More Than Half Of U.S. States Begin To Partially Reopen; FDA Approves Use Of Remdesivir As COVID-19 Treatment; Georgia Reports 1,225 New Cases As Shopping Malls Begin Opening
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello again, everyone. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm Fredricka Whitfield. We begin with several states reopening this weekend for the first time in more than a month amid the coronavirus pandemic. 32 states are partially reopening by the end of next week. That number will be at least 42 easing restrictions means that restaurants, stores, even shopping malls are permitted to get back to business. Despite that, many businesses are taking a more cautious approach choosing not to reopen. From California to Michigan, governors are facing increasing pressure to end weeks long stay-at-home orders. Demonstrators have even gathered demanding return to normalcy. Meantime, a possible hopeful sign that a treatment for coronavirus is in the works. The FDA is giving emergency-use authorization to the drug remdesivir. Allowing hospitals to treat patients with severe coronavirus cases. We have a team of reporters covering the state reopening across the country. Let's get started in Florida, where Governor Ron DeSantis announced that many of the state's businesses will reopen on Monday with restrictions, but several counties are excluded from the new policies. CNN Rosa Flores is in Miami. One of the several places not being allowed to reopen just yet. Rosa, why only reopen certain parts of the state?</s>ROSA FLORES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: You know, you're absolutely right. And Florida is taking more of a regional approach because of the cluster of cases that have happened in this part of the state. I'm in Miami Dade County, Miami Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties accounted for about 30 percent of the population in the state. But they account for about 60 percent of the more than 35,000 cases. And 56 percent of the more than 1300 deaths in the state. That's why it's no surprise that the mayors of this area got together and they decided to reopen. Now they're excluded from phase one but they did reopen parks, waterways and also other public spaces in this area with restrictions they are requiring face coverings and social distancing. Now not everybody is following the rules. We checked in with Miami Beach, the police they're telling us that they have issued about 1500 warnings to park goers who are not wearing face coverings or who are not social distancing. Now COVID-19 has created another huge issue in these three counties. Feeding South Florida reports an increase of 600 percent and the demand of people needing food assistance. Now because there's been a stay-at-home order, there's been a decrease in volunteers. So hear this, the Florida National Guard has been deployed to these food banks to help pack and sort food to make sure that people in this area get fed. Now when it comes to the rest of the state, excluding these three counties, phase one kicks off on Monday. This allows restaurants and retail to reopen at 25 percent capacity indoors. Now restaurants will be allowed to serve outdoors but the seating has to be six feet apart. Now schools will still remain close because again, this is only phase one. And, Fred, gyms and hairdressers will still be closed as well. Again, it's only phase one editing excludes these counties with the most cases reported in the State of Florida. Fred?</s>WHITFIELD: All right. Rosa Flores in Miami. Thank you so much. All right. In Georgia officials are reporting more than 1200 new cases. Just one week after allowing hair salons, gyms, bowling alleys to reopen. CNN, Natasha Chen joins me now from Alpharetta, Georgia, north of Atlanta. So, what are you seeing there, Natasha?</s>NATASHA CHEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Fred, this is an outdoor mall, just north of Atlanta, as you said. And this mall, Avalon is actually recommending that its guests to wear face coverings when they come on property. They are giving them out at the concierge. They say they've given out about 20 of them today. And the reason we're not wearing them right at this moment is we're not seeing a ton of people really close to us at this point. We're actually seeing fewer people than we saw yesterday, and yesterday was the first time in about six weeks that the retail shops could reopen. Of course, there were restaurants and a couple nail salons here on property that could already open as of last week.</s>CHEN: There are about 100 tenants here at the Avalon property and only about 20 of them are open right now. That includes the restaurants and nail salons. And the retail shops open are mostly doing curbside pickup or appointment shopping only. Here's what the mall management said about how they are preparing for more people coming back.</s>ANIELA RESPRESS, AREA GENERAL MANAGER, NORTH AMERICAN PROPERTIES: Sanitizing stations, we have implemented a one-way street at Avalon. We've spaced all the furniture out as you can see, but it's really everybody's comfort level whenever they're ready to leave their house. Avalon is there to be the place for the community to come out to.</s>KATE MARTIN, SHOPPER: I'm a nurse, so instinctively I think like still too contagious. It's a very contagious disease. So, I still think it might be little too soon to come back out and be this close together. So, we'll see.</s>CHEN: But you're here.</s>MARTIN: Yes. I am.</s>CHEN: And so we actually talked to that customer while she was waiting in line for a women's clothing shop just behind us. That's one of the shops here that's actually opening its doors for people to come inside. But they're only allowing 10 people maximum at a time and that includes their employees. So that's why there was a wait outside. They're also being very careful about steaming every piece of clothing after every customer has tried it on. They're disinfecting the fitting rooms after each person. So, a lot of these businesses are doing their best to try and sanitize the place while still making business. And we can tell from the people who have brought their families here today that they are eager to get out in the sun. Not all of them are noticing the rules or following them. You -- we -- you heard about the one-way walkways. There are stickers on the ground to show you which way you're supposed to walk, we've noticed some people who just don't notice that that's the rule. And in one case, I even saw management telling people they were walking the wrong way and they just flat out disregarded the manager. So, there are various responses here from people. But the shops again tentatively opening trying to be careful.</s>WHITFIELD: All right. Natasha, where that clothing store must be something else that people were lined up outside, anxious to get in this first weekend. All right. Thank you so much. Natasha Chen. They're in Alpharetta, Georgia.</s>CHEN: Thank you.</s>WHITFIELD: All right. Turning now to Texas where the governor is allowing many businesses to reopen including stores and restaurants. CNN's Ed Lavandera is in Dallas. So Ed, what has the reaction there been like?</s>ED LAVANDERA, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Fredricka. Well, we are in Bishop Arts District which is a cool little area just southwest of downtown Dallas. It's on a spring beautiful day like today. It should be filled with people, these streets going in and out of the boutique stores, the restaurants, ice cream shops, what have you. You see behind me just not many people turning out. There are some stores that are open. It really kind of captures the dynamic that we're seeing play out here in Texas. This being the first day or the first weekend, I should say, of the stay-at-home order, statewide being lifted. And businesses, retail stores, movie theaters, restaurants, allowed to open at 25 percent capacity. And what we're really finding is all different types of businesses trying to figure out how to make this work. Just a little while ago, we met Denise Manoy who owns a boutique clothing shop here in Bishop Arts. She can describe to us all the different things that she's doing to protect herself, for employees and her customers. She's only taking customers by appointment only. And she says that's a way to control costs, since they're not making much money. They're keeping the lights off, the air conditioning off until a customer shows up. That's the kind of detail that some of these business owners are thinking about. But weighing over all of them is this idea in this question of whether or not the economy is reopening too quickly. And we asked her about that.</s>DENISE MANOY, OWNER, INDIGO 1745: For me, I feel like I have to almost plan for that. I have to plan for what ifs now. If everything goes well, there's this and then we come back out too fast or something happens. We have a second spike, then I have to plan for that. I have to have A, B and C plans now. I can't just -- I'm not comfortable assuming it's going to be one way or the other.</s>LAVANDERA: And Fredricka, one of the things I found incredibly poignant about talking to Denise is she opened her store just before the economic collapse of 2008, 2009. She says this experience is far more difficult to prepare for and to handle than that collapsed 12 years ago.</s>WHITFIELD: Wow. And then potentially to rebound as well. All right. Ed Lavandera, thank you so much. All right. Now to New York City where the pandemic has some residents questioning whether to move to a less populated area altogether.</s>WHITFIELD: Our Athena Jones has that.</s>CHLOE JO DAVIS, NEW YORK RESIDENT: I've been inside for 48 days, now with three little boys.</s>ATHENA JONES, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Lifelong New Yorker Chloe Davis never imagined leaving her beloved city until now.</s>DAVIS: The challenge for me as a parent and for the kids themselves.</s>JONES: Davis and her husband were already used to working from home but weeks spent cramped inside their rented two-bedroom apartment, homeschooling their three young sons and caring for rescue pets have changed her calculation.</s>DAVIS: In a way our life has changed the least of all our friends because we're so used to being at home together, but also it's scary and you don't know what's to come down the pipeline, you know, financially.</s>JONES: Her family is now looking to leave the density of New York City where the coronavirus has confined them indoors for the space available in the suburbs. They hope to move to a less expensive home with a yard in Connecticut or Westchester. Davis acknowledges they are fortunate to have the means to even consider such a move. But even for them, it has been challenging to find an affordable match.</s>DAVIS: The problem is, is that there very few rentals in these places. So once again goes back to, you know, the class issue of who can run out and buy a house right away versus who can rent.</s>JONES: The Davis' are not alone and their desire to flee a crowded city. Alison Bernstein, whose company's Suburban Jungle helps city dwellers relocate to the suburbs says she's now fielding three times the call she was this time last year from families in search of greener pastures. Fewer crowns, more space, and a better quality of life.</s>ALISON BERNSTEIN, FOUNDER, SUBURBAN JUNGLE: There's no end in sight. So, if somebody said, hey, this is six weeks and you're going to be fine, it would be a different animal. But these people are like what happens to the second wave</s>JONES: After years of growth, New York City's population had already begun to slowly decline in 2017.</s>WILLIAM FREY, BOOKINGS INSTITUTION DEMOGRAPHER: It's not just to New York thing, it's a kind of softening of growth among cities all over the country.</s>JONES: Chicago and Los Angeles saw similar trends as the economy picked up in the suburbs and elsewhere. But some fear COVID-19 could supercharge the trend here. Already budget officials estimate the city could shed nearly half a million jobs by early 2021 due to the COVID- 19 crisis, leading to nearly $10 billion in lost tax revenue which could force steep cuts to basic services like schools, transit, law enforcement and trash collection. As well as things like parks and museums, making the city less attractive, much as it did during the steep population declines of the 1970s.</s>FREY: As a quality of life goes down in New York, you know, it will spiral, more people won't want to come here. New Yorkers will likely leave and so, you know, it's absolutely important for the city to hold on to its population and keep that exodus from happening.</s>JONES: Still, there is reason for hope.</s>FREY: New York has been counted out before and after 911. And after the Great Recession, New York came back stronger than ever.</s>JONES: And Gen Zers could lead the way.</s>FREY: Once the economy comes back just a little bit, cities are going to be very attractive the Gen Zers, just like cities were attractive millennials back when the Great Recession was at its peak.</s>JONES: Athena Jones, CNN New York.</s>WHITFIELD: All right. Still ahead. Protests and anger spilling out into the streets of Orange County, California. People upset with the closure of beaches and now some cities are taking their fights to court. Plus, as some states reopen one city in New Mexico under emergency restrictions but tough new rules affecting thousands of people. Then later, the experimental drug remdesivir has been approved to treat hospitalized patients with coronavirus but how safe is it?