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Quest Means Business

France Loosens Blanket U.K. Travel; Biden Takes Questions After Delivering Yearend Speech; White House Considering Testing Requirement For Travelers From U.K.; Tokyo Olympics Unveil Final Budget Of $15.4 Billion; OpenTable CEO On Outlook For Restaurants. Aired 3-4p ET

Aired December 22, 2020 - 15:00   ET

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

[15:00:19]

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

RICHARD QUEST, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: Good evening. I'm Richard Quest. QUEST MEANS BUSINESS. We have an hour together and there's a lot of

breaking news to bring you.

Tonight, it is a lifeline to an isolated United Kingdom. France has agreed to loosen its blanket travel ban imposed over fears of a new coronavirus

variant that is now widespread and spreading in the United Kingdom.

French and E.U. citizens currently in the U.K. are allowed to return to France starting on Wednesday. The French Transport Minister says boats,

planes and Eurostar trains will resume service for those who present a negative test.

Look at these pictures. These are drone shots that we took earlier in Kent of a long backlog of trucks and lorries at the border. What happens to

them, how they get their test and all of these sort of things, all unresolved.

However, French and British officials say they will outline a solution soon within hours. It comes as welcome news for the United Kingdom, though

France is just one of the many countries you see highlighted on the map, more than 40 nations have either banned or are banning or severely

restricting the travel right now.

Our Nima Elbagir is with me. She is in Downing Street. Lot to talk about here. This deal that's been done to at least get things moving again. How

solid is it?

NIMA ELBAGIR, CNN SENIOR INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, we're yet to hear any of the details from inside Downing Street behind me. We're hearing

this first from the French and that speaks really to the fact that there is so much still to iron out.

Our correspondent, Salma Abdelaziz and her team down in Dover had the most appalling stories of just the chaos because they have begun testing lorry

drivers down in Dover, but there didn't seem to be any kind of a system in place to isolate those who possibly were testing positive.

In fact, she actually described local people distributing food and water to the lorry drivers who are waiting for hours with nowhere to stay. The key

concern is though, Richard, that this variant was found in Kent and Kent is along that key artery that the goods take from the ports in the south up to

the rest of the country.

How is this going to protect Kent which is currently in tier four and the transmission rates are continuing -- last we heard -- to double. There is

so much that is still to be ironed out and we haven't yet heard from the supermarkets who last, when we spoke yesterday, it was just Sainsbury's,

one of the major chains, today Tesco, another major chain, saying that they were putting a cap on essentials.

So without tangibles, it is going to be hard to reassure people here -- Richard.

QUEST: So the E.U. has decided that it is recommending countries don't put a travel ban in place. Dr. Fauci says travel bans in the U.S., he says are

the right way to go forward.

I believe Belgium is considering -- or is open or is about to open the border again, along the same lines. Is there a feeling that, you know,

drastic action was taken in urgency and in the moment and is now being reconsidered and reversed?

ELBAGIR: Well reconsidered, but continuing to be considered is the sense that we're getting. There is still a sense that European capitals don't

trust Number 10.

Britain's coronavirus rates are an example of what not to do, not just in Europe but in the world, and that the lockdown measures were eased and

restricted and restricted and eased not taking sufficient advice from the scientists, and even yesterday at the press conference, the numbers that we

were getting, these simple figures around how many lorries are stuck in Dover? What the expectation is for people in the New Year when their

children come back?

There are still so few answers and it feels like --

QUEST: Nima, forgive me, Nima -- forgive me, if I interrupt you, please, we need to join the President-elect who is about to take questions in his

interview and news conference.

QUESTION: ... said the situation was well under control. Given what you just said about this, that it represents a grave risk, do you believe it

also represents an act of war? And will you respond in kind, if so?

JOE BIDEN (D), PRESIDENT ELECT OF THE UNITED STATES: The answer is, first of all, it is a grave risk and it continues. I see no evidence that it's

under control. I see none. Heard of none.

The Defense Department won't even brief us on many things. So, I know of nothing that suggests it's under control.

[15:05:00]

BIDEN: This President hasn't even identified who is responsible yet.

Number two, the question of the damage done remains to be determined. We have to look at very closely the nature of the breaches, how extensive they

are, and what damage has been done.

And, thirdly, there's going be a necessity. As Barack -- as President Obama and I and our administration talked about, we need international society --

international rules of the road on cybersecurity.

We have to bring along our allies and our friends, so we hold everyone accountable who breaches any of these basic fundamental rules.

And, lastly, I believe that, when I learn the extent of the damage and, in fact, who is formally responsible, they can be assured that we will respond

and probably respond in kind. There many options, which I will not discuss now.

QUESTION: Why not lay out those kind of options publicly, though? Isn't part of the issue here deterrence, and the fact that Russia felt some

impunity, if it is indeed Russia, to do what they have done here?

BIDEN: We have not done that in any other areas where we have faced international crises.

We don't sit here and say that we're going to strike you with a nuclear weapon. We don't sit and we're going to say -- and so on. Let us determine

what the extent of the damage is, and I promise you, there will be a response.

QUESTION: On another issue, sir, as you know, the runoff elections in Georgia could well determine whether there's a Democratic Senate in January

or a Republican Senate in January.

Is the -- are you waiting for the outcome of those two races to make some of the final selections for your Cabinet, including the Attorney General,

the most significant, outstanding Cabinet Secretary yet to pick?

BIDEN: No, not based on the Attorney General. That's just a matter of getting to it and through it, and being able to announce them all.

They will all be announced either just before or just after. And we're going to make an announcement tomorrow. And we may have another

announcement between then and Christmas -- Christmas and New Year's. We're just working through all of the efforts to do due diligence.

QUESTION: And, lastly, has the issue of the investigation of your son come up in discussions with your team and with potential candidates about

Attorney General?

BIDEN: No. No. I guarantee you, I'm going to do what I said. The Attorney General of the United States of America is not the President's lawyer. I

will appoint someone who I expect to enforce the law as the law is written, not guided by me.

QUESTION: Thank you, sir.

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President-Elect. There is growing concern today about that new variant of a COVID-19 sweeping across the U.K. Should the

United States right now impose a travel ban on flights coming in from the U.K.?

BIDEN: As you know, there already is one unrelated to that finding that new strain, number one.

And the question is whether or not, at the very least, it only allows Americans coming home to be able to come back to the States, citizens.

One of the things I'm waiting to get a response from my COVID team is whether or not we should require testing before they get on an aircraft to

fly home, number one, and, number two, when they get home, should they quarantine? That's my instinct. But I'm waiting to hear from my experts

right now.

QUESTION: You talked about how you want to propose a new COVID relief plan when you do take office.

BIDEN: Yes.

QUESTION: It took more than six months for Congress to reach this new deal. Americans are suffering at this moment. How can you assure Americans that

relief will come, and come soon?

BIDEN: You all ask the most interesting questions. Have you ever known anyone in the history of the United States of America that could be

President and assure exactly what the Congress is going to do?

So, I can't assure anything, but I can tell you what I expect. I fully expect, on those critical issues that we're facing, number one, being able

to get all the work we need done and all the funding to be able to get that vaccine in everyone's arm, and that's 300 million people.

We will get that done because you're going to see that the responsibility has already been recognized by the Republicans and Democrats in the

Congress, because their constituency is going to demand it, number one.

Number two, all those people are out there hurting, who have lost jobs through no fault of their own, they have extended unemployment for 10

weeks. Simply not sufficient. Necessary to get it done, to get through the holidays, but I predict you, we will get cooperation and get that done.

I have been arguing from the very beginning -- and I'm told how -- I love it, it makes me sound so much younger -- how naive I am about how the

Congress works.

[15:10:06]

BIDEN: I think I have been proven right across the board. The things that are left to deal with, from employment, to people needing unemployment

insurance, to the ability to have access to healthcare, the ability to get this -- the treatment for free, et cetera, all of that is something that

the public is not going to stand for us not doing.

And I think, with Donald Trump not in the way that will also enhance the prospect of things getting done.

QUESTION: Will your plan include a new round of stimulus checks to the American people?

BIDEN: Yes.

QUESTION: And if so, for how much?

BIDEN: Look, that's a negotiating issue. But it will. Yes, it will. And I think -- by the way, I think we owe Bernie Sanders and his Republican

colleagues thanks for getting not all the stimulus we looked for, $1,200.00, but getting $600.00 done.

I think you're seeing that there is a clear understanding that these issues go beyond any ideology. People are desperately hurting and the Republicans

are hurting as badly as Democrats.

There are a few people -- and I'm not saying they are responsible for any of this -- a few people who are doing extremely well in that K- shaped

recovery and they're doing fine, but they still need access to the vaccines. They still need access to making sure that we are able to handle

crises in the hospitals, et cetera.

So, I think there -- on the things relating to, A, vaccine distribution, which is going to cost billions more dollars -- it's simply going to cost

billions more dollars. We need national standards to lay out to help governors to start how they're going to get that vaccine throughout their -

- throughout their communities, number one.

Number two, we're going to need to take care of those people who, through no fault of their own, are unemployed. They have worked like hell, but they

have no job because of the COVID crisis.

And, thirdly, we're going to have to begin to rebuild the country. We can't wait. We can't wait to rebuild the economy. We're going to have to start

doing that now, on infrastructure programs and a whole range of other things.

I think -- the sort of the dawn has broken on the vast majority people. There are still people who don't want to help. They're still people who are

insisting my way or the highway. But the vast majority of the members of Congress, I believe, will be able to work out those specific issues that

are of national consequence.

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President-Elect.

BIDEN: Thank you.

QUESTION: Mr. President-Elect, thank you.

BIDEN: Thank you.

QUESTION: I'm still not sure if I heard you say specifically, though, sir, what is your ask of the Congress? In just one month's time, what is your

ask of the Congress, after you have watched over these many months, and people in your party as well did not necessarily act as quickly as some

Americans would have liked?

What is your ask, sir?

BIDEN: My ask will be laid out there in detail. But it relates to four things. Number one, making sure we have all the money we need to get the

vaccine to 300 million Americans, at a minimum, over the next year, the next calendar year, number one.

Number two, making sure that all those people who are unemployed through no fault of their own because of the COVID crisis, as small businesses and big

businesses, et cetera are shutting down, that they continue to be able to live day to day. They don't engage in food shortages. They're not in a

position where they get thrown out of their homes.

I would also be asking for a moratorium on being evicted from your homes for failure to pay rent, moratoriums on -- relating to the issue of whether

or not your mortgage are going to be paid.

Thirdly, I think it's critically important we provide all of the PPE, as well as the direct payments to small businesses and others to be able to

stay open, to be able to keep their people employed. That is something that's going to increase as time moves.

And, lastly, we're going to need to make sure that we're in a position that we can provide for the opportunity for people to begin to go back to work

and get new jobs, developing infrastructure.

QUESTION: Given the narrow majorities in the he House and Senate -- you have watched many administrations come and go -- do you believe that you

will have a honeymoon to get things accomplished?

BIDEN: I don't think there's a honeymoon at all. I think it's a nightmare that everybody is going through. And they all say, it's got to end. It's

not a honeymoon. They're not doing me a favor.

I will ask you a rhetorical question I don't expect you to answer. And that is, do you think that Republicans who are losing their businesses, do you

think Republican constituents out there who can't pay their mortgage, do you think they're not letting their Republican representatives know they

got a problem?

[15:15:00]

BIDEN: Do you think the person who just lost some -- a family member and is worried about losing another one who happens to be a Republican, a staunch

Republican, isn't telling his or her Republican senator or state representative, you have got to help, you have got to get something done?

Do you think all those people who are making judgments of whether or not I'm -- my child will be able to go to school, and I have to stay home, and

I can't go to work, therefore, I have no income, are all Democrats?

I think there's just been a dawning here. And, look, you have a different team in town. You have a different team in town. I'm not going to

villainize the opposition. But I'm going to stand and say, this is what we got to do, because they know it. They know it.

It's not like I'm saying, what we want to do is, we want to make sure that we are going to sign a new trade agreement with A, B or C.

This is life and death. That's why I believe we will get it done.

QUESTION: Sir, if I could ask a follow-up to the Attorney General decision. You and President Obama selected Eric Holder on December 1st. Every recent

President has selected their Attorney General by this point. What is taking you so long to make this critical decision? And do you believe that this is

a time, in the post-Trump era, where you need someone who is not steeped in politics, who may have a life's work above or beyond politics?

BIDEN: The answer is, first of all, we have gone -- we have gone faster than everybody in the total Cabinet. So, we--

QUESTION: Not President Obama and yourself, sir.

BIDEN: The whole Cabinet?

QUESTION: The whole Cabinet.

BIDEN: The whole Cabinet?

QUESTION: Well, there were a few missteps on Commerce, as you remember. But--

BIDEN: I do.

QUESTION: I'm sure.

BIDEN: I didn't want to raise them, though.

QUESTION: Right.

BIDEN: But, look, this is -- we're looking for a team who will instill the greatest confidence in the professionals at D.O.J. to know once again that

there is no politics, there's no politics. As you know, there's been a great debate about, in every single appointment, whether or not people --

there are enough African- Americans, enough Hispanics, enough Asian Pacific Americans, enough people who have -- are new and young.

So, we're just working through it. It's not by design. There's not an obvious choice in my mind.

QUESTION: Thank you, sir.

BIDEN: Thank you.

QUESTION: Merry Christmas.

BIDEN: Merry Christmas.

QUESTION: Thank you, President-Elect.

BIDEN: Hey.

QUESTION: You just spoke about your confidence that there -- it will be possible to get things done once President Trump has left office.

But --

BIDEN: Not -- no, excuse me, not just because he's left office. Because it's all becoming obvious exactly what's at stake.

QUESTION: Right. But, even so, are you concerned about the effects long term that his presidency and now, in the transition, his refusal to

concede, his challenges to the election, will have on American politics, will have on the Republican Party, especially if he does take the step of

filing for reelection next month -- or running -- to run in 2024?

Are you concerned about him lingering around? I know -- I see you smiling, but I still to have ask it.

And kind of a corollary to that, would you consider filing for re-election early next year to show that you're not going to be a lame duck?

(LAUGHTER)

BIDEN: I'd not going to be a lame duck. Just watch me. Just watch me. I have been saying this from the very beginning. Look, let's just get the

work of -- from this point on, for the next several years, there is one objective and it's not my political future, it is bettering the

circumstances for the average American. That's what it's all about.

And I want to communicate to the American people what I hope they already understand about me. It's about them. It's not about me. It's not about me.

QUESTION: Still, do you think that the climate will be different after President Trump than it was before him?

BIDEN: Well, we will see. I don't know. I mean, I'm not a fortune teller. But I can tell you that the calls I have gotten from sitting Republicans in

powerful positions, they know me. They know I level with them. They know I never mislead. They know I tell them the truth. And they know I don't go

out of my way to try to embarrass.

QUESTION: And in terms of the transition, are there areas where the Trump team has not been cooperative that have not been made public? We have heard

a bit about the issues at the Pentagon last week.

Are there other areas that you think the public should be aware of?

BIDEN: There are other areas. I'm not sure it's relevant whether the public should be aware of.

Look, what I'm trying to do is pull together the political parties that are in the Congress that know that we're facing four serious crises and we have

to address all of them. None of us will get all we want, but we can make real progress.

[15:20:01]

BIDEN: And so my focus is on uniting, not emphasizing the divisions. Thank you.

QUESTION: Thank you.

QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. President-Elect. Russia, as you said, is suspected of carrying out this massive cyber hack. You said it happened under

President Donald Trump's watch. But, of course, in January 21, it will then, of course, land on your doorstep.

My question is, what are the--

BIDEN: Well, let's get something straight on what will land on my doorstep. His failure will land on my doorstep.

QUESTION: Yes.

BIDEN: Okay.

QUESTION: What are the practical implications of overseeing a government where experts say it could take years to know where the hackers went and

years to remove them?

How can you ensure that the systems will be safe, given what experts are saying?

BIDEN: I can't ensure, but I can demand, based on the experts, both here and among our allies, what is needed to find that out. It may cost

literally billions of dollars to secure our cyberspace. It may take a great deal to get it done.

First and foremost, it takes people who are knowledgeable and vigilant about what is happening and how it's happening.

And so I'm just going to do all that need be done, all that need be done to determine, A, the extent of the damage, B, the nature of how it occurred,

C, what I should be doing internally in terms of my administration to protect against it in the future, and, number four, getting together with

our allies to try to set up an international system of what constitutes appropriate behavior in cyberspace, and get us all to get to the point

where we hold -- all hold any other country liable for their breaking out of those basic rules.

QUESTION: And just to be clear, at the top of that, did you say you couldn't ensure that the systems would be safe when you came into office

then?

BIDEN: Of course I can't. I don't know what the state of them is. They're clearly not safe right now. And then, between now and January 20th, the

likelihood of my being able to garner all the information, the extent and depth of the violations, exactly how the codes or how they were breached,

what was breached, what was done is not within my power to do that.

But it will be an overwhelming focus for my administration.

QUESTION: And my other question is on immigration.

BIDEN: Yes.

QUESTION: I was just reading about the fact that officials in your transition, Jake Sullivan, Susan Rice, they say you won't be immediately

rolling back Trump's immigration policies. And I expressed immediately. There are some immigration advocates who say, why not roll back the remain-

in-Mexico policy? Why not roll back the asylum restrictions? What is your timeline for rolling back some of the specific Trump administration

immigration policies?

BIDEN: I have already started discussing these issues with the President of Mexico and our friends in Latin America.

And the timeline is to do it so that we, in fact, make it better, not worse. The last thing we need is to say, we're going to stop immediately

the -- the access to asylum the way it's being run now, and end up with two million people on our border.

It's a matter of setting up the guardrails, so we can move in the direction. I will accomplish what I said I would do, a much more humane

policy based on family unification. But it requires getting a lot in place and requires getting the funding to get it in place, including just asylum

judges, for example.

So, it's a matter of -- it will get done and it will get done quickly. But it's not going to be able to be done on day one, lift every restriction

that exists and find out that -- and go back to what it was 20 years ago, and all of a sudden find out we have a crisis on our hand that complicates

what we're trying to do.

QUESTION: Would you say to immigration -- what would you say to immigration advocates, then who say maybe you're possibly dragging your feet too -- and

it might take too long? Are you -- it sounds like you're saying you need to be patient.

BIDEN: I say, trust me. Look at me. I have never told them anything I haven't done. I'm working with them now. We're dealing with some of those

very organizations as we speak.

And I will do what I said. It's going to take not day one. It's going to take probably the next six months to put that in place.

QUESTION: Thank you so much.

BIDEN: Thank you.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Thank you, guys.

BIDEN: Merry Christmas, everybody. Thank you.

QUEST: Moving on. The thing is just going, has he actually answered? Has he gone back and answered any more? He has moved on. He is not a Donald

Trumper in that sense. He doesn't sort of decide to go there.

Jessica Dean is with me. Wilmington, Delaware. Jessica, now, I listened to both the comments, his speech and his comments then. He was very robust.

This was a -- he was very focused. There wasn't a lot of wandering off the subject.

Absolute confidence in the background on the cybersecurity breach, grave risk to national security. Enough is enough. And then finally, we're

talking about his own coming into office. It's not a honeymoon. It's a nightmare that he will be facing. This was a very focused President-elect.

[15:25:20]

JESSICA DEAN, CNN WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Richard, President-elect Joe Biden knows he has a lot before him, he has so many tasks, so many

crises that he is going to have to face as soon as he gets into office.

He and his team are keenly aware that they are going to have a very concentrated amount of time to get things done. They cannot drag their

feet. They need to know what they're doing. And you have seen some of that in their Cabinet picks. They are picking old hands who know how to pull the

levers of government, they're doing that on purpose. It is with the hope that they can all get into government and move quickly.

Of course, the question is going to be, Richard, is how much cooperation are they going to get from Congress and Senate Republicans and

congressional Republicans? I thought it was really interesting. If you go back through the number of times he talked about bipartisanship, gave

Republicans a shout out. There were a lot of them in there really contrasting himself to President Trump saying there's a new team in town,

and he's not going to villainize the other side.

They want to get in there and do a lot of work and they are trying to lay the groundwork to do that -- Richard.

QUEST: But on that point, he was asked specifically, what makes you think you're going to get this bipartisanship that you're talking about? And he

said, because we're dealing with matters of life or death. We're not dealing with some trade talks, there was also some esoteric of policy.

But do you think he's right, in that sense? I mean, once January is out January, the fifth is out of the way and the Senate composition becomes

clear. Is it more likely that McConnell will do a deal as they go into this administration?

DEAN: Right, that is the 10 billion trillion dollar question right now. And so many Americans have that very, very question on their mind, because they

want to know, if COVID relief is coming down the pike for them?

You know, Biden outlined a lot of what he wanted to do and it included more unemployment direct payments, state and local aid, things that would impact

a lot of Americans. But the question is, what kind of appetite is there going to be on Capitol Hill from Republicans for that and also in the

Democratic Party?

Is he going to be able to align them all into, you know, the same area where they move forward together? It just remains to be seen. We have to

see how these two Senate races play out in Georgia to see if they are able, the Democrats were able to get to that 50/50 number with the tiebreaker

with Vice President-elect Kamala Harris in the Senate or if the Republicans will hold that majority.

We did see it was interesting, Richard, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell gave an interview to a local paper in Kentucky in the last 24

hours talking about Biden's Cabinet nominees and assured that they would all -- he would take them all to the floor.

He said that they may not all pass and that they're not all going to pass on a voice vote. But he promised he would take them all to the floor and he

promised that he would treat his nominees and this is his quote, "better than Chuck Schumer treated President Trump and his nominees."

So is he telegraphing something there? Who is to say? We're going to have to see where the rubber meets the road when they all get into session next

year -- Richard.

QUEST: And you'll be there to watch it with us and to help us understand it. We have a long way to go.

Have a good Christmas as I have bid you before. Jessica Dean who is on duty in Wilmington, Delaware.

DEAN: You too.

QUEST: We'll take a break. There's a lot more coming our way. This is QUEST MEANS BUSINESS.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:32:00]

QUEST: The White House is considering a testing requirement for passengers coming from the United Kingdom. The airlines themselves aren't waiting.

Three carriers, Virgin Atlantic, Delta and British Airways are now mandating tests before travelers enter New York. This is after the governor

of New York pushed for those measures himself. Not waiting for the federal government.

It underlines a different approach between scientists and politicians, both treating this new variant cautiously in different respects. Even creating

public tension between Governor Cuomo and public health experts like Dr. Anthony Fauci.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, U.S. NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY & INFECTIOUS DISEASES: We should seriously consider the possibility of

requiring testing of people before they come from the U.K. here. But I don't think that there's enough evidence right now to essentially lockdown

any travel from the U.K.

ANDREW CUOMO, NEW YORK GOVERNOR: Scientists want to see a flame before they tell you there's a fire. From my point of view, if I see smoke, I'm going

to douse water on that spot. They closed for Christmas. Why would Boris Johnson do that unless he was really worried?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

David King is the former chief scientific adviser to the British government, also part of the SAGE, which is the government advisory body.

He joins me now.

So, David, you're saying -- you said the current -- somewhat extraordinary measures tier four in Britain with this new variant or strain, you don't

believe these measures are going to be enough and that a full lockdown will be inevitable. Is that right?

DAVID KING, FORMER BRITISH CHIEF SCIENTIFIC ADVISOR: I have said that, yes, precisely because the disease is now spreading more rapidly across the U.K.

We know particularly London and the Southeast where the disease seems to be under control, it's now spreading very rapidly. It's doubling every week,

which, of course, is real worry for managing this disease outbreak.

The mutations in a virus occur very, very rapidly. Most of the mutations simply disappear because they have no advantage over the existing virus.

It's quite clear that this mutation has an advantage and that advantage is that it spread faster than the previous virus. And so, we are seeing that

spread occurring very rapidly and it's right across the United Kingdom.

QUEST: So, what --

KING: So, I'm all for a complete lockdown.

QUEST: What would you like them to do? What would you like government to do? And bearing in mind what we saw with European governments stopping

travel.

I mean, that might not be good policy but it certainly is understandable. If they believe there's real risk of the new variant going to their

countries too.

[15:35:01]

KING: Yes, I believe that actually there is evidence of this virus already appearing in Europe and I don't think that we're able to stop that. There's

been enough travel between our country and the rest of Europe and frankly between our country and the United States for this virus, I suspect, to be

already present in many parts of the world.

So, I don't think that is going to prevent it happening. What it does mean is that every country needs to look at their measures for managing this

epidemic. At the moment, in the Western countries, we are frankly mismanaging it.

And the point I'm going to make is, every one who has the disease can be tested and found whether or not they have it, and every one in contact with

those who had the disease, those groups of people need to be separated from the rest of us. They need to be put into isolation. A lockdown is a very

blunt instrument. We separate each other from every one else.

QUEST: Right.

KING: But that's only because the British case, we haven't managed to test and trace everybody to manage that process.

QUEST: Very few countries have been successful with tests and trace. Certainly none of the countries that have experienced essentially wholesale

infection across the whole country like, for example, the United States or the U.K. or deep France.

Is it too late for test and trace?

KING: Well, my policy is very simple. If you go into a lockdown, that's a very blunt instrument but it may be the only thing you have to do in order

to bring it under control if you don't manage to test, trace and isolate those with the disease.

And the end point of a lockdown is when you have the disease down to a level where you are picking every one up with the find test trace and

isolate process. It's not a magic trick. This has been happening for hundred of years, with any infectious disease.

QUEST: Right.

KING: We know most recently, it's been true of Ebola in West Africa and separating the people with the disease from the rest absolutely key.

QUEST: All right. So, finally, with this -- my word, not yours -- battle between science and politicians at SAGE. Have you sometimes felt you're

making recommendations based on science but the politicians, they don't deny them, or they don't reject them. They sort of obfuscate them, twist

them, fudge them and pretend they are following the science, anyway.

KING: I have to say, first of all, I am chairman of something called Independent SAGE that I set up because SAGE itself was not being

transparent in terms of the advice it was giving to government. And so, we now know from minutes published from SAGE from a month ago that they were

saying this disease is now taking on faster than before. We don't know why but we think we have to go into a new lockdown process --

QUEST: Wow.

KING: -- to manage it.

The prime minister is still insisting that he is listening to every word of the scientists. It doesn't mean that he's following them.

QUEST: So, David, I appreciate your time, sir. Thank you. We'll talk again as we get into the depths of winter --

KING: Yeah.

QUEST: -- and the deep part of January. Thank you, sir.

Now, forget the Nike swoosh. It's the tip of the spear on these sneakers. The founders of a Kenyan starter are trying to get a foothold in the world

of athletic shoes.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:41:23]

QUEST: The delayed Tokyo Olympics in July next year could become the most expensive Summer Games ever. The organizers now say they'll cost more than

$15 billion. And that includes $900 million for COVID-19 counter-measures which involves the creation of Infection Control Center in the Olympic

Village.

Kenya, of course, has excelled in track and field in the last three Summer Olympics. Despite the country's world class athletes, investors haven't

been eager to back locally made running shoes.

As Eleni Giokos explains, one company is now trying change all of that.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

ELENI GIOKOS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): This is the first ever running shoe made in Africa. The brand is called Enda, which means "go" in

Swahili.

The company was started by a Kenyan-American duo (ph) in Nairobi five years ago.

NAVALAYO OSEMBO, CO-FOUNDER, ENDA: The eyelets have red, green and black. That's the colors of the flag, of the Kenyan flag.

GIOKOS: The logo represents tip of the spear, a traditional hunting tool that can be found in the country's coat of arms.

The Enda team was determined the manufacturing process would benefit Kenyans. Although the majority of the materials are imported from China,

the shoes are both here, just outside of Mombasa, where Enda employs 42 workers.

CHIWAYA NGEDZO MWANAMWEGA, LINE MANAGER, ENDA: I do feel so proud with it. I'm so proud because I'm putting a shoe that comes from my country. I

produce 250,000 pairs in a day. The shoes is light, very light, very comfortable, very nice shoe.

GIOKOS: The brand has really started to make a name for itself. In 2020, Enda sold more than 7,000 pairs of trainers. That's ten times as many as

last year. Ninety percent of orders came from the United States.

OSEMBO: I think there's a couple of factors that help the brand, especially this year become bigger. One, I think for instance the social justice

movement going on in the U.S., Black Lives Matter and the whole idea to buy black, support black and a lot of African-American brands have benefitted

from that.

And so, when you're looking at the running space, how many running shoe companies are black owned? I don't know. Us, you know? So, that has

definitely helped.

GIOKOS: The brand is sponsoring professional athletes who wear their shoes for training like here in Iten, Kenya's famous high altitude training base.

In the future, the Enda team wants to make racing shoes too to help their athletes win Olympic medals and break world records.

OSEMBO: In the next five years, I definitely see us as the top tier running brand but I also want the brand to mean something, you know, like for it to

be a cultural thing that you're not just wearing shoes but you are part of a community.

GIOKOS: That community is growing around the globe as the brand is changing lives of hundreds back home.

Eleni Giokos, CNN, Connecting Africa.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

QUEST: The holidays usually are the busiest times of hours in restaurants. This year, there's less cheer on the counter. The CEO of OpenTable is with

me about the future of dining, in a moment.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[15:42:27]

QUEST: More and more countries are being forced to shut restaurants right before Christmas and New Year's holidays. Ireland, for example, has closed

pubs and restaurants starting on Christmas Eve. South Korea is limiting gatherings to five people. Morocco is shutting coffee, restaurants, and

supermarkets at 8:00 p.m., according to state media.

Globally, restaurant closures are up 28 percent, according to OpenTable. Its CEO Debby Soo joins me from New Hampshire via Skype.

Let me, first of all, declare a conflict of interest. I love OpenTable and I use it frequently to book reservations. So, at least, you know, you got

one fan here.

Look, Debby, here in New York where inside dining has closed again, outdoor dining is simply really miserable even with heaters. I mean, what's going

to happen to these restaurants? What's your research showing?

DEBBY SOO, CEO, OPENTABLE: The research is showing that the restaurant industry, putting in New York City is in dire straits right now. As you

know, in New York City, the weather has turned very, very cold as it has in New Hampshire. We saw snow last week and dining outdoors though it's

legally acceptable and available is not pleasant.

So, with the shutdown of indoor dining in New York, that's a huge blow to the industry. We're seeing it across, you know, all the cities in the U.S.

we're seeing it in internationally as well.

QUEST: Right.

SOO: This is a tough, tough time for restaurants. We are in dire straits here. And we need more aide. We need more help.

OpenTable is trying to do our part. We waived all our fees. We've seated over 75 million diners for restaurant partners this year at no charge.

But, you know, it's still not enough. We need to be doing more.

QUEST: For example, the bill on the U.S. side, the bill that's just been put forward, that's just been passed by the Congress does have some money

for restaurants, Probably nowhere near enough. Other countries have done similar.

But is there not a truth that needs to be spoken which is essentially governments can't keep these restaurants going and we are going to lose a

lot of restaurants. It's not fair. It's not right but that's what's going to happen.

SOO: It already is happening just by the two packages that have come across for the U.S. and bills that have passed. And you're right. The restaurant -

- there will be restaurants. There's been restaurants that have closed.

[15:50:02]

We're talking about over 11 million workers in the hospitality industry who have lost their jobs due to this pandemic.

QUEST: Right.

SOO: So, it's not just the restaurant owners. It's every one the restaurant employs, which is a big segment of, you know, the U.S. workforce.

So, to say, you know, is the truth is we just let them shut down. Many of them already have, but is there more we can be doing? If we can, if we can

be, I think we should be doing more.

And for everyone watching, right, what we can do is frequent and, you know, dine if you're comfortable or order take out or delivery from your

restaurants by gift cards because this winter is going to be very, very hard. These next few weeks are going to be very difficult until we get a

vaccine that's more widely distributed.

QUEST: So, you said -- you say that safety become the gold standard for restaurants. But I'm seeing again here in New York, I'm seeing out door

indoor restaurants being constructed. They've got four walls and plastic heating.

SOO: Yes.

QUEST: But, you know, heaters of electric -- there's one -- I'm not going to mention the name but there's one particular restaurant is absolutely,

it's essentially built outdoor -- an indoor restaurants outdoors. Now, that's not safe, is it?

SOO: Well, so there have been recommendations and specialists that have said, you know, for outdoor dining to be very, very safe, safest as can be,

there needs to be all four walls can't be there. There needs to be air inflow and outflow, right?

But I do think -- you know, even with an igloo or yurt that has four walls, it's probaby still safer to do that than dine how we normally would. So,

it's really up to the restaurants and all of the restaurants that are partnering with OpenTable, following those regulations closely. There are

certain standards of safety and it also upon the diner to gauge what's right for them.

At OpenTable, what we've done is we launched a safety precautions product feature which allows the restaurants to say very specifically and clearly

on their restaurant profile page exactly what safety precautions they are taking. So, the diner even before they show up knows exactly what they are

about to get into.

QUEST: Debby, thank you. It's good to have you on the program. We'll talk more because we need to hear the voices as we continue. Thank you. I

appreciate it.

Now, the virus poses a short term threat to the restaurant industry. The question of sustainability is the more long term problem.

As Selina Wang reports, fake meat may be the answer in today's "Eco Solutions".

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

SELINA WANG, CNN INTERNATIONAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): In 1958, the Japanese company Nissin introduced the world to instant ramen, making

meals, quicker, cheaper and more convenient.

It since sold over 100 billion packets of noodles. Now, Nissin is betting on another transformative shift in the way we eat.

FUTOSHI NAKAMURA, NEW FOOD DEVELOPMENT, NISSIN FOODS (through translator): As the world population grows, we will be facing food shortage issues,

including meat shortages. We have been thinking about something we should do to solve this.

WANG: One possible idea, a new steak flavored ramen. Featuring meat grown in a lab. Nissin is collaborating with Tokyo University professor Shoji

Takeuchi to develop this so-called artificial or cultured meat, grown from animal stem cells.

SHOJI TAKEUCHI, INSTITUTE OF INDUSTRIAL SCIENCE, UNIVERSITY OF TOKYO (through translator): Cultured meat is a technology to create meat by

massively growing a tiny piece of the animal's muscular cells, taken from the animal, without killing it. Whereas conventional meat is produced by

slaughtering livestock and then cutting into pieces.

WANG: It's not much of a meal yet, but this teeny tiny piece of meat is something of a breakthrough. Takeuchi says that in 2019, he made the first

lab grown steak.

TAKEUCHI (through translator): Ultimately, the goal of the research stage was to produce meat. That's exactly the same as real meat, something which

could be mistaken for meat.

WANG: Takeuchi says he can in theory produce around 50 steaks from just five grams of cow muscle. That could one day eliminate the need to raise

large herds of cattle.

NAKAMURA (through translator): Environmentally speaking, culture meat needs less water. Many can grow it with a small amount of water.

WANG: Takeuchi thinks it will take another five years to perfect his cultured steak. There are still hurdles to clear though -- safety

regulations, lowering the cost, and making sure the texture is just right, and, of course, convincing consumers to eat meat grown in a lab.

But Nissin believes this is just what customers want, eco-friendly comfort food, and another big shift in the way we eat.

Selina Wang, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

[15:55:00]

QUEST: As we head into the last few moments of trade on Wall Street, now, remember, what we saw yesterday, the market was all over the place.

But this moment, so you've got the Dow off 200 points. It's over half a percent, 30,000. Just barely holding onto that. My gut is it probably --

don't tie your colors to the mast, Quest. You could end up doing wrong.

The S&P 500 is up. The Nasdaq is slightly up. Not huge movements, but they do give away a vague idea of what's happening.

The Dow is getting awfully close to the 30,000 benchmark again. If you look at the components, if we look at the components you'll see Apple just on

tear. Continues, splitting the stock did well there. Otherwise, it's just much of a much.

Each stock there had its individual reason. There's no overarching theme than the usual ones of virus and vaccine. We'll have a "Profitable Moment"

after the break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

QUEST: We talked to OpenTable CEO about the (INAUDIBLE) and the perilous state of restaurants, and personal experience which is always I think the

best in terms of what you see in your every day life.

The restaurant -- one of my favorite restaurants here in New York, around the corner from where we live, put up a notice today, and to be battling on

with outdoor dining for so long and then up comes this sign saying, due to restrictions on indoor dining and the inclement weather, and the

approaching winter months, we must close for a while.

I'm seeing that more and more. There was an inevitability about the fact once the bad weather arrived and you didn't have any inside dining

available, and it's simply too unpleasant even with gas heaters or over head heaters and electric heaters, too expensive as well. Which all begs

the question, what are we going to be left with when it's all over?

That's why the help given my government is crucial, by bankers, by landlords, who themselves need help for rents not being paid, and

ultimately by you and I, eating out, ordering in, going to our favorite restaurants and take out wherever and whenever we can for the simple reason

if we do not, those businesses won't be there when things are over.

New ones will come along but it just won't be the same. So -- and more on the loss of the current restaurant, I can't wait for it to come back.

That's QUEST MEANS BUSINESS for tonight. I'm Richard Quest in New York. Whatever you're up to in the hours ahead, I hope it is profitable.

The Dow is ringing. The bell is going. The day is done.

Pamela Brown is next.

END