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Israel-Gaza Conflict Enters Second Week; Palestinian Officials: 20 Killed, including 59 Children; Remote Scottish Island Now Fully Vaccinated. Aired 10-11a ET

Aired May 17, 2021 - 10:00   ET

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

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[10:00:27]

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We don't seem to be hearing any sort of talk come anytime soon.

LYNDA KINKADE, CNNI ANCHOR (voice-over): This hour, it will take time. Israel's Prime Minister rejecting calls for ceasefires. The conflict with

Gaza enters its second week.

Then, COVID cases spike in rural India. We look at how India's crisis is impacting other countries from Taiwan to Kenya.

PHIL BLACK, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): A strong mix of jolly warmth.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: All the data for this glorious day.

BLACK: And no nonsense efficiency.

KINKADE (voice-over): And CNN takes you to a Scottish island that vaccinated every resident in one day.

KINKADE: -- for Becky Anderson, good to have you with us. Welcome to CONNECT THE WORLD. Well, the bloody cycle of Palestinian militant rocket

firing Israeli airstrikes is now in its second week with no signs of letting up. Sunday was the deadliest day of the conflict so far with more

than 50 people killed in Gaza. You can see here more smoke rising over Gaza this morning.

Both sides are accusing the other of war crimes and those claims are made at an emergency Security Council meeting Sunday. The U.N. Secretary General

pleaded for a ceasefire. But that doesn't appear likely any time soon. Here is the Israeli Prime Minister.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER: We'll do whatever it takes to restore order and quiet and the security of our people in deterrence. We're

trying to degrade Hamas's terrorist abilities and to degrade their will to do this again. So, it'll take some time. I hope that won't take long but

it's not immediate.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KINKADE: Israel carried out more strikes Monday, fighter jets bombed what the military says was an underground tunnel system used by Hamas. They also

hit homes and several top Hamas commanders. Israeli officials say these buildings were part of "terror infrastructure." Palestinian militants fired

rockets that the Israeli towns of Sheba, Ashdod and Ashkelon where a synagogue was hit on Sunday.

The IDF says more than 3000 rockets have been fired towards Israel since the latest hostilities begin. Over the next two hours we will be covering

the various angles of this conflict. Our report is a fanned out across the region, where along the Israeli Gaza border and in Jerusalem. We'll also

look at the anger growing across the region and around the world. And we'll connect you to the White House where President Joe Biden is coming under

growing pressure.

I want to start with Jerusalem with CNN's Senior International Correspondent Ben Wedeman joins us. We also have an international

diplomatic editor Nic Robertson for us near the Gaza border. I want to start with you first. Ben, this unrest now in its second week. Yesterday

was the deadliest days so far. And the strikes have continued throughout the night with Israel saying it's targeting tunnels in Gaza.

BEN WEDEMAN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes, they call this -- the Israelis call this tunnel system, the metro and say that they have

taken out as much as 100 kilometers of that system since the operation began. But as you mentioned yesterday was by far the bloodiest day in this

conflict that began just a week ago essentially. I'm referring specifically to the tension between Gaza rather the hostilities between Gaza and Israel.

Not the broader conflict. And one strike alone in Gaza yesterday, in the early morning, as the -- of the hours of the morning, flattened three

houses and killed more than 40 people. There is talk of course, despite what the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is saying that this is

going to take time, there are efforts particularly by the Egyptians, to try to bring about some sort of halt of the hostilities.

Also the American envoy Hady Amr has been in Ramallah today speaking with the officials at the Palestinian authority. The problem in that instance,

is that the Palestinian authority in this particular situation is standing on the sidelines. The real players here, the other side, so to speak, is

Hamas in Gaza and the United States does not talk to them for domestic political reasons.

So, there are hints on the horizon that perhaps there is a resolution to this particular conflict or rather outbreak of hostilities on the horizon.

[10:05:08]

WEDEMAN: But there's nothing that is going to assure anybody that to as the Prime Minister of Israel said that their hope is to restore order and quiet

because it's worth pointing out this is the fourth -- essentially war between Gaza and Israel since 2008. And what we've seen is yes, a form of

order and calm is restored only to be broken yet again, because this conflict is only being dealt with. It's not been resolved.

KINKADE: Yes. As far from a resolution here. If you stand by that. I want to go to Nic a little bit more on Egypt as you mentioned, Ben. Egypt was

instrumental, of course in brokering a truce in the last Gaza conflict. It's at the table again with Qatar trying to broker a ceasefire. What are

the main hurdles right now, Nic?

NIC ROBERTSON, CNN INTERNATIONAL DIPLOMATIC EDITOR: Well, according to a senior Hamas official, and we don't have the Israeli side of their

interpretation of the current talks over a cessation of hostilities, you might hear a loud bang in a minute. There are heavy artillery pieces here

that firing into Gaza, Israeli Defense Force pieces firing into Gaza at the moment, and that's what you heard going off right there.

But yes, so Hamas is saying that there are two stumbling blocks. One of them is that they are putting preconditions on the Israelis saying that

they should -- they should stop activities around the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood inside in Jerusalem and which is the neighborhood where the

Israelis would like to move for Palestinian families from. There's a lot of contention of that, one of the contributing factors for current violence.

And also another contributing factor was the Israeli police inside the Al- Aqsa Mosque over the past -- about a week or so ago. And the Hamas are saying there conditionality is that if there's going to be a cessation of

hostilities, Israel has to refrain from those actions. That's a stumbling block that Hamas says exists. And for their part, Hamas says Israel is

saying that if there's going to be a ceasefire, then there has to be a three-hour cessation by Hamas, first.

And Hamas are saying that's not something they can accept. It's too much to call this a ceasefire. We're really talking here about a way to pause the

conflict, part of what's happening. And as Ben says, this is -- these discussions get you away from firing rockets, and from firing artillery and

from aircraft strikes. But they don't bring a real resolution to the real issues here. So that's what's happening.

And I think what you can see behind me here, this artillery and placement and the fact that it is firing artillery shells into Gaza. And while we've

been here, we've been seeing that fresh artillery shells that have been delivered to these gun positions is indicative of the fact that there is

more exchanges of fire to come. Typically, we understand that these artillery pieces are used to target the Hamas tunnel network that Ben was

describing there.

So, this is this really seems to speak these guns speak louder than diplomacy at the moment, as simple as that.

KINKADE: Yes, they certainly do loud and clear. And, Nic, I want to ask you a little bit more about what's going on there. And if you can speak a

little more to the speculation about Israel planning a potential ground offensive invasion, what can you tell us? What are your sources telling

you?

ROBERTSON: You know, the indications here would be that there has not been a sufficient deployment of Israeli defense forces around the border with

Gaza, that would sort of measure up to what Israel has used before when they put in place ground incursions. There also doesn't seem to be the

political will at the moment for ground incursion. Maybe there is and maybe we haven't been told about it but that doesn't seem to be.

Because of course, putting troops over the line into Gaza, puts them in much greater harm's way. And ultimately, there's a potential political

price for the prime minister to pay if he -- if he makes that decision. Now, the choice for him would have to be are there significant Hamas

targets that he feels are within reach and need to be taken out prior to -- prior to agreement have an end of hostilities. We don't know the answer to

that.

So, I think at the moment from where we stand, you would have to say it doesn't appear as if there are sufficient forces so that mitigates against

and it doesn't appear as if there's the political will for it. So that mitigates against. But at the moment, we just don't know.

KINKADE: And I want to go back to Ben because even within Israel proper, there has been a lot of aggression between Jews and Palestinians living

side by side. Tell us a little bit more about the civil unrest.

[10:10:03]

WEDEMAN: Well there -- in the last few days, there's been relatively less so it was really during last week that we saw some outbreaks, a lot of

outbreaks of communal violence in cities like Acre and Haifa, and also Lid which is near at Ben Gurion International Airport and we the Israeli border

police that normally operates in the occupied West Bank units of that group were sent into Israel proper to try to restore order, they seem to have

succeeded to a certain extent in restoring common.

The Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been stressing the need to restore common order. But as soon as sort of things calm down within Israel

proper, we've seen an outbreak of protests and confrontations between Palestinians and Israeli forces on the West Bank. So certainly it does seem

that between inter communal violence, between the West Bank, between Gaza, Israel is in danger.

Its forces are in danger of being overstretched given the multiple areas where they have to operate at the moment.

KINKADE: All right. Ben Wedeman for us in Jerusalem and Nic Robertson, and near the Gaza border. Good to have you both with us. We will stay in touch

and speak to you at the top Nextel. Thank you both very much.

Well, the human toll of the conflict cannot be overstated. The Palestinian health minister reports 200 Palestinians killed 59 of them children. More

than 1300 have been injured, and 10 Israelis have also died. And as we've seen buildings in Gaza have been reduced to rubble leading to frantic

searches for survivors. Nour Odeh is a Palestinian politician and a founding member of the National Democratic assembly, a political group

seeking change.

She joins me now via Skype from Ramallah. Good to have you with us.

NOUR ODEH, PALESTINIAN POLITICIAN (via Skype): Thank you for having me.

KINKADE: We have seen a flare ups over the -- in the past. But of course, this is the worst violence we've seen since 2014. How is this time

different?

ODEH: It's different, I think, in many ways. On the one hand, it comes after four years of Donald Trump where the right wing in Israel was able to

collect a lot of rewards, a lot of political achievements that bring it further away from a possible of peaceful solution from an end to the

occupation, and closer to an entrenchment of the far-right ideology for elections in Israel have yet to produce a change in that.

It comes off the back of an entire month of provocations and incendiary actions in occupied Jerusalem where Palestinians were brought, literally to

a boiling point. And then you've --you saw this collective, right? This collective sense of frustration breaking out everywhere, for Palestinians

whether they were Israeli citizens inside Israel proper, or in the occupied West Bank, including Jerusalem and now in Gaza.

The another dimension, another difference, in my opinion, is the way the world is reacting. At a popular level and perhaps with elected officials

sounding more and more concerned, more adamant that a real solution must be reached, instead of just talking about ceasefire, while regrettably

governments including the Biden administration seems to think that, you know, old formulas can be brought out of the drawer and reused as if

nothing has changed in the past years.

As if we can just make the non-stop and everything will go back to being OK, ignoring the fact that Palestinians live under occupation is not OK and

it's not peaceful. And there's nothing acceptable about. So, it would be just, you know, one more way of postponing another round of frustration,

another round of confrontation.

KINKADE: As you say, there are more calls from communities around the world calling for a resolution not just a ceasefire. We have the United States,

Qatar, Egypt and others trying to broker a ceasefire, but when you listen to sources we're hearing from Hamas and on also from Israel, that doesn't

seem to be a desire right now to deescalate.

ODEH: I think it has a lot to do with the way this mediation is happening. It took the Biden administration days to kind of get in the mix. They have

yet to even voiced concern really -- a real concern about Palestinian casualties that use the same formulas of standing by Israel, standing by

its right to defend itself and not really mentioning the fact that half of Palestinian victims are women and children.

That these Palestinians are under occupation and that this round of so called violence is part of a pattern, a pattern that is consistent with

half a century of occupation. I don't see that these efforts will fail. In the end, they will succeed in bringing about a ceasefire. But again, if

something doesn't really change in the objective of this political movement, by the U.S., by Egypt, by Qatar and other countries, then we'll

just be back to square one.

Not back to calm because again for Palestinians life under occupation is not called. It's not peaceful. It's not acceptable. It's not easy. In fact,

every detail of it violent because it's characterized by oppression and by dispossession. And by having all the details of your life controlled by a

foreign military. Whether you're living in Jerusalem waiting to be uprooted from your home or fighting to keep your home from being demolished, whether

you're in the West Bank trying to keep your whole -- your land from being appropriated by the Israeli army.

Or whether you're one of the two-plus million Palestinians in Gaza living under siege for the past 15 years. That's the status quo ante that

everybody wants to go back to -- and I would -- I would be fearful that that's what they would be satisfied with. I don't think that that's good

enough. I think we should be aiming higher. The Biden should be listening more to the Progressive Caucus in his own party and to civil society to

thousands to the streets in the U.S. demanding justice.

Without it, real peace cannot be -- cannot materialize. It simply isn't possible. There isn't a people in this world who would have known to accept

occupation and foreign control with them, you know, calmly and peacefully and without resistance. It just -- it doesn't exist.

KINKADE: Nour Odeh, we appreciate your perspective. We'll have to leave it there for now. But I hope to get you back in the program. Thank you.

Still to come on CONNECT THE WORLD, former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon. He claims the current discussions at the U.N. Security

Council spreading a "false anti- Israeli narrative." I'm going to speak with him next hour.

Well, the violence in Gaza is setting off global protests with demonstrations dotting major cities around the world. Across a number of

European and American capitals crowds are coming together in solidarity with Palestinians. We're also seeing anger boil over with Israel's

neighbors in the region. Crowds gathered this weekend in Jordan and Lebanon where grief and outrage have found outlets in protest. Salma Abdelaziz

reports from the Lebanese border.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER (voice-over): On a Lebanese hilltop overlooking Israel, they gathered to mark 73 years since what they call the

catastrophe. Some commemorated the occasion with selfies for posterity. Others stood for a moment of quiet reflection. But most chose the

traditional chants that have echoed through these valleys for decades. Soon, small groups of men made their way down to the border fence to take

part in another long standing tradition, stone thrown.

Soldiers tried to control the youths anger, but a soul rebel climbed to the top. A day earlier, a Lebanese man had died doing the same for wound

sustained by an Israeli rocket. But with the barrier of fear now broken, demonstrators grew bolder.

ABDELAZIZ: We're seeing protesters throw rock, sticks, really anything they can get their hands on over this border fence. They've seen Israeli troops

on the other side, and we've heard what appears to be the sound of gunfire.

ABDELAZIZ (voice-over): We're throwing stones at the Israelis who've occupied our lands. This man tells me. We wish the Lebanese army would let

us across.

Then a collective effort to scale the nearly 25-foot-tall concrete walls began. Those who made it to the top hoisted their flags. Others chose to

send a more direct message. Israel says acts like bees threaten its national security. But the mother of one of the men hanging atop the

observation tower told me this is their resistance.

We are in pain she tells me this is happening to Jerusalem and the air of governments are asleep. Where are their morals?

[10:20:40]

ABDELAZIZ: As perch capacity was maxing out, a tear gas canister landed in the crowds and Lebanese troops quickly moved in and disperse the gathering.

The day ended as it began with loud promises to march to Jerusalem from a crowd that knows it can do no such thing. Salma Abdelaziz, CNN on the

Lebanese-Israeli border.

KINKADE: Well, meantime, U.S. Senate Democrats and independents are pushing back over the Biden administration's response to the conflict. 28 of them

have released a joint statement calling for any immediate ceasefire. Last week President Joe Biden said Israel has not overreacted to the Palestinian

rocket attacks. Some progressive Democrats want the President to issue a strong condemnation of Israel.

U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken dispatched a deputy to the Middle East. In Denmark today, he said the U.S. has been working intensively

behind the scenes to try to bring an end to the conflict.

Well, next hour we'll head to the White House for more on the Biden administration's response to this conflict. But still had Taiwan thought it

had the virus under control. But a spike in COVID cases is causing health officials to take action. We're going to have a live report from Taipei

coming up.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: Welcome back. Well, India has been hardest hit by the pandemic for months now with a new strain of the virus fueling infections. The country

is desperate to combat the spread in rural and tribal areas where basics like oxygen are in short supply. The health ministry is setting up centers

in remote areas for moderate cases with critical patients move to larger COVID specialized hospitals. Our Anna Coren has the story.

ANNA COREN, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: As India's second wave of COVID continues to devastate much of the country, Delhi infections dropped

below 300,000 on Monday for the first time in almost a month. It's a sign that cases may have peaked. Even though the average Delhi death toll stands

at nearly 4000. The government is turning its attention to rural India where almost two thirds of the population lives following a surge in cases.

It's calling on schools, community centers and government buildings to be used to treat COVID patients, while rural health clinics typically under

resourced need to be stocked with beds and oxygen cylinders. Most of India is now under lockdown the capital New Delhi has extended its lockdown for

the fourth time for another week as case numbers continue to drop. Prime Minister Narendra Modi finally addressed the public late last week after

being out of the public eye for more than three weeks.

Saying the government was on a war footing in tackling the pandemic and that as his country's servant, he feels his people's pain. Well meantime,

the government continues to try to silence its critics. Police in New Delhi arrested up to 15 people after posters went up around the city saying, Mr.

Modi, why did you send out children's vaccines abroad? The reaction by the government prompted a backlash on social media with the #arrestmeto

trending on Twitter. Anna Coren, CNN Hong Kong.

KINKADE: Well, as India battles the virus some of the parts of Asia also seeing a surge in cases. Taiwan has been one of the world's success

stories, but now it's facing its worst outbreak yet. Health officials have temporarily banned foreign nations from entering the country starting

Wednesday. Taiwan reported 335 cases Monday a new daily high. That brings the total to just over 2000.

Well the spike and tighter restrictions a triggering panic buying at supermarkets. CNN Will Ripley is in Taipei with a look at the factors

behind the latest outbreak.

WILL RIPLEY, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Here in Taiwan, a troubling situation is getting even worse. Another day of record high daily infection

rates, the highest that this island has seen during the entire pandemic. The Taiwan Centers for Disease Control is blaming this outbreak on adult

entertainment venues. Many of the cases happening at posttest tea houses. But not only are those businesses closed, but gyms and any sort of public

gatherings of larger than 10 people.

Private gatherings now restricted to five people or less. People are also required to wear masks out in public. And this is coming after just a few

days ago the streets were full of people, many of them without masks, enjoying a relatively normal quality of life. Taiwan was one of the first

in the world to shut down its borders at the onset of the pandemic. As a result, they all but eliminated local transmission.

People live for months without the fear of catching COVID-19 but that complacency has allowed this virus to spread and spread quickly as people

were not following social distancing recommendations. And now they are. The streets of Taipei which were empty over the weekend continue to be very

quiet on Monday. People hoping that by observing these guidelines, they can get those case numbers down before this cluster of cases becomes an even

bigger outbreak.

Taiwan and it's more than 23 million people are highly susceptible to COVID-19 because of the fact that there are very few people who've been

vaccinated there's a vaccine shortage and almost no herd immunity here. Will Ripley, CNN, Taiwan.

KINKADE: Well, accusations of special treatment as a group of Australian cricket players arrives back home from India. Why their arrival is drawing

controversy later this hour.

Plus, foreign travel is back on the agenda for millions of people in the U.K. But there's a caveat. I'll explain next one we had lived in London's

Gatwick Airport.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KINKADE: Welcome back. I'm Lynda Kinkade. You're watching CONNECT THE WORLD. Well, many people can dust off their passports today across most of

the U.K. after months of being cooped up after another COVID lockdown. People in England, Wales and parts of Scotland can now take foreign

holidays again. But there's a bittersweet note British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is urging what he calls a heavy dose of caution of a new COVID

variant in the U.K. which was first identified in India.

I'm connecting you now to London's Gatwick airport where you find CNN's Anna Stewart standing by for us. So, after some of the toughest lockdowns,

Anna, people across the U.K. finally getting the chance to travel overseas to have a holiday albeit with caution.

ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: Yes, I mean, this has been one of the most highly anticipated dates. The nation has had their haircut, they've had a

pint outside a pub, now they can go on holiday at least people from England, Scotland and Wales but with so many caveats, Linda. So, if you go

to a destination on a very small list of green listed countries, you don't have to quarantine on the return.

Plenty of countries on that list aren't accepting international tourists at the moment. Plus, you have to still take PCR tests, at least to the U.K.

more of your destination. That's costly. One passenger told me testing cost him three times more than his flight. That said he was thrilled to be

getting away, as is of course the CEO of EasyJet. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

JOHAN LUNDGREN, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, EASYJET: Well, I'm super excited. You know, it's a -- it's a big day today because the travel ban has

actually been lifted today. So from today, you're allowed to travel, which is a big step. Now, of course, we would like to see that the green list

would have been considered -- consistent of more destinations and countries. And we believe with the latest data that is available, that that

green lists can and should be expanded, as you're now seeing is happening across Europe as well.

So we're looking forward to that to happen. So we can, you know, restart traveling in a safe way. Also at a larger scale.

STEWART: We have been here before. I mean, we've had this conversation before. Last summer frankly was a bit chaotic. The U.K. government

imposing, lifting restrictions every week on different destinations. Are we going to see the same thing again this summer?

LUNDGREN: You see what's different this time, it's the success of the vaccination program. And here in the U.K. obviously, but also now that is

being rolled out quite efficiently and swiftly now across the rest of the Europe. So that is the big difference and the effectiveness of the vaccines

that is out there. And also the fact that the manufacturers now are looking at the way how they're going to treat, you know, the vaccines going forward

in terms of dealing with also barriers to come. Make sense in it being in a very, very different place that we have been in before.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEWART: Some optimism there from the CEO of EasyJet. But also a little impatience I feel, they want to see more countries added to the green list.

So did the CEO of Gatwick when I spoke to him earlier today. Until they do, until we start to see more countries added and more people able to travel.

It's not going to be back to any kind of normal level and won't see these companies making a profit for many quarters yet. Linda?

KINKADE: All right. Anna Stewart for us. Good to see you there. Hopefully you can travel very soon. Thanks so much.

With the U.K. successful vaccine rollout faced a major challenge north of Scotland. Health workers had to figure out how to get shots into the hands

of people who live on Fair Isle, part of Scotland's remote Shetland Islands. Well, CNN's Phil Black traveled with a nurse on a visit to Fair

Isle. Take a look at what he found.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

BLACK: Where the Atlantic Ocean meets the North Sea. The weather is often dramatic, always changing. It rolls over Shetland, a group of British

islands around 100 miles north of the Scottish mainland. In this remote, beautiful place. The landscape feels raw and power. These gusty hills are

known for their shore, often feisty ponies. These waters are shared with apex predators.

And well, into spring, an arctic blast can blanket everything. Grounding aircraft and delaying a potentially life-saving mission.

[10:35:06]

BLACK (voice-over): On the Shetland Islands, the weather governs all, including efforts to roll out the coronavirus vaccine. Eventually, the sky

is clear and an operation is launched to protect one of the U.K.'s most isolated communities. From the region's only hospital, the doses are

dispatched to the airfield. And escorted by nurse Margaret Cooper, her job is to distribute the vaccine on an extraordinary place.

Fair Isle, a tiny wedge of land surrounded by open ocean, steep cliffs sloping fields, more than a few shape. And that's it. People live here.

Just 45 people. Soon we see them striding out, converging on the small building used as a medical office. That's where Margaret Cooper gets to

work.

MARGARET COOPER, BRITISH NURSE: And you come, have a seat.

BLACK (voice-over): A strong mix of jolly warmth.

COOPER: All the data for this glorious day.

BLACK: And no nonsense efficiency.

COOPER: Shop scratch. Shop scratch, shop scratch.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (INAUDIBLE)

COOPER: There we go. That's you.

BLACK (voice-over): And the residents of Fair Isle are grateful. How are you feeling today?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The sun is shining. After a week of snow, we've had our second vaccines and so yes, pretty good, pretty good.

BLACK (voice-over): Unlike the rest of the U.K., everyone here is getting vaccinated at the same time, regardless of age.

KATHY COULL, FAIR ISLE RESIDENT: Very happy to have had the second job and very privileged because in spite my gray hair, I'm not that old.

BLACK (voice-over): For all the obvious reasons life here is isolating. But especially during the pandemic, for more than a year Fair Isle has stayed

largely closed off to the world.

But even here, there is a fear of the violence.

JIMMY STOUT, FAIR ISLE RESIDENT: What's my biggest fear in a certain way because if it didn't come here, it could be devastating. It could spread

like wildfire.

PHI BLACK: Jimmy Stout has spent most of his 77 years on the island.

STOUT: It's been very quiet. It's been like what that was when I was a child growing up here and we're used for tourism now and people coming and

going, but it's been -- it's been very, very quiet.

BLACK (voice-over): Getting the doses here it was challenging, but injecting them into arms only takes a few hours. A small, fragile, remote

community with limited medical facilities now has some peace of mind.

Tommy Heiman is one of the last. He moved here from upstate New York 15 years ago.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: There are people all over the world who desperately want this vaccine. But here we are on Fair Isle and you've got it.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I think is impressive because I thought Fair Isle will be the last place ever to get the vaccine.

BLACK (voice-over): Britain's vaccine program is a rare pandemic success story. But it's about more than just securing enough doses. It's an

achievement built through the organizational power of the national health service. Combined with the relationships the experience of committed local

staff.

COOPER: Jeremy, did you have any side effects after the last one?

BLACK: Margaret Cooper says it's the proudest chapter of her 50-year nursing career.

COOPER: It's a privilege to be able to be part of the vaccination program and feel that you are contributing.

BLACK (voice-over): A crucial Contribution to an unprecedented operation that saving lives and restoring freedoms. Everywhere in the United Kingdom.

Phil Black, CNN on Fair Isle, Shetland.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

KINKADE: With the wider lifting of travel bans, there's some good news for tourists who find themselves in one of the smallest countries in the world

and want to be vaccinated. San Marino nestled in central Italy is now offering visitors the chance to buy doses of Russia's Sputnik V COVID

vaccine. San Marino says it started its vaccine tourism campaign as a way to use X an extra 20,000 doses where were two shots cost less than $60.00

and come with specific rules and how long to stay in the country.

Well, some of Australia's top cricket stars are back on home soil while thousands of Australians remain stranded in India. How they're being

welcomed back home just ahead.

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(WORLD SPORT)

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