Trump Issues Reopening Guidelines; Number of Dead in Wuhan Revised Upwards
HALA GORANI, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Hala Gorani. Welcome to our special pandemic coverage this hour. And we start in the United States. "It is up to you," that is Donald Trump's message to governors, as he sets out guidelines for reopening the country. I'll be speaking this hour to the governor of Connecticut. Also, the number of dead in Wuhan, the original epicenter of this entire outbreak, has been revised upwards, significantly, by 50 percent. We'll tell you why. And in France, Emmanuel Macron is warning the European Union this crisis could be an existential moment of truth. We're live in France.</s>ATHENA JONES, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): President Trump revealing the White House's new guidelines for opening up America again. With no start date, his three-step plan outlines an effort to gradually restart the economy, beginning in areas least affected by the coronavirus pandemic.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: We took the greatest economy in the history of the world and we closed it in order to win this war and we're in the process of winning it now. We are not opening all at once, but one careful step at a time.</s>JONES: In phase one, a soft reopening of parts of the United States. For example, while the vulnerable still shelter in place, working from home will still be encouraged, but some Americans can slowly begin to go back to their offices, and businesses like restaurants and gyms could open using strict safety measures, but no large gatherings. Phase two will relax some social distancing efforts like opening schools, and allowing elective surgeries and nonessential travel again. For phase three, normal life resumes as much as possible. No staffing restrictions at work, and big sporting and entertainment venues will be back in business again with limited restrictions. Those most vulnerable asked to still practice social distancing while they're in public spaces.</s>DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASE: Not every state, not every region will do it at the same time. Sooner or later, we will get to the point, hopefully sooner, with safety as the most important thing, to a point where we can get become to some form of normality.</s>JONES: But before states begin the path to lifting restriction restrictions, the guidelines suggest they have a decrease of coronavirus cases across a two-week period, a return of pre-crisis hospital conditions, and an adequate supply of personal protective equipment for healthcare workers and have ability to set up screening sites.</s>DR. DEBORAH BIRX, WHITE HOUSE CORONAVIRUS TASK FORCE COORDINATOR: The criteria the federal government recommended are fairly strict and that's to give states really the time to really set up exactly how they're going to contact trace with the CDC in the background as supporting.</s>JONES: While unveiling the plans in a phone call with governors, a source familiar with the conversation said the president told them you are going to call your own shots. And that's what many state leaders are already doing.</s>GOV. LAURA KELLY (D-KS): Our thought process is right now is that we would look at what areas in the state of Kansas could we start using these take it slow guidelines to reopen.</s>GOV. JOHN CARNEY (D-DE): I'm still saying stay at home, stay safe, we're still not out of this, we still haven't peaked.</s>GORANI: All right. And that was Athena Jones reporting. Let's bring in Joe Johns. He's at the White House. What is behind Donald Trump's decision after having claimed he has total authority to order the reopening of America? What is behind his decision to now shift that authority and the decision-making to local and state officials?</s>JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Hala, to be honest with you, this was a bit of smoke and mirrors. The president never had the authority to tell the states what to do. The United States Constitution is not set up that way. In fact, it is -- I haven't been able to find anybody here at the White House who told the president he had the authority to do such a thing. The Constitution, the 10th Amendment, states rights, all of these are pretty well-settled. The issues in the United States, the other factor is, quite frankly, it was states who were enforcing the shutdown orders, it was the states that put the shutdown orders in place. So if the president had initially declared an emergency and then said, for a brief period, there would be a shutdown, he might have had a better standing in which to say he was going to lift it, but since he didn't wade in that way, it was very difficult to see how the president could even try to do this without an enormous court battle in a time of crisis in the United States -- Hala.</s>GORANI: All right, appreciate the update. Thanks very much, Joe Johns. Let's speak now to the governor of the state of Connecticut, Ned Lamont. He's joining me now live from Hartford. Governor, your state is approaching 1,000 coronavirus deaths and you've announced the establishment of a committee, an advisory board to reopen Connecticut. What is the plan? What is the timeline?</s>GOV. NED LAMONT (D-CT): I've got business leaders large and small and members of the scientific community co-chairing this, leading forward, to give people a sense that we're going to be strict about our social distancing, and that's the best way to curve this virus. But in the medium term, we're thinking about what we do going forward. What schools we can open, what businesses we can open, and how we do that.</s>GORANI: Mm-hmm. Yes, and the -- I have spoken to so many over the last few weeks, top scientific minds around the world, who warn against reopening parts of the economy too soon, that there is a real risk of a second peak, especially considering your proximity to New York, which is the hardest hit epicenter in the United States. What are your concerns? Do you have any concerns you might be moving too quickly here?</s>LAMONT: We haven't made any decisions. All we're doing is doing extensive testing, getting our PPE, seeing what we can think about. We're not going to make any determinations for a month because we just don't have the information right now. But, yes, I see what's going on in Singapore. I see a second surge happening there, because perhaps people move too quickly and took their eye off the ball when it came to social distancing.</s>GORANI: Uh-huh. What about how other governors are reacting? You've said to CNN that governors are united. I know you're speaking with some of your -- some of governors and other states, regional -- regionally connected to yours. But then you have other governors. For instance, in Missouri, Mike Parson, did not issue a stay at home order until April 6th. The governor of Florida provided loopholes for mass gatherings. Are you concerned some part of the United States might not be taking the threat as seriously as your state is?</s>LAMONT: I don't want any false complacency. And we have a lot of snow birds that go down to Florida during the winter. But then they come back to Connecticut in the summer.</s>GORANI: Yes.</s>LAMONT: You asked about perhaps a second surge. That could be a second surge. That is in part what happened in Hong Kong, isn't it? A lot of travelers coming back.</s>GORANI: Yes. Yes, indeed. So how concerned are you that other states might not be taking this as seriously, that perhaps they're providing too many loopholes for mass gatherings because what happens in one state will impact another?</s>LAMONT: I can tell you what we are doing. I'm working closely with all of our regional governors and that's so important. It doesn't do me any good to close down bars and restaurants if across the border in, say, Rhode Island or New York, the bars and restaurants are open. And people are going back and forth and infecting each other. So, governors are working on a regional basis, and that's a good start.</s>GORANI: What's your reaction to the president initially as we have been reporting, falsely claiming he has authority over the states to order the economy reopened and now saying, look, it's up to you. What's your response the way you're hearing from federal authorities?</s>LAMONT: He's sometimes thinking out loud. We don't overreact. He talked two weeks ago about a mandatory quarantine of all of New York, we worked through that, and made that voluntary. Then when he talked about having the feds dictate to every state what exactly they're going to do, we worked through that and he came back with a directive that says here is our guidance, but it's up to you, Governor.</s>GORANI: What about his decision or his announcement to defund the World Health Organization? This is something that obviously on CNN International we cover this pandemic very much from a global perspective. And the WHO has come under criticism for perhaps reacting a little bit too late to the pandemic, but essentially seen as a centralized organization that is useful right now in the midst of this health crisis. What do you think about the United States withdrawing its funding?</s>LAMONT: I think it's the wrong move. I think we need the WHO more than ever. I need the WHO more aggressive early on. I need the CDC and the American efforts more aggressive earlier on as well. There's no time to point fingers at this point. We need the WHO. A pandemic is worldwide these days.</s>GORANI: And for your state, Connecticut, one of the key components of being able to reopen the economy is widespread testing. You mentioned testing, where are you on that for Connecticut? And to provide as many tests as you can.</s>LAMONT: We have a long way to go. Obviously, we've ramped up to 3,000 or 4,000 tests a day. But we're a state of 3.5 million people. We've have got some great labs, they are ramping up, but there is a supply chain for testing. There is a lot of ingredients and vials and swabs. If any one piece is missing, their testing slows down. There, the federal government could be a lot more helpful.</s>GORANI: How many tests have been conducted in Connecticut?</s>LAMONT: About 50,000 so far.</s>GORANI: And your goal is how many?</s>LAMONT: My goal is to do tens of thousands every day. I think that's the best way for us to isolate those who should be quarantined. That's the best way to know who can get back to work sooner.</s>GORANI: All right. Governor Lamont of Connecticut -- thanks so much for joining us. Best of luck to you and all the officials there dealing with this health crisis in your state, and in -- across the country as well. Thank you so much. Appreciate it.</s>LAMONT: Thanks.</s>GORANI: All right. Let's turn our attention now to China. We talked about -- no, in fact, we're going to go to Elizabeth Cohen in a second because we're talking about now next the biggest next hurdle which is not testing but coming up with a vaccine. Testing, of course, but coming up with a vaccine and treatment for COVID-19, which has killed so many people. Coronavirus patients getting a certain drug, a reportedly recovering within days, not weeks, according to this experimental drug. We're showing you an image of it there. The health news website STAT first reported the information after it obtained a video of a conversation about it. Keep in mind, it was just doctors talking. This is not a clinical trial that has gone through all the necessary steps. Of course, it was enough to send the drugmaker's stocks soaring. Senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen joins me now with the details. Talk to us about this drug that is showing some promise according to this medical chatter.</s>ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Right, and it is important to note that it is just medical chatter. These are doctors talking. You know, they said their patients were making a good recovery, but it could have been they would have made a good recovery without the drug as most patients with this illness do. So, this drug could be very useful. It could also turn out to be useless, many treatments and vaccines are being studied right now to treat COVID patients.</s>COHEN (voice-over): It seems to be President Trump's favorite drug.</s>TRUMP: I think it could be something rally incredible.</s>COHEN: It's hydroxychloroquine and early study results suggest it might not work and it could cause heart problems. Thursday, the head of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration told "The Washington Post" that he doesn't feel political pressure to push this drug forward as a treatment for COVID 19.</s>DR. STEPHEN HAHN, COMMISSIONER, U.S. FOOD & DRUG ADMINISTRATION: I can promise the American people that FDA will use science and data to drive our decisions always.</s>COHEN: And there are other drugs being studied to see if they might work against the novel coronavirus. On Thursday, in just one day, nearly 40 new clinical trials to study potential treatments for COVID-19 were registered here on this government list of clinical trials. Biotech company Genentech announced Thursday that the FDA had given approval to move on with the next stage in trials for its drug called Actemra, which is already used to treat arthritis and other ailments. A similar drug called Kevzara from manufacturer Regeneron is also being studied to treat COVID-19. And in a video leaked to the health news website STAT, doctors from the University of Chicago discussed how their patients taking an experimental antiviral drug called remdesivir were recovering quickly. But it was literally just talk, not published research. So, no one knows for sure, not yet anyway, whether remdesivir, which was designed but didn't work for Ebola, will work for COVID-19. And beyond drugs, the FDA has put out a call for people to donate blood plasma if they already recovered from coronavirus. Their antibodies could help people who are currently suffering. Studies are under way in New York and universities around the country. The ultimate weapon, a vaccine is moving along at research centers around the world, including at the University of Oxford in England. They announced that they teamed up with an Italian manufacturer to make a vaccine, all with an eye to putting an end to the pandemic.</s>COHEN: Gilead, the company that makes remdesivir, putting out a press release saying wait for the published research, these are just anecdotal reports. Looking back to Ebola, about five years ago, Hala, I can remember there was so much excitement about so many treatments, so many anecdotes that they worked and in the end, they didn't -- Hala.</s>GORANI: Right. Well, I guess any glimmer of hope is something we're going to try -- I'm sure we're going to latch on to. There is also -- there is a biotech company awarded almost half a billion dollars to develop a vaccine. Talk to us about that, the race is really on here when it comes to a vaccine.</s>COHEN: Right. Absolutely. So a division of the U.S. government has given that block, that big chunk of money to Moderna, which is a company that makes vaccines. So, that's one of many companies trying to develop the vaccine obviously with the backing of the U.S. government and that much money, that will make a big difference in allowing them to get their clinical trials up and going.</s>GORANI: All right. Elizabeth Cohen, thanks very much. Ahead on the show, the original COVID-19 epicenter, Wuhan, now reporting a 50 percent increase in the death toll that it had previously announced. And France's president has a stark warning for fellow European leaders. Come together or watch the E.U. crumble.