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Quest Means Business

British Prime Minister Makes Statement On New Virus Restrictions; IATA Calls For Pre-Departure Testing To Revive Air Travel; Production Of Nissan 2021 Rogue Underway In Tennessee; New Tech May Be Unveiled At "Battery Day" Event; Replanting Forests To Restore Biodiversity; New United Kingdom Rules Take Effect Thursday, Could Last Months. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired September 22, 2020 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:00]

ZAIN ASHER, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: All right, good evening, everyone. Any minute now, we are expecting to hear from the British Prime Minister, Boris

Johnson. It comes on the day the British government announced new coronavirus restrictions that could last for as long as six months

according to the Prime Minister.

The primetime address to the British people comes after Mr. Johnson outlined new tighter measures in Parliament earlier. All right. Boris

Johnson is speaking now. Let's listen in.

BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: ... the world has faced in my lifetime. In less than a year, this disease has killed almost a million

people and caused havoc to economies everywhere.

Here in the U.K., we mourn every person we have lost and we grieve with our families, and yet, I am more certain than ever that this is a struggle that

humanity will win and we in this country will win.

And to achieve what we must, I want to talk to you directly tonight about the choices that we face, none of them easy and why we must take action

now.

I know that we can succeed because we have succeeded before. When the sickness took hold in this country in March, we pulled together in the

spirit of national sacrifice and community. We followed the guidance to the letter.

We stayed at home, protected the N.H.S., and saved thousands of lives. And for months, with those disciplines of social distancing, we've kept that

virus at bay.

But we have to acknowledge that this is a great and freedom-loving country and while the vast majority have complied with the rules, there have been

too many breaches, and too many opportunities for our invisible enemy to slip through undetected.

The virus has started to spread again in an exponential way. Infections are up. Hospital admissions are climbing. We can see what is happening in

France and Spain and we know, alas, that this virus is no less fatal than it was in the spring and that the vast majority of our people are no less

susceptible, and the iron laws of geometrical progression are shouting at us from the graphs that we risk many move deaths, many more families losing

this loved ones before their time.

And I know that faced with that risk, the British people will want their government to continue to fight to protect them -- you. And that's what we

are doing night and day. And yet, the single greatest weapon we bring to this fight is the commonsense of the people themselves. The joint resolve

of this country to work together to suppress COVID now.

So today, I sent out a package of tougher measures in England: early closing for pubs, bars, table service only, closing businesses that are not

COVID secure, expanding the use of face coverings, new fines for those that fail to comply, and once again asking office worker to work from home if

they can while enforcing the rule of six indoors and outdoors. A tougher package of national measures combined with the potential for tougher local

restrictions for areas already in lockdown.

I know that this approach, robust but proportionate already carries support from all the main parties in Parliament. After discussion with colleagues

in the devolved administrations, I believe this broad approach is shared across the whole U.K.

And to those who say we don't need this stuff and we should leave people to take their own risks, I say, these risks are not our own. The tragic

reality of having COVID is that your mild cough can be someone else's death knell. And as for the suggestion that we should simply lock up the elderly

and the vulnerable, with all the suffering that would entail, I must tell you that this is just not realistic, because if you let the virus rip

through the rest of the population, it would inevitably find its way to the elderly as well and in much greater numbers. That's why we need to suppress

the virus now.

And as for that minority who may continue to flout the rules, we will enforce those rules with tougher penalties and fines of up to 10,000

pounds. We will put more police out on the streets and use the Army to backfill if necessary.

And of course, I am deeply, spiritually reluctant to make any of these impositions or infringe anyone's freedom. But unless we take action, the

risk is that we will have to go for tougher measures later when the deaths have already mounted and we have a huge case load of infection such as we

had in the spring.

[15:05:21]

JOHNSON: If we let this virus get out of control now, it would mean that our N.H.S. had no space once again to deal with cancer patients and

millions of other non-COVID medical needs, and if we were forced into a new national lockdown, that would threaten not just jobs and livelihoods, but

the loving human contact on which we all depend.

It would mean renewed loneliness and confinement for the elderly and vulnerable, and ultimately, it would threaten once again the education of

our children. We must do all we can to avoid going down that road again.

But if people don't follow the rules we've set out, then we must reserve the right to go further. We must take action now because a stitch in time

saves nine, and this way, we can keep people in work, we can keep our shops and our schools open and we can keep our country moving forward while we

work together to suppress the virus.

That is our strategy, and if we can follow this package together, then I know we can succeed because in so many ways we are better prepared than

before. We have the PPE. We have the beds. We have the nightingales.

We have the new medicines, pioneered in this country that can help save lives. And there are our doctors and our medical advisers who are rightly

worried about the data now and the risks over winter. They are unanimous that thing will be far better by the spring.

When we have not only the hope of a vaccine, but one day soon -- and I must stress that we are not there yet, mass testing so efficient that people

will be able to be tested in minutes so they can do more of the things they love. That's the hope. That's the dream.

It's hard, but it's attainable and we are working as hard as we can to get there. But until we do, we must rely on our willingness to look out for

each other, to protect each other. Never in our history has our collective destiny and our collective health depended so completely on our individual

behavior.

If we follow these simple rules together, we will get through this winter together. There are unquestionably difficult months to come, and the fight

against COVID is by no means over. I have no doubt, however, that there are great days ahead.

But now is the time for us all to summon the discipline and the resolve and the spirit of togetherness that will carry us through.

ASHER: Prime Minister Boris Johnson there addressing the British public from Downing Street outlining the risks of the COVID virus in no uncertain

terms saying that this is a virus that has killed one million people worldwide, but he is certain -- more certain than ever, in fact, that this

is a struggle that humanity will win.

He said, unfortunately, there have been too many breaches, too many people not complying with the rules and he outlined a package of tougher

restrictions and measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the U.K. including the early closing of bars and pubs, at 10:00 p.m., in fact, COVID

compliant measures for all businesses, also face covering mandatories in certain areas across the U.K., and those people who can work from home

should.

He also enforced the rule of six saying that gatherings both indoors and outdoors will be restricted to just six people. He said that those who do

not comply will face penalties and fines up to 10,000 pounds.

I want to go straight to Anna Stewart who is joining us live now from a London pub. So Anna, this marks a stark change from some announcements we

saw from Boris Johnson just a few weeks ago.

British people, pub goers have only just gotten used to certain new found freedoms. What has been the reaction there where you are to these new

measures?

ANNA STEWART, CNN REPORTER: Well, I think even the idea that the Prime Minister has given this message to the nation, it really harks back to the

early days of the pandemic, a really somber warning there as we are told that the coronavirus cases in the U.K. are doubling around every seven

days.

He said he was very reluctant to make this decision. It was a difficult decision to make, but that it is absolutely necessary, a stitch in time

saves nine, he says.

Now, one of the major measures that was well sign posted, but really announced today in Parliament is the curfew for hospitality businesses. So,

pubs, restaurants and bars in England, also Wales and Scotland who do the restrictions slightly differently, but adopting this one as well.

[15:10:15]

STEWART: From Thursday, we will have to close from 10:00 in the evening. It doesn't sound too late, but that is when people have to be out of those

venue which mean last orders really for restaurants for instance is probably going to be half past eight.

This is terrible news for many businesses who really are struggling for survival. The furlough scheme is winding up next month, capacity is low,

and foot fall is low. Here's what some of the businesses leaders I have spoken to today think about the new restrictions.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Last year on a Saturday night, we had around 700 customers and before this new one, we are doing like 250. So, now we expect

even less. So that will be, you know, say 30 percent off before COVID.

STEWART: Can you cope? Can you survive?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We hope to.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We are a destination point. I think people will still come here to -- we've lost a lot in theaters and our evening trade has gone

down a bit that's why I am not particularly worried about the curfew.

I am a bit worried about everyone having to wear masks behind the bars. I think it is a threatening maybe or something, but if that's what we have to

do, we will have to get some fun masks or something, won't we?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

STEWART: Now, the trade body that represents this sector, U.K. Hospitality says that already, they have lost 100,000 jobs in the U.K., 900,000 are now

on line. They are at risk. U.K. Hospitality says these restrictions go too far and will be hugely damaging for the businesses.

They are calling for more government support. Every day, Zain is fears that we are getting more announcements about redundancies from various

businesses. Whitbread, the owner of the U.K.'s biggest hotel chain premier inn have announced today they are looking at potentially 6,000 redundancies

in the country.

It is not just the curfew. It is the idea the Prime Minister is also urging people who can work from home to do so. That is hugely damaging, possibly

even more so than the curfew because it is so broad based. Already people have been struggling, particularly in city centers.

Businesses like cafes, bars, restaurants, offices are empty in many areas of London and they will be so for much longer given that latest advice.

It is also quite the turnaround. Remember, just a few weeks ago, the Prime Minister was actually urging people to go back to offices. So some very

somber news for businesses. But of course, this is a balance between public health and the economy, and as we heard from the Prime Minister, it is a

decision he has not taken lightly -- Zain.

ASHER: Absolutely not. Anna Stewart, live for us there. Thank you so much.

After six months of shifting guidance, the British government is now trying to find a middle ground between closing down the economy and protecting

public health. Back in March, the Prime Minister imposed the most stringent lockdown in Britain since the end of World War II. By July, the economy

began to reopen. Johnson targeted a return to normality by Christmas.

Then came a push to get people back into restaurants offering discounts through the Eat-Out to Help Out scheme and at the end of August, the

government was urging workers to go back to their office.

By September, cases were on the rise. Last week, the rule of six limited social gatherings. Now, a second wave is under way. People are being asked

to work from home, if they can. Boris Johnson says the new rules are meant to do minimum damage to lives and livelihoods.

Steven Riley is a Professor of Infectious Disease Dynamics at Imperial College London. Professor Riley, thank you so much for being with us.

So the Prime Minister is saying that he anticipates that these restrictions are going to last roughly around six months. What are your thoughts on

that? Do you think that's optimistic?

STEVEN RILEY, PROFESSOR OF INFECTIOUS DISEASE DYNAMICS, IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON: I think that's a sensible time line to set out because six months

from now, we will have figured out how to get through our winter -- through the northern hemisphere winter -- and we will have a full year's of

information.

We could hope that there will be progress with vaccines in that timeframe, but we know that the weather will improve and much more of our natural

social activity will move outside from inside as it is in the winter here.

So I think it is a very sensible timeline, and it is right to set expectations for people as we get the news of these new restrictions.

ASHER: Just explain to us the thought process that goes into the timing of these sorts of new restrictions. I mean, obviously, the government never

wants to jump the gun and issue these types of restrictions too early or too soon because of the risk to livelihood. And obviously, they don't want

to be late to the party and do it too late. How do they figure out the timing for this sort of thing?

RILEY: Certainly, it is incredibly difficult and my sense is that the decisions of holding the debates at the highest level and they consider

opinion from across the functions of government.

But I think what's very different now compared to March is the quality of data that are available to the government. So you look at lots of different

data. Data from test and trace, data from kind of the local responses and some population surveys that we have run.

So they have a variety of data sources and they are confident that there is a significant rise even though it is at a slow level. So they are choosing

to intervene at the moment. They are confident that it is needed even if it is not as obvious as it was in other countries.

[15:15:32]

ASHER: So part of the announcements include a limit on weddings of up to only 15 people and social groups of only six. How are these numbers decided

upon?

RILEY: I can't speak for the actual detail. There are some key bits of the biology, so something we know about COVID and we knew about SARS back in

the early 2000s is an awful lot of people who get infected will infect no one or maybe one or two other people.

But then very occasionally, one person will infect many other people. We call those super spreading events. They just don't happen as often if we

restrict the group size, so I am sure that the occurrence of large clusters and where they happen, the knowledge of that will feed into these decision.

And then I am sure that the enforcement is a factor as well and they will work with the people who have to enforce and work with the communities to

enforce these rules and they will think about what the problem number is that people can work with, so I am sure there are a number of factors.

ASHER: I am based in New York and I actually traveled at one point to the U.K. a few months ago, very briefly. And you know, I was struck by just how

little, at least compared to where I am in the United States, just how little people were wearing masks over there.

I mean, what do you attribute that to, just in terms of -- I mean, Boris Johnson talked about tissue about behavioral change? How do you get people

to become compliant in a situation like this?

RILEY: Yes. That is a really good question. I think the emphasis in the U.K. has been on masks indoors when you are not with your own kind of

family bubble or social bubble. So, I think other countries have emphasized masks outside much more than we have. I think you would have noticed that

if you came and looked around outside compared to some other countries.

In terms of the overall trend of behavioral change, I think the type of announcement that we have just heard from Boris Johnson where he lays out

very, very clearly why he is doing it and why he is so committed to it, our experience from similar announcements in March, that it does resonate with

people and that gets people engaged and they adopt these behaviors.

But it is difficult. There are so many things that run counter to kind of our natural culture and that of many other countries.

ASHER: And the fact is, you know, young people are significantly more likely to get infected with COVID-19 than, you know, older people. I

believe the age group is 18 to 24, they are much more likely. Why is that?

RILEY: So what we think is happening at the moment is as we have relaxed restrictions over the last few months, those younger age groups who have

the least risk if they do get infected, quite naturally they are making more social contacts because the individual harm that might come to them if

they are infected is much lower. It makes total sense.

So, I think that is what has happened naturally as these restrictions have been lifted. And then, obviously, what we hope is that the overall trend in

infections goes down. And if those age groups also you know, really listen to this message and reduce their social contact a little bit, then we can

get the overall number of infections down.

ASHER: Professor Riley, thank you so much for being with us. Appreciate it.

RILEY: It's a pleasure. Thank you.

ASHER: European stocks finished with mixed results by the close of business on Tuesday. The FTSE 100 in London moved about half percent higher despite

the new restrictions. There were also modest gains in Frankfurt and Zurich stocks.

In Paris, it closed in the red down roughly around half of one percent. Airlines are hoping to beat the pandemic travel slump by testing passengers

and convincing governments to see it their way. We will have more on that next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:21:56]

ASHER: COVID-19 testing may be airlines' last best hope. The industry has railed against mandatory quarantines and travel bans throughout the

pandemic. IATA says rapid pre-departure testing can replace those blanket measures to everyone's benefit.

Ethiopian Airlines, CEO, Tewolde GebreMariam joins us now from Addis Ababa.

Mr. GebreMariam, thank you so much for being with us. So, now that Ethiopian Airlines is actually resuming flights. You've got routes to Cape

Town and Johannesburg, just walk us through what sort of precautions are being taken to make sure that passengers are kept safe at this point.

TEWOLDE GEBREMARIAM, CEO, ETHIOPIAN AIRLINES: Thank you for having me on your program, Zain. Good evening. It's good evening in this part of the

world.

As we all know, the global pandemic has affected the travel and tourism sector and the aviation industry is highly affected. Like any airline, we

are also highly affected for almost four months, more than 90 percent of our passenger fleet was grounded and the business was suspended.

Early August, we are starting to see slow recovery and as we saved, gradually one by one more and more African countries are now opening. But

still at the end of September, we are about 50 percent of our 2019 capacity, so we have a long way to go to reach 2019 capacity and load

factors are running around 40 percent. So we are still in the deep part of the crisis.

So in the new normal, as you know, biosafety and biosecurity is top on the agenda, so we have re-designed our processes to comply with the IATA-ICAO-

CART Regulations and Guidelines. So we have disinfection -- regular and frequent disinfection at the airport, all facilities of the airport and we

have just inaugurated the new terminal at the Addis Ababa airport which was designed with biosafety and biosecurity in mind.

So it is digitally enabled to allow passengers to complete contactless travel and we have social distancing, all the airport market and sanitizers

all available at the airport facilities, easily available for passengers and crew, and of course mask is mandatory for our crew and passengers.

And in-flight, the airplanes are disinfected regularly, at least on every departure, and then all the cabin features are cleans and sanitizers are

also available in the airplane. We have redesigned our business class --

[15:25:14]

ASHER: And Mr. GebreMariam, I just want to touch on something you mentioned about just how much Ethiopian Airlines has suffered since March. You talk

about the fact that you are 50 percent of capacity even despite starting back up again in August. I believe Ethiopian Airlines has lost about a

billion dollars since March. How have you weathered that storm financially?

GEBREMARIAM: Financially, it has been a challenge, but we have -- right from the gingham of the crisis, we have decided to leverage on our

diversified aviation business model, and as a result of the investment here, significant amount of investment that we have taken in the last ten

years, we have developed a vision infrastructure in cargo, a vision economy and MR also, that has helped us in this crisis.

And as a result, cargo has been our savior in this crisis. As you know, we are among the first airlines to convert passenger planes for cargo

carriage. We have converted 25 airplanes early March, and as a result, we have been a very significant player in the cargo business and that has been

a very good stream of revenue for us.

And that is the only profitable business and money-making business thus far, and as a result of that, we can say that we have done well by doing

good to the society because we have operated more than 360 cargo charter flights to deliver PPE and medical supplies to more than 80 countries --

eight zero -- all over the world.

And at that time it was lifesaving, and we have contributed to the societies all over our network.

And we have also operated more than 470 passenger repatriation charter flights and connected -- reconnected more than 63,000 citizens of many

countries with their loved ones back home. That was highly appreciated by those passengers in the challenging time and overall, in the last seven

months, we have carried more than 400,000 tons of cargo and mostly medical supplies --

ASHER: Mr. GebreMariam, we have run out of time, unfortunately, we have to leave it there. But I appreciate you joining us. Yes, we hopefully can have

you back on again to talk about Ethiopian Airlines' return to normal during the pandemic. Appreciate you joining us.

All right, Nissan's bestselling model is back in production with some help from robots and virtual reality. We will have look at the 2021 Rogue next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:30:21]

ASHER: Hi, everyone. I'm Zain Asher. There's more QUEST MEANS BUSINESS in a moment. Before that, though, these are the headlines on CNN at this hour.

The United States has reached a grim milestone with more than 200,000 coronavirus related deaths in the country. The first U.S. death from

coronavirus was reported on February 29th. About three months later, the toll surpassed 100,000. Now at the end of the summer, that number has

doubled.

A key Republican senator says he thinks the Senate should vote on Donald Trump's pick for the Supreme Court. Mitt Romney a frequent travel critic

says there is no reason to wait until after the November election to pick a replacement for Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Romney's decision makes it almost

impossible for Democrats to stop Mr. Trump from naming a new Supreme Court justice.

The death toll from an apartment building collapsed near Mumbai, India, has risen to at least 23 people, 18 families were living on the three-story

building when it fell on Monday. About 40 people are believed to be still trapped inside. Twenty people have been rescued, so far, from the rubble.

Louisville, Kentucky has restricted access to the area around the State Attorney General's office. He's expected to make an announcement about the

deadly police shooting of Breonna Taylor. Louisville police say six officers are under internal investigation.

A Chinese billionaire who criticized Beijing's pandemic response was convicted on corruption charges Tuesday. The 69-year-old real estate tycoon

was sentenced to 18 years in prison. His friends say that he vanished in March after allegedly writing an essay that said China is run by a power-

hungry clown.

The U.S. president is once again putting the blame for the pandemic squarely on China. Speaking at a virtual session of the U.N. General

Assembly on Tuesday, Donald Trump urged members to quote hold China accountable for the virus. He then went on to criticize globalism and

champion his America first agenda.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: For decades, the same tired voices propose the same failed solutions, pursuing global ambitions at the

expense of their own people. But only when you take care of your own citizens will you find a true basis for cooperation.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ASHER: Nissan is getting praise from President Trump for producing its new SUV into United States. The company is developing the 2021 rogue in Smyrna,

Tennessee using virtual reality and robots to build the vehicle. It arrives at dealership in the U.S. and China this fall.

Michael Colleran is corporate vice president of Nissan; he joins us live now from his factory in Tennessee via Skype. Michael, thank you so much for

being with us.

So, we had Donald Trump on Twitter earlier praising Nissan for investing in U.S. manufacturing and building the road 2021 in Tennessee. Just walk us

through how committed is Nissan to U.S. manufacturing at this point?

MICHAEL COLLERAN, CORPORATE VICE PRESIDENT, NISSAN: Well, Zain, first of all, thanks for having us on your show today. We're really proud to come to

you from Smyrna, Tennessee. We have 7,000 men and women here, building a great car. And they're built by a great team.

As far as our commitment to the U.S., we've been committed to U.S. for over six decades. We have two plants and we build hundreds of thousands of cars

a year right here in the U.S.

ASHER: And just in terms of what's happened with coronavirus and what's changed this year, since March, when everything shut down, how has that

affected Nissan's supply chains? How has that affected factories in the U.S.?

[15:35:13]

COLLERAN: Yes, Zain, this is a really great question. Think about going back to the spring and what happened with the pandemic, two thirds of the

retail demand went away, all of the rental demand went away. And you had factories that virtually built no cars.

And so now, you're seeing the industry recover, to, I think, very strong levels. And we're clearly seeing that in products like our whole new

Sentra, which is our brand-new compact sedan. It's now leading in terms of market share gain this year. So, we're seeing a nice recovery and it's a

perfect time to bring out the all-new Rogue with all the value that you see in the vehicle right behind you here.

ASHER: Right. But just in terms of how it affected your supply chain, how it affected factories, obviously everything did shut down at one point, but

what sort of changes have you made to factories in terms of, you know, making them COVID compliant? And what sort of broader -- what was the

broader impact on Nissan's supply chain from the coronavirus?

COLLERAN: Yes, I would say that the -- you know, the supply chain at the start of coronavirus, of course, went into -- it was devastating. But

coming out of that, we have very resilient men and women here that are working very hard. And some of the things that allow us to come back to

work, one, is a very strong commitment to safety first in the plant, and we've done that.

And the second thing we've done is using technology to build cars today, right? And we have something called cobots. These are robots that work

collaboratively with humans to improve efficiency and improve safety as well. So, the plan is very modern and building an all-new great Rogue.

ASHER: One of the things that coronavirus, one of the ways in which coronavirus has really hurt the cost sector is, of course, in terms of car

demand. How has the coronavirus pandemic -- how has it changed your sales targets? And where do you anticipate, when do you anticipate demand really

picking up to at least 2019 levels?

COLLERAN: OK. Another great question. So, from a standpoint of, you know, who's our consumer in these times, it's America, we build automotive

products from small sedans all the way up to full size pickups and large vans. So, the entire spectrum of the American automotive transportation

spectrum, we cover that.

From a standpoint of, you know, coming back into the marketplace, the demand is there right now. And we're seeing an increase month after month.

And really, almost day after day, as consumers feel more comfortable about shopping, and buying cars and trucks.

ASHER: One issue that has, of course, been a thorn in the side of car manufacturers, really, in many parts of the world is, of course, tariffs.

How much of an issue do you anticipate tariffs is going to be just in terms of a major headwind for Nissan and, of course, the car sector more

generally, as we go into 2021?

COLLERAN: So, tariffs are something that we have to consider everyday business. You know, we build locally, and we sell locally across most of

the -- most of the globe, especially in our core markets. So, for us, tariffs are part of the competitive spectrum. And we have to compete in

that spectrum no matter what we face, and we do that very effectively.

ASHER: All right. Michael Colleran, my first there, thank you so much. Appreciate it.

COLLERAN: Zain, thank you.

ASHER: Of course.

Tesla is set to hold what it calls a Battery Day event in about an hour from now. Electric car enthusiasts, I hope it involves the announcement of

new battery technology, but CEO, Elon Musk, has lowered expectation. He tweeted Monday, the big secret will not reach wild, wide scale production

before 2022. Tesla stock has been down about four percent most of the day.

Paul La Monica joins us live now. So, Paul, we've got lots to talk about here. But first and foremost, just walk us through why Elon Musk seems to

be dampening expectations here.

PAUL LA MONICA, CNN BUSINESS REPORTER: Yes, I think this is a, you know, you might say rare case of Musk raining on his own parade and showing a

healthy dose of realism instead of promising something that, you know, he really couldn't deliver.

The simple reality is that Tesla needs more time to get its own battery production capacity up to snuff. And it still needs to rely on partners

like Panasonic and LG to meet the demand for the batteries for all of these cars that it's producing, you know, be it the Model S, Model X, Model 3,

Model Y. So, that's why Musk is saying that it's not going to be until 2022 until they really get full scale production.

[15:40:02]

But I think there are a lot of hopes that Musk will still give some good news. I think a lot of people are focusing on the potential for him to talk

about the million mile mark that batteries can last that long, you know, and that would be -- you know, about 50 percent -- you know, double what

the current, you know, length of a battery life cycle is, which would be pretty impressive and deliver on that.

ASHER: And then in terms of some of the sort of positive ramifications, will he actually be able to sell cars at a lower price because of this,

because of the batteries?

LA MONICA: That is really the hope. If they can bring the cost of producing, all these batteries down that is such a big component of what

you are paying for in a Tesla vehicle.

So, if you can have the price of Tesla cars, which admittedly have sold pretty well, especially to the more affluent who kind of view them as

status symbols, that could really help make Tesla vault into the upper echelon of mass market vehicle producers and not just a niche company

that's competing with the likes of G.M. and Ford and Fiat Chrysler and, you know, Nissan, Toyota, Volkswagen, all the global industry giants.

ASHER: And how long before Tesla can actually start making batteries on their own?

LA MONICA: Yes, I think it's going to be, you know, a couple of years. I mean, you know, Musk is probably going to talk more today about how 2022 is

a key target for them, but they still need to rely on some of these partners, most notably Panasonic, in order to get those batteries into all

those Tesla vehicles.

So, we're still a couple of years away, Zain, from Elon Musk being self- sufficient with regards to battery production.

ASHER: All right. Paul La Monica live for us there. Thank you so much.

Tourism, travel, and hospitality workers in the U.K. are bracing for new coronavirus restrictions. We'll hear from the CEO of the organization that

manages awe-inspiring locations such as what you're looking at their, Stonehenge, and they'll talk about what they're doing to keep tourism

going.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:45:59]

ASHER: As part of our "CALL TO EARTH" commitment sharing solutions to critical issues impacting our environment, all this week, we are

highlighting biodiversity and the efforts of those working to protect ecosystems around the world.

Healthy ecosystems are essential for providing fresh water, food, and protection from extreme weather events worldwide. We bring you the stories

of those doing extraordinary work at the frontlines of conservation and protecting biodiversity, to create a better, more sustainable future.

Today, how restoring the native forests of Rodrigues is bringing back the island's wildlife.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JEAN ALFRED BEGUE, PROJECT SUPPORT OFFICER, MAURITIAN WILDLIFE FOUNDATION: Being a kid, I always love to be in nature, and I think this is why I'm

here today. And I think I will be still here in the future because I do care for my island.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: For more than 20 years, Jean Alfred Begue has been helping preserve wildlife In Rodrigues, located in the Indian Ocean, around

560 kilometers east of the main island of Mauritius.

BEGUE: Rodrigues is only 104 kilometer per square. On the whole planet Earth, it's a very tiny spot. The main reason why we started this work here

in Rodrigues is because Rodrigues has lost most of its biodiversity. Most of the species have gone extinct. We have lost 90 percent of our flora, and

we have lost nearly 99 percent of our fauna. So, we've got very, very little left. So, the main mission was to keep and save and preserve these

species for becoming extinct.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: With help from the Rodrigues Regional Assembly, Begue and his team are working to restore the island's native ecosystems, as well

as weeding out invasive and exotic species. It starts here in a nursery where plants endemic to Rodrigues grown. These seedlings are then replanted

in protected areas on the island, including the Grande Montagne Nature Reserve.

BEGUE: When we started the restoration program, there were a few species, but now, with the restoration program, we are almost close to thousands of

plants being planted out in the nature reserve.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: And according to Begue, their efforts are making an impact on the forest.

BEGUE: We've seen through scientific research that insects are coming back into the reserves, missing the number of the two endemic birds that we have

in Rodrigues coming back very rapidly in numbers. It's a very encouraging news for us to see that just by planting a few plants out here, we're

seeing nature coming back.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Begue says he is proud of the work that he's gone into restoring and preserving wildlife on the island.

BEGUE: I do care for all the species that are still surviving. We've been example to other countries. We've been doing a lot on our environment to

try and save species from extinction.

So, it's a -- it's a great honor. And it will be a great honor tomorrow to show my kids, to show people what is being done on a very small island of

Rodrigues.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

ASHER: And we will continue showcasing inspirational stories like that as part of this initiative at CNN. Let us know what you're doing to answer the

call with the #CallToEarth. We'll be right back.

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[15:50:50]

ASHER: Returning to our top story tonight, the impact of further coronavirus restrictions on the U.K. economy, the tourism and travel

industry is among the hardest hit.

Kate Mavor is CEO of English Heritage, a group that manages hundreds of historic sites. She joins me live now from London. Kate, thank you so much

for being with us.

So, I just want to talk about what the past six months have meant for you. Obviously, the entire U.K. economy basically shut down in March. And then

we saw a pickup of economic activity. Just a few weeks ago, Boris Johnson announced that, you know, he was encouraging people to go back to the

offices. Now, we're seeing even more restrictions in place, the sharp turnaround.

Just walk us through what the last six months have been like the English Heritage.

KATE MAVOR, CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER, ENGLISH HERITAGE: Well, it has been a bit of a roller coaster, because first of all, we had to get all our sites

closed very quickly in March. And that meant particular stuff on furlough, which is escaping that sports their wages while the sites are closed.

And then we had very quickly to get the back up and running again. So, that was a bit of a scramble because, of course, we wanted to open them in such

a way that they would be really safe. So, we had to reorganize all of the insides of them, so that the nooks and crannies inside our castles wouldn't

be one-way places people would find themselves stuck when they were trying to socially distance.

We had to have all the hand sanitizer put in. We had to set up from scratch your whole pre-booking system, so that we could control the number of

people on site and make sure there's plenty of space for people to feel comfortable. Enhanced cleaning, new rules about face coverings which came

in at some point.

So, we've had to be very flexible and we -- and it's been, you know, a real challenge, to be honest, against the backdrop of not being able to allow

everyone to come because of the limited numbers. But on the other hand, it's been a real joy to us to have 92 of our sites open by the beginning of

August.

And then the -- and visitors so delighted to be out and about again, particularly after lockdown, and to find themselves able to run around to

the castle grounds if they have children to be able to see the very comforting and reassuring buildings that they've known all their lives

still standing there. Buildings that have been standing there for centuries and will be standing there for more centuries. It gives you a perspective

when there's a crisis.

ASHER: It certainly does. But, you know, with these new restrictions now and obviously, it's been a roller coaster for you this year, it sounds

like. But with these new restrictions, now, Boris Johnson talking about the U.K. being at a tipping point, we're at the brink of a second wave in the

U.K., how do you think that will change things even further? Do you think there will be a regression now, given that you have seen economic activity

now you're going to go back? Is that what you were expecting?

MAVOR: Well, this would be very interesting how people have really embraced their local sites. So, what we find is that people in our smaller sites and

small localities see in a small town in Yorkshire, you've actually find visitor numbers have been up on last year because people have decided to go

local, and that's been really lovely. And they've discovered that actually there's a beautiful castle on their doorstep, which they hadn't actually

come to visit before.

[15:55:02]

The new restrictions brought in today will give us a bit of a challenge for things like weddings, which we had hoped to be putting on again. We're now

down to 15 people for a wedding, which means that people are maybe less likely to book our venues for weddings. We're now going to have to have

table service in our cafes, which means more staff.

So constantly, you know, having to talk change, but we are still able to have the ball open, because so many of our sites, you know, our outdoor

sites, you know, being historic remains of buildings, so people are able to come and socially distance in groups of six, and enjoy the outdoors. So, in

fact, we're hoping that we can carry on with the rest of the season despite the changes today.

ASHER: Yes. I mean, and just in terms of the winter, I mean, do you anticipate the winter will bring even more challenges given that you are

now relying on outdoors events?

MAVOR: Well, a lot of our sites do normally close for the winter. So, I mean, that would be a change for us, and the ones that are open at the

weekends. We don't expect people will just want to be out and about.

I mean, if you are feeling locked down or you're having to work from home, you feel I've got to get out. You know, if you've been working on living in

the same house a week, then at the weekend, you know those ones that are open at the weekend.

I mean, for example, somewhere like Stonehenge, which normally has 70 percent of its visitors coming to the U.K. from overseas. We're really

getting a lot of people thinking, do you know what, I haven't been to Stonehenge for ages, and they're coming to Stonehenge and finding this is

really quiet, which is lovely.

ASHER: Right. Kate, unfortunately, we have to -- Kate, we have to leave it there. We are out of time. But, yes, the domestic demand trend is a trend

that a lot of travel sites and tourism sites in the U.K. is seeing.

Kate Mavor live for us there. Thank you so much.

We are in the last few minutes of trade on Wall Street, the Closing Bell is next.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ASHER: All right. It is the last few minutes of trade on Wall Street. Let's take a look. It's been a bit of a choppy volatile session, but markets are

pointing to finish higher on Tuesday up -- Dow is up about 150 points or so with this late push. The NASDAQ is setting the pace, to the NASDAQ is up

there as well, about 200 points. The S&P 500 is up as well.

Now, Nike is leading the way in the Dow up around three percent. Today, the Microsoft and Apple aren't far behind either. On a good day for the tech

sector. Financial services are trailing the index with losses for Goldman Sachs and J.P. Morgan Chase.

All right. That is QUEST MEANS BUSINESS. I'm Zain Asher. That is the Closing Bell. "THE LEAD" with my colleague, Jake Tapper, is next.

END