Health Experts Warn People of COVID Peak; President Trump Want to Reopen the Economy; Gov. Chris Sununu (R-NH) Was Interviewed About His Decision to Let Mail-in Voting as Coronavirus Continue to Spread
ERIN BURNETT, CNN HOST: OutFront's next breaking news. President Trump pressing to reopen the government in just weeks as the U.S. suffers its deadliest day since the outbreak began. Plus, New Hampshire now allowing voters to mail-in their November ballots because of the outbreak, it's an option Trump has railed against, calling it corrupt and fraudulent. New Hampshire's Republican governor responds. And the Trump campaign trying to paint Joe Biden as weak when it comes to China in the pandemic and they're doing it by implying a former United States governor as a Chinese official. Andrew Yang responds. Let's go OutFront. And good evening. I'm Erin Burnett. OutFront tonight, the breaking news. The U.S. reporting the most deaths in a single day because of coronavirus, 1,935. It is a grim milestone coming on the same day President Trump says he wants to relax restrictions as soon as possible. But a new federal projection reportedly warns of a possible infection spike if it's done too soon. And today the president's top coronavirus expert warning that now is not the time to let up on social distancing.</s>DR. ANTHONY FAUCI, DIRECTOR, NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF ALLERGY AND INFECTIOUS DISEASES: It's important to remember that this is not the time to feel that since we have made such important advance in the sense of success of the mitigation that we need to be pulling back at all.</s>BURNETT: Yet, tonight, the aides are working on plans to re-open the government, perhaps as soon as May 1st. It is a choice, the president says, for him is like no other.</s>DONALD TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: I don't know that I've had a bigger decision, but I'm going to surround myself with the greatest minds. I want to get it open as soon as we can. We have to get our country opened. I only hope to God that it's the right decision. But I would say without question it's the biggest decision I've ever had to make.</s>BURNETT: We have a lot to get to tonight. I want to start with Kaitlan Collins. She is out front, live in Washington at the White House. Kaitlan, the president adamant that he wants to re-open the country as soon as possible, but it seems clear that he understands that if -- if he makes a mistake, this will be on him.</s>KAITLAN COLLINS, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Erin. I think he's right when he says this could be one of the biggest decisions of his presidency because depending on which way it goes, it's going to have reverberations for not only, you know, what could happen in November, but also for the president's legacy. And so, you saw him so hesitant to put a date on really what he's thinking today. That comes after he had to already back off the Easter deadline, which, of course, is going to happen this weekend and that is not going to look like what the president initially wanted it to. And so, the question really is, what does the president decide ultimately? Because we know internally his team is already looking at opening country next month. Some of them are even focusing on that May 1 deadline, specifically looking at what that would look like. But listen to what Dr. Fauci said when asked today what the country would look like once those guidelines that they put out have been relaxed.</s>FAUCI: So, don't let anyone get any false ideas that when we decide at a proper time when we're going to be relaxing some of the restrictions, there's no doubt you're going to see cases -- I would be so surprised if we did not see cases. The question is how you respond to them.</s>BURNETT: I mean --</s>COLLINS: So, you see, as we have seen for -- yes, still a very different remark coming from the health experts than from the president.</s>BURNETT: So, you know, Kaitlan, it's pretty incredible when he says that, that there will be cases. Of course, there will. I guess it's a question of how many. And the president -- you're talking about Dr. Fauci, Kaitlan, but also is going to be bringing in a group of business leaders, I understand to make his decision. What more can you tell us about that?</s>COLLINS: Yes, this is going to be the second task force and it's only focused on re-opening the economy. And we're told it's not going to be as formal as the first one you've seen where they meet every day for an hour and a half to two hours typically, they come out and brief reporters. But it's going to be a mix of officials like the treasury secretary, the president's top economic advisers but also some private sector economic experts as well. Because those are going to be the people focused on what that's going to look like. Because while the president said today he has the authority over whether or not states and the country largely re-opens, we know it's going to be up to governors, but they are also going to be seeking guidance from the federal government on when they think the best practices could be just like they were on these social distancing guidelines.</s>BURNETT: We've also heard a lot, Kaitlan, about the racial disparities. And they are pretty stunning in terms of the coronavirus impacts. Hitting communities of colors, specifically African Americans, the hardest. And the president said, you know, a couple of days ago they were going to be coming out with a lot more information and statistics in the next day or two. What are they saying now?</s>COLLINS: Yes, one of those is that one in three of the people who end up having to go to the hospital that get diagnosed with the coronavirus are African American. And so, the surgeon general addressed that directly today in personal terms where at one point he was talking about his own health issues. Where he's carried an asthma with him, he says, his entire life. But listen to what his message was for people who are out there and think that maybe they are not vulnerable to getting coronavirus.</s>DR. JEROME ADAMS, U.S. SURGEON GENERAL: The chronic burden of medical ill is likely to make people of color especially less resilient to the ravages of COVID-19, and if possibly, in fact likely, that the burden of social ills is also contributing. We need you to do this, if not for yourself, then for your abuela, do it for your granddaddy. Do it for your big mama, do it for your popup.</s>COLLINS: So, Erin, the surgeon general was saying make sure you are checking in on family members and people to make sure that they're OK during this time period. And he said he wanted to make clear he did not think this was any kind of genetic or biological reason why you're seeing minorities end up with different cases, different numbers than what we are seeing from other races and stuff. He was saying that it's really a social thing and that's why he wanted to issue that message, saying, you know, here is what's going on, here's what we're seeing. We're still getting more information, but we want to make sure everyone is taking the proper precautions as we move forward.</s>BURNETT: All right. Kaitlan, thank you very much. And the number of cases in the United States has now crossed the half a million mark. That happened just tonight, just a short time ago. So now more than half a million Americans. And while the president may be eager to re-open the nation, both Los Angeles County and the State of Vermont have now extended their formal stay-at-home orders by at least another month. And that takes them well into the middle of May. And across the country tonight, there are signs of, well, different places are in different places when it comes to that so-called curve. Nick Watt is out front.</s>NICK WATT, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There are triumphs, cheers for the recovered. Numbers in New York's ICUs are actually down for the first time. Some encouraging signs.</s>DR. DEBORAH BIRX, WHITE HOUSE CORONAVIRUS RESPONSE COORDINATOR: We're starting to level on the log rhythmic phase like Italy did about a week ago because of the impact of what the citizens of New York and New Jersey and across Connecticut and now Rhode Island are doing to really change the course of this pandemic.</s>WATT: But still so much pain. Tara Gabriele's mom now gone, but more than just a statistic.</s>TARA GABRIELE, LOST MOTHER TO CORONAVIRUS: My mother was a real person. She was loving and selfless and kind.</s>WATT: In New York now, the bodies of unclaimed COVID-19 victims being taken to Heart Island for burial. The official death count of more than 5,000 in the city could be undercounted with people dying untested at home. According to the New York Times. That state now has more confirmed reported cases than any country on earth, according to data from John Hopkins University. In L.A. now, you have to wear a mask in a store.</s>MAYOR ERIC GARCETTI (D-CA): If you're not covering your face by Friday morning, an essential business can refuse you service.</s>WATT: But in Florida they're thinking about re-opening schools.</s>GOV. RON DESANTIS (R-FL): If we get to the point where people think that we're on the other side of this and we could get kids back in, even if it's for a couple of weeks, we think that there would be value in that. This particular pandemic is one where I don't think nationwide there's been a single fatality under 25.</s>FAUCI: Yes, people under 25 have died of coronavirus disease in the United States of America.</s>WATT: Florida's governor has now walked that last part back.</s>DESANTIS: Not in Florida. And so, in Florida we've had no fatalities under 25.</s>WATT: And starting tomorrow in Michigan, if you own more than one home in the state, you got to pick one and stay there. In Illinois they're warning all big events could be cancelled until there's a vaccine, months, perhaps even a year or more away. They're also discouraging church services.</s>MAYOR LORI LIGHFOOT (D-IL): Today is Good Friday. Easter Sunday, we have to stay inside.</s>WATT: But in Kansas, the governor is still in a legal battle, hoping to limit church services to 10 people.</s>GOV. LAURA KELLY (D-KS): The need to congregate is important. But not during a pandemic.</s>WATT: And testing remains an issue even weeks into this pandemic. In one study of 51 coronavirus patients, the current test missed 16 of them. An antibody test is said to be days away to identify those recovered and therefore potentially immune and able to return to work, but can the country start to re-open May 1 as the president hopes? And what might be the toll?</s>FAUCI: Don't let anyone get any false ideas that when we decide at a proper time when we're going to be relaxing some of the restrictions, there's no doubt you're going to see cases.</s>WATT: So, yes, here in L.A. County, we were told this afternoon, Erin, that we are going to have to stay home for at least another five weeks, possibly longer, and they say they're extending it because it is working. Now, a sliver of good news. Those stimulus package checks will start being sent out to people next week, according to the IRS. Front of the line, if you have filed your '18 and '19 taxes and gave the IRS your direct debit details. Also, social security recipients, I'm sorry, to the front of the line. Everyone else, I'm afraid to say, it could be weeks or even months before you get that money. Erin?</s>BURNETT: All right. Nick Watt, thank you very much. Of course, they extend the filing deadline to July for last year. But then if you already filed and paid, they put you more towards the front of the line. Well, the president says the facts are going to determine when the time is right to reopen the country. He also says there isn't a big problem with testing nationwide. But of course, do show there is a long way to go. It is often incredibly difficult still to obtain a test across this country. Out front now, Dr. William Schaffner, a leading infectious disease specialist and a CDC adviser. And doctor, it's good to have you back. So, you know, you have the latest numbers coming out from the White House saying thousands of fewer deaths than before. Obviously, that is good news. But this is at the same time as we're finding out that they say, well, if things re-open too quickly, you could see a major spike in terms of new cases. So how does this all play out for you? What are you more concerned about, opening too quickly or not?</s>WILLIAM SCHAFFNER, INFECTIOUS DISEASE SPECIALIST: Well, it's good news but not perfect news, right? We are just at the start of good news, so we have to keep doing what we're doing. We just saw some -- some models here in Nashville. We thought we were going to be peaking in the next couple of weeks or in May, but the models show that we might peak in June. So that took a lot of us aback. So, we have to keep doing, not just in Nashville, but around the country what we're doing for a prolonged period of time yet, I think.</s>BURNETT: So -- SCHAFFNER Because we don't want to open things up and then have the virus come back on us.</s>BURNETT: So, can I just ask you because I know all models depend on inputs. And obviously you've got a lot of inputs going into your model. But what you're saying is it's possible it could go the other direction. You're looking at a model that possibly says, you know, that you could be seeing around Nashville, that the peak being pushed later all the way into June. What changed in terms of the input that made it go from May to June?</s>SCHAFFNER: Well, there are all kind of inputs, as you say, Erin. And one of the questions is how much asymptomatic transmission is going on out there? If there's a whole lot of it, then I think we end a little bit sooner because there are more people who are protected, but if there's not as much as some of my colleagues believe, then we can still see cases going on for quite a bit longer.</s>BURNETT: So, when you look at the issue here, you're also talking about it going into June where there is going to be warm weather. There is no conclusive information, of course, on whether the virus will spread more easily when the weather gets warmer, despite the president, of course, saying it won't. You might remember him saying this, Dr. Schaffner.</s>TRUMP: The coronavirus, they're working hard. It looks like by April, you know, in theory when it gets a little warmer it miraculously goes away.</s>BURNETT: And, you know, the former FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb also said ordinarily with a coronavirus you would see seasonality and drop in the summer, but he was countering that with this is already so wildly out there and it is so transmissible that the dip that you may, you know, see just in terms of the cycle of the virus may not be what people are counting on. It could be out there much more widely.</s>SCHAFFNER: Yes, that's absolutely right. And the normal human coronavirus are somewhat seasonal, but not as seasonal as influenza. They keep smoldering along during the summer. And of course, this is a new virus. And as I like to say I don't know that this virus has read the textbook and knows what to do. So, we can hope for the sunny side of the street, but we have to be aware of the shady side, too. We can't let our guard down.</s>BURNETT: So, what do you think in terms of when to re-open? I know you can't give a hard date, but, I mean, do you think that this country is re-opened in a way that we would all recognize as normal life with festivals and Major League Baseball games this summer? Or is that not part of any equation?</s>SCHAFFNER: Rather than re-open, which sounds like very open, I think about peeking through a little sliver of the door. One -- one step at a time. And then opening it up a little bit more. And then a little bit more. And the mass gatherings, those are the things we'll do last, the concerts, the larger athletic events and, frankly, the weekend religious services.</s>BURNETT: You would say those would be among the last?</s>SCHAFFNER: I would because those are mass gatherings which bring people very close together intimately and the virus loves that.</s>BURNETT: All right. Thank you very much, Dr. Schaffner. I appreciate your time again. And OutFront next, the politics in the age of a pandemic. You're going to meet the Republican governor who just broke with the president on a key way to keep voters safe in November. Plus, Andrew Yang joins me on the growing unemployment crisis and how to pull this country out of an economic pandemic. Plus, is antibody testing our best hope for escaping isolation? We have a special report from Sanjay Gupta.