump's leaving the
JCPOA, that awkwardly titled Iran nuclear deal, alongside, of course, Israel, who are deeply unhappy with it.
But the Biden administration has said on its website -- and he has said in public, too -- that he wants to rejoin that agreement, the deal, so long as
the Iranians are continuing to comply.
We know in some areas of their nuclear program they are publicly saying that they are no longer complying but they are very keen to see a return to
that deal, as are the European allies that signed up to it and, of course, Russia and China, too.
I think what we might see, therefore, and the concern among supporters of the Trump administration here in the Middle East would be a lessening of
engagement; although Donald Trump would appear to have had very little kind of passion for foreign affairs.
He has or his administration has been deeply involved in Saudi affairs, deeply involved in the peace deal or rather the normalization deal between
the Emirates, Bahrain and Israel. And there has been a step change in the Middle East.
The Obama administration, I think, Joe Biden will struggle, at least in the initial stages, to separate himself from that administration's record in
the Middle East. We're seeing, by the end of his term, it was pretty dismal. He allowed the Syrian government to cross red lines.
He was -- although he trumpeted a great deal of engagement in the early stages of his presidency, by the end of it, there was a scene of drift and
more opportunities clearly had been taken, too, by Russia, a rival with nothing like the financial or economic clout, now getting deeply involved
at the very least in Syria -- Becky.
ANDERSON: Absolutely.
Nic, China, of course, on the agenda last night; Pence echoing Donald Trump's rhetoric about the coronavirus. Have a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PENCE: China is to blame for the coronavirus and President Trump is not happy about it. He's made that very clear.
[10:25:00]
PENCE: Made it clear again today.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON: He calls it the China virus.
Well, our colleague, David Culver, took this photo. China censored Pence's remarks during that V.P. debate for this question. They didn't, though, do
that for Kamala Harris.
Nic, did Harris give any indication that China's relationship with the U.S. could improve under a Biden administration?
ROBERTSON: She didn't do what Pence did, which is blame China for COVID- 19. And that's probably the root of why the feed didn't get pulled during her. What we know from the foreign ministry spokesman in Beijing last week,
after President Trump spoke, is that he criticized President Trump and said China didn't want to be dragged into the presidential election debate and
specifically on what they consider to be a false premise.
What Kamala Harris did -- and this goes back to what she was talking about on foreign policy -- she did say that it was important for the United
States to stand by its friends, to work with its friends.
And if you listen to what -- if you listen to what Joe Biden has said on the campaign trail and over the past year or so, he has said very clearly
that he will be tough on China. He has called President Xi a thug. He said that President Xi doesn't have a small D democratic bone in his body, that
China is abusive, particularly on human rights issues.
So there's going to be no love lost if Biden and Kamala Harris did get into the White House. But the way that they would approach China would be
different. And I think that's perhaps what China would look at there.
ANDERSON: Nic, thank you.
Sam, always a pleasure. Thank you.
Ahead on the show, COVID-19 rears its ugly head in Europe in the very countries that have seemed to have had things under control. I will tell
you about the new rules people living in some of those countries are having to live with.
And Iceland, one of those countries that was ahead of the COVID curve, that's until now, at least. Iceland's prime minister talks to me live here
on the show up next.
(MUSIC PLAYING)
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
(MUSIC PLAYING)
ANDERSON: Welcome back.
Right now I want to concentrate on what is going on with regard to COVID-19 in Europe, where people are having the worst kind of deja view, it seems,
as the virus surges once again, in some cases worse than in the spring.
Countries are scrambling to bring back restrictions. As you can see, Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, just a few of the nations reporting
significant daily spikes.
[10:30:00]
ANDERSON: Take a closer look at Iceland, seen here in white. It looks like it is holding its own compared to the other countries.
Now though, look at this. It's a shocker, especially for a country that had been showing the world how to keep COVID at bay. Now Iceland has got a big
problem on its hands.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
MAX FOSTER, CNN LONDON CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Iceland was ahead of the curve. A virus testing station for all incoming air passengers set up
way back in June when I visited the country.
Iceland may be a remote and sparsely populated volcanic island. But it saw an early spike in coronavirus cases. That didn't translate into a high
death rate, though. In fact, it had one of the lowest in the world. Just 10 people have died, all in the first wave.
The country never went into a full lockdown; the restaurants stayed open, faces uncovered. When someone tested positive, a rigorous contact tracing
system kicked in.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I got a call and I was told that I had been around a person that tested positive for COVID-19. And it was a waiter at the place
where I had lunch with my co-workers. The tracing team told me that I needed to go into self-isolation.
FOSTER (voice-over): This is the lab where all test samples are sent. I got my result by text a few hours after landing. Here it is.
"You have not been diagnosed with COVID-19."
They don't just test for the virus here but also its mutations, that allows them to map which countries the latest infections came from and how they
spread through Iceland.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Since we sequence the virus from everyone infected in Iceland, we can, first of all, determine where the mutation came from and
then we can follow it as it is spreading in society.
FOSTER (voice-over): The scientists had a big advantage, though. Politicians, including the prime minister, stood back and allowed them to
lead on the pandemic and front the public response.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This crisis is not about me and it was very important not to politicize this crisis. Screening can never be 100 percent safe but
what we are trying to do is to lower the risk of a new epidemic here in Iceland.
FOSTER (voice-over): Those words would prove prescient. Scientists soon realized that 20 percent of people with coronavirus weren't being caught by
the airport testing.
On August the 19th, the government said that arrivals now had to get not one but two tests five days apart. But it was too late. Just days earlier,
Dr. Stefansson (ph) said two French tourists entered the country. The virus they carried has led to a big spike in cases.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE) two weeks ago there was a group infection in to pass (ph) downtown Reykjavik. And everyone in that outbreak had to
appetite (ph) all the sequence diversity that was in the French tourists.
FOSTER (voice-over): Icelandic scientists not always in agreement with politicians.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Unfortunately, we did not react to it very swiftly. And this has basically rolled into a full blown wave of infection in Iceland.
FOSTER (voice-over): Now the government is clamping down, including shuttering bars as autumn turns to winter. Iceland's science-conscious
approach will, no doubt, continue to be tested -- Max Foster, CNN.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
ANDERSON: Katrin Jakobsdottir is Iceland's prime minister and she joins me now live from Reykjavik.
We do thank you and we thank you for your involvement in the report that Max recorded when he was there. Tourism, of course, a cornerstone of your
economy, with huge focus put on it in the last several years. You did begin welcoming tourists back several months ago.
They, as I understand it, must either quarantine for two weeks or must be tested twice with a five-day quarantine in between.
What are you going to do now?
Is it right and is it clear that it has been the incoming tourists who has caused this significant spike in cases?
KATRIN JAKOBSDOTTIR, ICELANDIC PRIME MINISTER: Well, you know, if we take notice of what Dr. Stefansson (ph) said in this report earlier you can
actually see from the data of sequencing that the stem of the virus that's now spreading around Iceland comes probably from people entering the
country early August.
And you could say, even though we have had this -- had this arrangement to have two tests and five-day quarantines since 19th of August, probably they
arrived earlier. And what we did here in Iceland is that we actually have been with less restrictions than many other European countries in the last
months.
[10:35:00]
JAKOBSDOTTIR: We had a limit of 200 people, for example, until this week. So what we are seeing now is quite a spread of the virus in Iceland and we
are reacting now, beginning last Monday.
ANDERSON: Yes, as I understand it, new restrictions introduced in the capital of Reykjavik and surrounding areas, what about the rest of the
country?
JAKOBSDOTTIR: Well, there are actually stricter restrictions all over the country but strictest here in Reykjavik. Here we, for example, closed down
swimming pools and introduced more obligations to wear masks, for example.
So there are more restrictions here in Reykjavik but there are strict restrictions all over the country because the virus travels differently.
ANDERSON: With these recent spikes, which are clearly very concerning, are you prepared to close your international borders?
JAKOBSDOTTIR: No, we have actually decided to maintain the current arrangement until December 1st where we have, as I said, two tests and
five-day quarantining in between. Hopefully we will see some progress in making tests work quicker and also having closer cooperation between
countries in testing.
But this will be at least the arrangement for the next six weeks.
ANDERSON: Are you reassured by Donald Trump's claims of a miracle cure?
He seems to believe that his four-day stay in hospital has resulted -- and the therapeutics that he was given have resulted in something that all of
us should be applauding.
Your thoughts?
JAKOBSDOTTIR: Well, my thoughts, I think we have actually made considerable progress in treating -- treating the virus. At least that's
our experience here in Iceland. But still we are getting a lot of people who are very seriously ill.
Right now, we have over 20 people in hospital in Iceland which are very seriously ill by the coronavirus. So I think what we are seeing is that
virus is still going very strong.
ANDERSON: You've appealed to people to not politicize this crisis. And several world leaders called for unity during their recent speeches at the
U.N. General Assembly, for example. But we are seeing very little of that, very little unity.
Are you disappointed in how world leaders have handled this crisis?
JAKOBSDOTTIR: Well, I think we have very different approaches between different countries. And if I would say anything about the political scene
here, here, back home in Iceland, I think we have managed to be pretty unified.
We have had a critical debate, obviously, and that's very important, you know, to have a democratic critical debate, both about what we're doing to
contain the virus but also about its consequences.
However, I think we have managed to be really -- I think we have been very unified and actually not -- not going down into the political trenches, if
I may say so.
ANDERSON: All right.
JAKOBSDOTTIR: I would have wished for more international cooperation. It has been growing, growing cooperation between countries. And I think when
you're faced with a pandemic like this, this really shows us the importance of international cooperation.
ANDERSON: Let me just follow up on something that you said. You said that you will leave these restrictions for tourists in place, the current sort
of quarantining and testing protocols and procedures until December 1st.
If you do not bring this spike down, if you are unsuccessful, you said that you didn't want to close your international borders.
But is that a possibility?
Do you keep that up your sleeve, should things not improve?
JAKOBSDOTTIR: I think we are actually being as careful as possible now on the borders. And what we're dealing with now is really the spread of the
virus within Iceland and that's our top priority now.
However, I think the new restrictions -- and they are all very familiar; these are the same methods that we used in March and April -- and I am
optimistic that we will see positive results after those two weeks.
And I can sense that, even though people are -- obviously people are growing tired by this pandemic -- but I also sense a very strong
understanding here with the general public in Iceland. Everybody understands what's happening.
[10:40:00]
JAKOBSDOTTIR: And people, you know, they know that we need to use those methods to be able to contain the virus, even though, as I said --
(CROSSTALK)
ANDERSON: Because there is a real fear across Europe that people are becoming fatigued and complacent.
You say that people in Iceland will cope, correct?
JAKOBSDOTTIR: I think so. Yes. You know, these are pretty resilient people here in Iceland. But we're also human and obviously, obviously we feel --
all feel a sense of fatigue because of this pandemic.
ANDERSON: With that we will leave it there. We thank you very much indeed and, of course, we wish you the absolute best.
JAKOBSDOTTIR: And same to you. Thank you so much.
ANDERSON: Thank you.
A golf pro hits an epic hole in one without any shoes. More on that. You have to see this coming up in "WORLD SPORT."
(WORLD SPORT)
[11:00:00]
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