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Quest Means Business
Countries Forced To Reassess COVID Response As Outbreaks Persist; U.S. Begins Vaccine Rollout With Cases And Deaths Spiking; Scientists To Test Combination Of Sputnik V, AstraZeneca Vaccines; Airlines Start Tracing Programs To Bring Travel Back; Travel Corridors To Allow Some Global Flights; Caribbean Looks To Reinstate Tourism; Global Penguin Society: Trying To Save The World Of Penguins; Shooting Movies During COVID Almost Mission Impossible. Aired 3-4p ET
Aired December 16, 2020 - 15:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[15:00:31]
RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: Sixty minutes left to trading in the midweek edition of the program. An hour to go before the closing bell,
and the Dow is in in our range, and it really is -- that graph looks awful, but actually, look at the numbers virtually unchanged.
It means nobody is doing them. I am wondering whether a lot of it is because a bad weather is expected along the Eastern Seaboard of the United
States. Anyway, whatever the reason, nothing is happening in terms of the markets.
So let's look at the rest of the day where much has been taking place. Most important, Germany is locking down as it suffers its most dire death toll
yet.
The Fed Reserve reveals how long it will keep its stimulus going as Congress continues to squabble.
And the Kremlin is laughing off. CNN is reporting about the poisoning of Alexei Navalny. The head of the Russia's Direct Investment Fund is on this
program with us tonight.
We are alive from New York. It is Wednesday. It is December the 16th. I'm Richard Quest and I mean business.
Good evening. We begin tonight in Germany where Europe's largest economy is entering the toughest lockdown in Europe. Starting today, all non-essential
shops, services and schools must close until January the 10th, and some parts of the country are also under curfew. Christmas gatherings have been
strictly limited.
Now, Germany has been seen as a European success story early in the pandemic. However, now daily death totals are spiking nearly a thousand
people on Tuesday alone, roughly twice the number from just a few weeks ago.
And typically bustling, wonderful, exciting Christmas markets are giving away to a much more somber Holiday mood.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE (through translator): Of course, it's all much quieter, although I think they should have done the lockdown in November, where the
month is pretty dead and there isn't that much going on anyway, rather than in December where lots of companies have their Christmas parties, or
meetings where the shops and restaurants get to earn a bit more.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: Now, German streets are empty, just when they should be at their busiest and liveliest. CNN's Fred Pleitgen is in Berlin, showing us how
things are in Germany's capital.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FREDERIK PLEITGEN, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: ... have a hard national lockdown and it's really a sad sight here in the German capital of
Berlin. You can see that some of the few Christmas candy stands that had been operational, well, they are now being shut down and being hauled away.
And in general, this is normally one of the biggest shopping streets in all of Berlin and one of the busiest. And now, just a couple of days before
Christmas, you can see it's almost completely empty as all nonessential shops have had to shut down.
Schools have also shut down. They've now gone to distance learning. If the Germans needed any sort of reminder as to why this lockdown is necessary.
They got it from their Center for Disease Control, which recorded more than 950 COVID related deaths in the span of 24 hours.
Just to put that in perspective, that's about the equivalent of 3,800 people dying in the U.S. in a single day. And the German government
acknowledged that so far, the light lockdown measures which had been in place, they simply weren't managing to contain that surge of new
coronavirus infections.
This harder lockdown is going to remain in place until at least January 10. But of course, whether or not it's lifted then that really is going to
depend on the coronavirus situation.
Fred Pleitgen, CNN, Berlin.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST: It's the same story around the world barely a week from Christmas and global pandemic plans have unraveled leading to much stricter lockdowns
for instance, South Korea where the standard initially was the gold standard. Now, the country is considering a national lockdown. ICU beds,
intensive care unit beds have run out -- they are all running out in Seoul.
Back to Europe and The Netherlands where schools and nonessential stores are closed until at least next month. That's dashed hopes for a normal
Christmas Holiday.
And in the United Kingdom, London has returned to a tier three lockdown. That means pubs are closed and restaurants alongside. Boris Johnson says he
is keeping national measures relaxed for now, but he is urging safety over the Holidays.
[15:05:07]
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BORIS JOHNSON, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: We're keeping the laws the same, but we all want to send the same message. A smaller Christmas is going to be a
safer Christmas and a shorter Christmas is a safer Christmas.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: Salma Abdelaziz is with me from London. First of all, before we get into meat and veggie of what we're talking about, where are you? Explain
where you are and give me a feel for how Central London is tonight.
SALMA ABDELAZIZ, CNN REPORTER: Richard, that's what I wanted to do. I wanted to show you what it means to be under tier three restrictions and
what it means is Christmas shopping can continue.
I'm just going to let you take a look here at this street, which I have to say is pretty busy, right? And it's important to remember, it's a Wednesday
evening, it's only going to get busier.
I'm going to swing you around here just to remind you that on the street, of course there are public signs reminding people to social distance,
reminding people to keep those two meters apart and we have seen people lining up in queues in the stores.
But when you're looking at streets that are this busy, and you're talking about a spike in coronavirus cases, that's what is worrying so many in the
medical community. They're saying how can these rules be so relaxed when you're looking at rising infection rates and the possibility that hospitals
could be overwhelmed next year -- Richard.
QUEST: And what's interesting is that, the "BMJ" and the "Health Journal," their editors basically called upon the government not to relax any further
and even tighten up restrictions in the U.K., which is what the Prime Minister was talking about.
I mean, they all still allowing a more relaxed environment to Christmas.
ABDELAZIZ: I'm going to take it a step further, Richard, I think in those medical journals, they were begging the Prime Minister not to take these
steps. They were pleading with him, especially over the Christmas time dispensation, this five-day period between December 23rd and December 27th
when rules will be relaxed even further to allow up to three households to come together, essentially that allow you to break your bubbles.
And in that op-ed, it's the first time anything has been written like that in over a hundred years in that country. This is historic precedent that
they are begging literally the Prime Minister and his administration to reverse these rules and saying that the ICU capacity next year will
absolutely be overwhelmed if steps aren't taken to curb this current surge.
QUEST: Salma Abdelaziz on Regent Street in London. Thank you. Much appreciated.
Alaskan officials say a state health worker has suffered an allergic reaction after receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine on Tuesday. Now, she
received treatment and is currently in stable condition. Pfizer says it's working to get the details on the incident.
Joining us Dr. Jose Romero, who chairs the C.D.C. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. That's the group that gives the final
recommendations.
We saw something similar, of course, when Pfizer started vaccinating in the U.K. There were a couple of cases where allergic reactions had taken place.
Do you know anything more about this particular case, sir?
DR. JOSE ROMERO, CHAIR, C.D.C. ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON IMMUNIZATION PRACTICES: No, as a matter of fact, I have not heard very much detail about
it, and waiting to actually have that information. So before that, I don't think I can offer an informed opinion.
QUEST: If we take at how the rollout is going, I mean, it seems to be textbook with the exception of the winter weather that we're about to get
here in the Northeast and the Midwest, which will make things different. It does seem to be the planning has paid off. Are you pleased?
ROMERO: I am. I can't speak nationally for it, because I don't have all the details. But here in the State of Arkansas, where I'm the Secretary of
Health, rollout is going well, and we are having winter weather and for us, a little snow can be a big deal, but we've been able to deal with that and
we're moving our supplies of vaccine into the healthcare workers, have not had any serious adverse events at this time that has been reported to me.
No cases of allergy of the type you're talking about.
QUEST: What do you look for now? Now that you've all approved this and Moderna is likely to be approved before the weekend. Experts like
yourselves, what do you watch for as the rollout continues?
ROMERO: So I think it is important to see how the healthcare providers and long-term care recipients accept this vaccine. That to me is still a big
question.
You know, our early surveys suggested that there was a significant population that weren't comfortable being the first to receive it. But I've
been very, very pleasantly surprised by the number of individuals that have stepped forward.
Certainly, we are going to want to watch any adverse events that are occurring. We know that the vaccine is reactogenic. We're particularly
attuned to issues of anaphylaxis as were reported in Great Britain, and now this one that you are currently reporting.
[15:10:12]
ROMERO: So those things, we're going to be looking for or anything else that's out of the ordinary. So those will be reported through a system
called VAERS, and we will get that information back to the C.D.C. as fast as possible.
QUEST: And as Moderna comes on with its vaccine, which is a similar type and then AstraZeneca a bit later, but I mean, with a somewhat bizarre
dosing regimen that they discovered by accident by all accounts, but would you expect to see AstraZeneca join the -- become another weapon in your
arsenal before too long?
ROMERO: I think so. I mean, I think that if AstraZeneca can provide the information necessary to document that it's a safe and very effective
vaccine, then it will join the two that are already, we hope Moderna will be second, but three vaccines that are now available to us.
So the more vaccines we have, the more we'll be able to cover the waterfront issue with regard to Phase One, 1A workers, and eventually
working our way down to Phase 1B and 1C in our country.
QUEST: Doctor, my sort of area, especially is travel and tourism and aviation and there seems to be a rather dangerous myth building up among
some people that because the vaccines coming, we are -- or even here, we can all leave off masks and social distancing and we've only got a few
weeks before we get there.
But as we're reporting at the top of our program tonight, Germany is in full lockdown, the U.K. is at the highest level and so on and so on. What
would you say on this?
ROMERO: So, you know, I'm not going to comment about what is being done in other countries. I can tell you that -- you brought up a very good point --
and that is that, you know, even when we have this vaccine as of yet, we don't have any information to show that this vaccine stops the transmission
of somebody who has been infected.
We know that it prevents severe disease in an individual that receives a vaccine, but whether that individual can be infected and then transmit the
virus to somebody else, we don't know.
So that means that from our point of view at this point, what we're recommending is that we continue with what we call the three W's that is
wear your mask, wash your hands and watch your distance.
And I think that will continue until we actually have concrete data that any of the three or all three, or none of the three of the vaccines impede
transmission of virus at a later date.
We're going to have to live with this mask issue and the other safety measures for a while yet.
QUEST: I have my mask here, ready for when I leave the studio. Doctor, thank you. I'm grateful for your time tonight. I appreciate it. Thank you.
ROMERO: Thank for having me.
QUEST: Now, Russia is partnering with AstraZeneca to test a combination of vaccines. I'll talk to the head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund about
new clinical trials beginning this month, in a moment.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:15:45]
QUEST: Moscow is dismissing CNN's exclusive investigation with Bellingcat into the poisoning of a top Kremlin critic. Now it found that Alexei
Navalny was trailed for years by elite Russian security forces, highly specialized in nerve agents. Navalny was poisoned in August and almost
died. Russia's Foreign Minister today said this.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SERGEY LAVROV, RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER (through translator): All this news is funny to read, but it says only one thing or rather the manner in which
this news is presented there is only one thing, that our Western partners do not have any ethical standards.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: The response comes as Moscow is teaming up with the west to try to boost the effectiveness of coronavirus vaccines. Scientists are to test
whether a combination of Russia's Sputnik V and AstraZeneca's vaccine offers better protection than either alone. It says what Sputnik is more
than 91 percent effective
Kirill Dmitriev is CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund joins me from Moscow. Kirill, it's good to see you. Firstly, why did they come up with
this idea of putting together AstraZeneca and your vaccine? I mean, whose idea was that?
KIRILL DMITRIEV, CEO, RUSSIAN DIRECT INVESTMENT FUND: Sure, Richard, thank you for having me. And Sputnik has efficacy or more than 90 percent. And
one of the reasons we have such high efficacy is because our scientists use two different delivery mechanisms with the different shots that we are
using and all of the other vaccines use, actually the same delivery mechanism for both shots.
And our scientists believes that if you use two different mechanisms, your efficacy will be higher. We reached out to AstraZeneca, explained our
approach and they suggested that we do join clinical trials.
We believe that all of the vaccines now are very promising, they are promising to have great results and the combination with AstraZeneca, we
believe may show greater efficacy as well.
QUEST: Do you have a problem here? And it sort of relates back to what I was just talking about before we started speaking, and it's one of trust.
Listen to -- I mean, obviously you're doing this deal, but if something comes of it, and you're going to be asking people to be vaccinated with a
joint vaccine with Sputnik, listen to what Angela Merkel said today, please, sir.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANGELA MERKEL, GERMAN CHANCELLOR (through translator): I believe on the one hand, we have to see that we desire a good strategic relationship with
Russia, as I've said time and time again, that that must not permit us to close our eyes to the reality.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: The reality is there are still questions over Navalny and things like that. So do you think that's going to be a problem on a trust
question?
DMITRIEV: Well, Richard, I think it's very important that we have very successful clinical trials on more than 20,000 people that showed high
efficacy of the vaccine. It showed very good safety because we're using human adenoviral platform that has been tested for decades.
So we believe vaccines should be above and beyond politics, and we need to protect our people first. We are very much impressed with vaccines in other
countries. We believe we need all of them to succeed. And frankly, even all of the producers produce everything they can. Next year, we will have
scarcity of the vaccines.
So I think it's very important to partner. We are proud to have partnership with AstraZeneca. We are open for partnership with others.
And I think on vaccines, we need to show that we can go beyond the usual political themes and beyond political accusations. People who really
understand the science behind Sputnik, the vaccine, it is very safe. It's very efficient. It doesn't have many of the side effects we sometimes see
in other vaccines because the technology has been studied for decades and it's a great technology that we're willing to share with everybody.
QUEST: There are essentially three now groups. I mean, there's the Chinese one, there is the Sputnik, the Russian one, and then there's the
AstraZeneca. So there's the Moderna, Pfizer grouping. Are you comfortable with all of those vaccines?
DMITRIEV: Of course, we believe that all of those vaccines can be very successful. I think one of the reasons we chose Sputnik technology is
because it has been proven over decades and we didn't want to experiment.
Some of those we've seen some are more novel approaches. But definitely, they will be very important going forward. So we believe all of the
vaccines need to be successful. And frankly, the world needs it to save people's lives, and also recover economically and Russia wants the world to
resume normal activity. Russia wants the world to be successful economically. So of course, we want all of those things to succeed.
[15:20:31]
QUEST: Okay, which brings me to my last point, really, to an extent. Russia may want all those things, but as long as there are questions, and the way
in which the Russian government, which you're very close, not part of, but very close to, as long as they deny, or at least seem to make light of what
happened to Navalny, can there be business as usual?
DMITRIEV: Well, Richard, it's very clear in all of the key countries that we are working with, Sputnik V is recognized by 75 percent of the
population, and is considered by population of those countries among the top two, three vaccines in those countries. And I think there was a very
different perception in the U.S. and Britain and in some other places with the rest of the world.
And the rest of the world wants to focus on saving people's lives to help. Russia vaccine has been subject of political attacks from all sorts of
angles. There are lots of attempts that baited negative politics with other things. But we continue working day and night to save our people. We
continue working day and night to make this technology available to others.
So I think vaccines really have to be separate from politics and we are working very hard to save people's lives.
QUEST: Wishing you the best for Christmas and New Year as we go forward. Good to see you, Kirill, as always. Thank you, sir.
DMITRIEV: Thank you, Richard.
QUEST: Choppy down in Wall Street, the markets are mixed as investors are reacting to weak retail sales. There's a prospect of stimulus. It's getting
ever closer. Stimulus is likely to happen.
Now, we're up just three points. We were down. But again, let's not get too excited because the movements are small and we are just about -- oh, no,
there we go. Now, we're down again.
The Federal Reserve is upgrading its economic outlook for the year ahead. A short time ago, the Fed wrapped up its last policy meeting of 2020 and left
rates alone near zero, and predicted better GDP numbers for this year, as well as lower unemployment path than initially projected.
The Fed chair Jerome Powell also said the outlook is extraordinarily uncertain and will depend in large part on COVID-19.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JEROME POWELL, U.S. FEDERAL RESERVE CHAIR: Recent news on vaccines has been very positive. However, significant challenges and uncertainties remain
with regard to the timing, production and distribution of vaccines as well as their efficacy across different groups.
It remains difficult to assess the timing and scope of the economic implications of these developments.
The ongoing surge in new COVID-19 cases both here in the United States and abroad, is particularly concerning and the next few months are likely to be
very challenging.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: Cristina Alesci is with me. They did add to the bond buying and they did do all of the usual things that one might have expected to do.
But essentially, as Christine Lagarde, the head of the E.C.B. said last week, it's all about building that bridge to when the vaccine becomes
effective.
CRISTINA ALESCI, CNN BUSINESS POLITICS AND BUSINESS CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Richard. And usually the December meeting for the Fed is a bit of a
sleeper. But all eyes were on Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell to get a sense of what his outlook was or is for the U.S. economy and he was very
clear about it.
You touched on this in your intro that the virus is going to determine the trajectory of the economic recovery here in the U.S., the uptake of
vaccine, its efficacy across different groups. That is what's going to determine the trajectory of the U.S. economy.
So the Federal Reserve right now will continue the support that it has been giving the U.S. economy until and this is the critical language that was
released, "today until substantial further progress has been made towards the committee's maximum employment and price stability goals."
To your point nothing really changed in terms of the actual policy. Rates will still remain near zero. The Federal Reserve will continue its asset
program -- asset purchase program at the rate of about $120 billion in assets a month.
Look, I think at this point, investors wanted to see the Fed talk about potentially shifting more of those purchases towards the longer end of the
have -- longer dated treasuries to support lower interest rates, for example, because the housing market has been a really strong bright spot
for the economy. They didn't get that.
But it is very clear at this juncture the Federal Reserve really does -- it is continuing to call on Congress to do its job and act. There are real
people's lives and livelihoods on the line, Richard, 12 million people are now facing potentially losing their unemployment benefits if Congress does
not act.
[15:25:24]
ALESCI: Five million Americans could be evicted in January if the C.D.C. does not extend the eviction moratorium, and just yesterday, the U.S.
Chamber said it surveyed a thousand small businesses here in the U.S. who do not know whether or not -- 50 percent of them do not know whether they
can weather this economic storm if the current conditions persist.
Congress needs to act at this point -- Richard.
QUEST: Cristina Alesci. Now in Brazil, GOL, the low cost airline is continuing to back the 737 MAX. Its passengers can now take the plane to
and from San Paolo, the Chief Executive is with me after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
QUEST: Hello, I am Richard Quest. There is more QUEST MEANS BUSINESS in just a moment.
I'll be talking to the Chief Executive of GOL Airlines about becoming the first carrier to resume flights on Boeing 737 MAX.
And real life block starring Tom Cruise raises new questions about safety standards on Hollywood film sets.
As we continue, this is CNN and on this network, the facts always come first.
A Nigerian official says the government knows where more than 300 kidnap school boys are being held and is in talks to secure their release. He says
the boys are safe and the abductors haven't yet made any demands. Boko Haram has claimed responsibility for the kidnapping in an audio message.
President-elect Joe Biden has formally introduced Pete Buttigieg as his pick for Transportation Secretary. The former mayor of South Bend, Indiana
ran against Biden in the Democratic primary. He is expected to lead the administration's push for more infrastructure spending.
The mayor of Paris says a fine imposed for appointing too many females managers is absurd. Anne Hidalgo was fined more than $100,000.00 after 11
women and five men were promoted in City Hall in 2018. It broke a national rule on gender parity in the workplace.
[15:30:10]
United Airlines says it's working with the CDC on a contract tracing program for international passengers.
At the same time Delta and KLM are also taking steps to restore global travel. They're testing out one of the so-called quarantine-free corridors
between the U.S. and Europe.
Here's how it works.
Passengers headed to Amsterdam on Delta flight 76 actually began their journey up to five days earlier when they took the first of several COVID
tests that enables them to avoid quarantining when they arrived in Amsterdam.
This is Delta and KLM's COVID-free corridor between Atlanta and the Dutch capital.
That first PCR test was followed by a rapid test at Atlanta airport before boarding. Of course, if both are negative, you can fly.
There's a third PCR test upon arrival in Amsterdam. Only if that is negative, can you avoid quarantine.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
DR. STEFEN AMMON, EMERGENCY PHYSICIAN & MEDICAL DIRECTOR, DISPATCH HEALTH: So it's really the idea of stacking tests or sequential testing to try and
capture any of those individuals that either falsely tested negative initially and/or maybe have converted in that three-day period since they
had their initial test performed.
So just another layer of protection.
QUEST: Building COVID corridors is part of the airline industry's effort to restore confidence and revive air travel, eliminating the need for time-
consuming quarantines.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
UNIDENTIFIED SPEAKER: We're hoping that in the first quarter of next year, we'll also be able to add more cities.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
QUEST: There are similar corridors from Rome to New York, and soon Atlanta to Rome.
Currently, the number of passengers on these flights is limited because of both E.U. and U.S. travel restrictions that ban each other's citizens from
non-essential travel.
Delta Airlines isn't alone. All the major transatlantic carriers are experimenting with corridors of one sort or another. But their success
depends on the government giving permission.
All in all, these individual flights are a glimmer of hope that a new normal for safer air travel in the COVID era is well on the way.
Southwest Airlines says it will take delivery of 35 of the Boeing 737 Maxs towards the end of next year.
So far only the U.S. and Brazil have cleared the plane to fly.
GOL is now using the Max on passenger flights to and from Sao Paolo. It has 95 outstanding orders for the plane.
Paulo Kakinoff is the CEO of GOL. He joins me from Sao Paulo via Skype. Let's test the connection, sir. Can you hear me?
PAULO KAKINOFF, CEO, GOL AIRLINES: Yes, sure. Perfectly.
QUEST: Excellent.
KAKINOFF: How are you, Richard?
QUEST: Good. Good to talk to you, sir. Firstly, the 737 Max. You're one of the first to put the plane back in the air with passengers. Did you -- you
obviously didn't have any doubt about that. Was there a moment of pause?
You had to retrain, you had to follow a whole load -- set of new guidelines and restrictions. Why did you want to be the first?
KAKINOFF: Well, just because we were ready. We trained our 140 pilot members. The planes were perfectly preserved and then we had no problems in
bringing back to the operations.
And we were fully aware of all the procedures we should implement to bring the customers' confidence again to fly.
So we have already performed several flights and they are all full, load factors above 82 percent. And we have already transported up to 20,000
passengers since last Tuesday.
QUEST: The idea -- is the Max, from a first look, is it giving you the sort of economics that it was promised?
KAKINOFF: Oh, yes, definitely. It's more efficient, consuming 15 percent less jet fuel per trip which is slightly above what was promised when we
ordered those planes --
QUEST: Right.
KAKINOFF: -- and it has a longer range.
QUEST: So now let's talk about the area and the market in which you're flying at the moment. Your competitors, many of your competitors, have
restructured under Chapter 11 or various U.S. laws. You haven't.
It's always been said that you might have to at some point. Two parts to the question.
Firstly, do you think you're now a way away from having to have any form of bankruptcy protection? And secondly, how can you compete against these
airlines that are restructuring under the protection of bankruptcy?
[15:35:00]
KAKINOFF: Our business model is really flexible. We are operating, as you know, a center (ph) fleet. So that brought us much more flexibility to
adapt ourselves to this new scenario.
We are already flying 80 percent of the capacity that we had deployed last year. And we also brought our cost to an acceptable level making us able to
navigate through this heavy storm.
We got that by renegotiating our contracts, reducing the payroll and mainly bringing the customers' confidence to get back to our planes.
I believe that we are recovering faster than other markets and definitely faster than our main competitors. So we do not foresee any legal protection
to Chapter 11 or things like this.
QUEST: Right. But I notice that you're looking to perhaps get back up to 80 percent of your domestic network back up and running. Obviously, the number
of flights on these will be less.
What's your best -- give me your best guess for when you think -- is it going to be vaccinations that will be the final key to unlock people
feeling safe to travel?
KAKINOFF: Oh, yes, I believe so. Mainly regarding the international flights.
So the regulators, they have implemented for each country different criterias.
I believe that only for us in the second half of the next year that we will really see people resuming their flight frequencies as they had before. I
don't believe that the first semester we will be much above the current levels.
And luckily, we are much more dependent on the domestic routes than the international market.
QUEST: Paulo, it is good to talk to you, sir. Always good to see you. Let's chat again in the New Year so that we can find out what's happening there.
I appreciate your time.
KAKINOFF: My pleasure. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Bye-bye.
QUEST: All right. Now as carriers are looking towards travel corridors to get people moving again, tourist-reliant markets, particularly in the
Caribbean, are hoping a regional travel bubble which will help boost their visitor numbers.
Incoming travelers from designated countries, of course, are required to have a COVID test. And there's no quarantine. That's the idea.
Well, joining me from St. John's is the prime minister of Antigua and Barbuda. He's Gaston Browne.
Prime minister, thank you, sir. It is good to have your time.
Travel bubbles offer one particular solution. But realistically, do you think you can get travel bubbles up and running with the United States
which is the largest, of course, incoming tourist market?
GASTON BROWNE, PRIME MINISTER, ANTIGUA & BARBUDA: Well, effectively we enjoy a travel bubble with the U.S. and the U.K. They are our two major
source markets and there are no restrictions.
We have daily flights from the U.K. and from the U.S., but obviously there are certain protocols that have to be followed by the passengers.
They, for example, have to get a pre-travel COVID test, negative COVID test, in order to travel here to Antigua and Barbuda. And at the same time
to wear a mask and to follow the other protocols as established by health officials.
QUEST: The effect on your economy has been dramatic as it has for the whole region. What do you need in the sense of -- what assistance? Obviously, you
want to get tourists back. But if you look at the unemployment, if you look at the tourism industry, what do you think is needed now?
BROWNE: The ideal situation is a marshal plan similar to what was utilized in Europe to bring back the economies because borrowings are not a
sustainable solution.
Most of the countries within the Caribbean, they are highly indebted, they have very high debt-to-GDP ratios. And in essence, they need grants, they
need debt write-offs and also need to be able to build capacity in certain critical areas in order to grow businesses.
QUEST: Prime Minister, who should lead on this? Because you talk about a marshal plan but the marshal plan was led by the U.S. which, of course, has
not suffered the same, if you like, devastation that Europe had suffered.
I wonder, since the U.S. economy has been hurting, who's going to make the call for some form of debt relief for the Caribbean?
BROWNE: Well, within the Caribbean Region we have been engaging with international finance institutions, the IMF and the World Bank, and they
have shown some concern.
But at the same time I do not believe that they have come up with the type of (inaudible) financial instruments that are required to ensure a
sustainable recovery.
But I believe, though, that the United States as the wealthiest country on the planet and certainly our bigger neighbor to the north that they do have
an obligation to assist us to have some level of quick and certainly sustainable recovery here in the Caribbean.
[15:40:00]
QUEST: The answer is not more debt, is it? I'm not a global debt expert but I do know enough to know the answer's not more debt or perhaps even
restructuring the existing sizable debt of many countries. We're talking here about debt relief.
BROWNE: Well, absolutely. And there can be some fiscal financial instruments in which they can term out debts over a longer period, maybe
over 30 years at a low interest rate.
Generally, those facilities are reserved for very poor countries, the (inaudible) countries. But I believe that those facilities should be
extended to other Caribbean countries who are deemed to be middle income countries or even wealthy, small-island developing states.
The situation of COVID in which lives and livelihoods were decimated within the Caribbean calls for more be bespoke and more responsive financial
instruments.
QUEST: Prime Minister, we'll talk more next year when we'll be talking -- please, God -- about the beauty of the place and the tourists coming back.
I'm grateful to you, sir, for giving me time on QUEST MEANS BUSINESS tonight. The prime minister.
BROWNE: (Inaudible). Thank you very much. Cheers.
QUEST: As we continue. Answering the "Call to Earth". Penguins -- oh, I love penguins. Unfortunately, they're facing threats in the ocean and on
land.
How one biologist has dedicated his life to protecting the penguin.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
QUEST: A call to earth. It's our global call to action on the environment.
And here on QUEST MEANS BUSINESS," we're sharing the stories of people who have answered the call to it, actually doing something.
Now over half of the world's penguin species is under threat today.
In our report we follow a biologist and a Rolex awards associate laureate who's using science and education to help the penguins survive.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
PABLO GARCIA BORBOROGLU, MARINE BIOLOGIST: We all love penguins.
[15:45:00]
People identify with penguins. They identify with them because they commute to find food, because of their devotion to their partners, because the way
they waddle. Some other things -- that they are very well dressed.
But the truth is we all have a connection with penguins.
My name is Pablo Garcia Borboroglu. I'm a biologist and I'm also a researcher on penguin conservations. I'm the founder and president of the
Global Penguin Society.
One of the critical things about penguins is that over half of the 18 species are considered threatened. In the ocean they're affected by climate
change also by marine pollution and fisheries mismanagement.
But penguins, they need to go on land to build a nest and take care of their chicks. So they're also exposed to threats on land including the
human disturbance and the introduction of unfamiliar predators.
I decided to create the Global Penguin Society in order to use the science available to guide conservation action and also to involve other
researchers in this task.
So with a Global Penguin Society, we help penguins doing research like finding evidence and information about how to help penguins better;
protecting habitats, creating marine-protected areas and also developing management plans for colonies that are open to visits.
We have been able to protect 32 million acres of habitat for penguins not only in the ocean but also on land.
We have benefited with our actions 2.4 million penguins and we have taken almost 7,000 kids from developing countries to visit the nearby penguin
colonies that they've never been able to visit.
So we have been having action and impact on those communities. And connecting people and kids and communities with nature.
People have a natural emotional connection with penguins. So through penguins we can talk about many other things and implement solutions that
will benefit big environments and many species.
I think the younger generations are much more educated about the environment compared to my generation. When I was 10 years old, the
environment was not an issue and nobody was telling us about the problems we were causing.
You don't need to become a biologist. You can be an engineer, you can be an economist, everybody has a role.
No matter what you do, no matter where you live. At the end of the day, we work to change the attitude and the behavior of people. We cannot change
the behavior of animals or our environments.
So when we work with people and we reach that goal seeing that they really get involved and they develop this sense of ownership and they want to
protect wildlife, that's the day when we say, OK, mission accomplished.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
QUEST: And we will continue to showcase inspirational stories like that -- I love penguins.
It's part of the initiative here at CNN "Call To Earth." And you can join in. Use the hashtag #calltoearth. And between us, we can find out how we
can all improve the earth.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[15:50:00]
QUEST: Tom Cruise knows a thing or two about risky businesses, of course. So any crew members allegedly breaking distancing rules on the set of the
latest "Mission Impossible" film, you can understand there was a fallout.
It's a recording obtained by Britain's "Sun" newspaper where the actor can be heard swearing at two workers and threatening to have them fired. Saying
Hollywood is banking on the firm's success during COVID-19.
Media reports in Britain that Cruise has spent more than $670,000 of his own money to ensure safety during filming.
With apologies to those of the fainthearted, he says -- I'll give you some of sort of -- the tone. I've heard the tape.
"We're creating thousands of jobs. That's it, no apologies. You can tell it to the people that are losing their -- homes because our industry is in
shutdown."
Dreadful impersonation but you get the idea. He is very angry.
(Inaudible) feels like the biggest "Mission Impossible" of them all right now.
Let's speak to Jeffrey Greenstein, the president of Millennium Films.
Dreadful impersonation but Tom Cruise when you hear about the way he went at it, he's very angry.
JEFFREY GREENSTEIN, PRESIDENT, MILLENNIUM FILMS: Yes, you can sense his frustration.
I recall a moment, March 13th, when the travel ban was announced. We had a film shooting two weeks later and it was as if the whole world was crashing
down around us.
QUEST: Does he -- is he justified taking it out like that? When I listen to the rant, it is a long -- I'm on the phone every night talking to producers
and talking to investors -- is that what it's like at the moment, keeping filming moving?
GREENSTEIN: I think it's more a question of just being considerate. We worked really hard throughout the shutdown to really instate protocols that
would ensure the safety of all the casting crew so we can continue filming and get back to shooting. It's a major, major challenge.
QUEST: If you accept that the biggest challenge is you've got to get people close to each other and you've got -- all right, so the director can be
more than six feet away but at some point the director wants to talk to the actors.
What is the biggest challenge? And at what point are you justified in having a Cruise-like rant?
GREENSTEIN: Obviously, if you jeopardize the production, everyone is naturally frustrated. The biggest challenge is just the whole process,
maintaining from A to Z.
Obviously, we instilled a wrist band protocol that dictated who was allowed to be in what proximity from set. But even the actors who are rigorously
tested, at point of wrap for the day, everyone still goes home. So I think that's the point of greatest sensitivity.
QUEST: Right. Because, of course, sport teams stay in a bubble. Is it not - - is there a point if you're making a movie or you're making a film -- a project, is there a point upon which you would say, you know guys, girls,
we're all going to have to be in a bubble for the next month because this is the most crucial part. And I can't afford financially or creatively for
this film to stop filming now?
GREENSTEIN: I have heard some studios instilling a bubble-type mentality here. We're actually prepping a film to shoot with Millennium in January,
and everything's completely shut down where we're shooting and it's the dead of winter.
So at night after wrap there's low risk of anyone kind of leaving. So in a sense there is a bubble.
[15:55:00] QUEST: At the end of the day, I guess if somebody contracts COVID on a set that you're working on, you've got no choice, you have to close it down.
GREENSTEIN: Yes, containment is a major thing. You have to be aware. We do temperature checks upon entering the studio and entering the sets. Everyone
needs to be responsible themselves and track it.
So we need to make sure that, if anyone does contract COVID, they're not interacting with anyone else and that we can really contain it as quickly
as possible.
QUEST: Good to talk to you, sir. Thank you. Giving us insight into how movies are being made. Thank you.
And quick look at the markets. I want to show you tonight particularly because we always -- never hesitate to do this when things are going
haywire.
Well, tonight -- that is an example of investors just wondering what to do next.
Because an eastern -- a nor'easter, as we call it here in the northeast of the U.S. -- a nor'easter is barreling down on us and that's why the market,
basically, just everyone's saying I'm off home, I'm not doing anything about it.
We'll take a profitable moment -- (rings bell) -- ooh, ow. Try that again. We'll take a profitable moment (rings bell) after the break.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
Tonight's "Profitable Moment".
I want to bring together two stories that we focused on tonight. And you'll see how they join up.
Germany, the Netherlands, London, South Korea, all major destinations that are shutting down, locking down in some shape or form because the virus is
now out of control. The only way to get it back under control are these draconian measures.
Think about it, no Christmas markets in Germany. Angela Merkel has locked down the country in a way even perhaps worse than it was earlier on.
And then the other side of the story I wanted to bring to you, tom cruise tonight, his rant. All right, it's profane, it's vulgar but it's from the
heart.
And when you listen to what he says and how the work he's doing to keep people's jobs, to keep people employed, to keep people safe on film sets so
that Warner Media, the people who work for, can decide whether we're going to stream or put it into the theaters or do both at the same time and cause
a ruckus and a fuss.
But you're starting to see it coming together. It's the way in which COVID has affected our lives and the most draconian measures are now having to be
taken.
The lockdown in Germany. Tom Cruise's rant which is well meaning, if somewhat excessive. And I suspect he's got a lot of money behind it towards
just the business that we are all in.
It is only, frankly, if we all take this at the utmost seriousness that we will all be able to cross that bridge that the Fed has put in place so that
we can get to a vaccine country.
That's the key. Now that's QUEST MEANS BUSINESS for tonight. I'm Richard Quest in New York.
Whatever you're up to in the hours ahead -- (rings bell), I hope it's profitable.
Don't get too excited. The closing bell is ringing but the movement's very small.
That's it. We're done.
END
