hello. and welcome to our viewers in the united states and all around the world. i am michael holmes and coming up here on cnn "newsroom," president donald trump makes an apparent aboutface about a quarantine in three northeastern states. hear what changed his mind. england scrambling for hospital beds. we are live in madrid and london. and love in the time of coronavirus. hear from the man who risked it all to pop the question. thanks for your company,

everyone. aboutface from president trump ditching the idea that he floated earlier on saturday on what he called a possible quarantine of parts of new york, new jersey, and connecticut. he raised the possibility saturday morning after talking with florida's republican governor. the governor said they discussed people from the hotzones around new york coming to florida, and possibly infecting floridians. mr. trump tweeted his idea of a quarantine and then spoke about it, twice, on saturday. once, when leaving the white house. and, again, in virginia. >> some people would like to see new york quarantined because it's a hotspot. new york, new jersey, maybe one or two other places. certain parts of connecticut quarantined. i'm thinking about that right now. i am now considering -- will make a decision very quickly, very shortly, a quarantine because it's such a hot area of

new york, new jersey, and connecticut. >> now, at that point, the president had, papparently not even spoken to the democratic governors of the three states in question. and got pushback from several political leaders and experts. new york's governor calling it, quite possibly illegal. then, on saturday night, the president issued, via what else? a tweet. this, saying that he was asking the centers for disease control and prevention to issue what he called a strong travel advisory. guidelines from the cdc call for the residents of new york, new jersey, and connecticut to refrain from nonessential domestic travel for 14 days. effective immediately. that's very similar to what governors of those states had already put in place. mr. trump was in virginia to see off the u.s. navy hospital ship comfort. it is now headed to new york to provide hospital beds for non-coronavirus patients. as it makes its way, the u.s.

crossed yet another tragic milestone. at least 2,043 people in the u.s. have died now of coronavirus. and that is double the amount from just two days ago. the number of confirmed cases in the u.s., also skyrocketing. now, topping at least 121,000. and, in italy, another sad smile stone. that country hitting 10,000 deaths at least. increase of at least 889 from the day before. and in the uk, the parking lot of an amusement park turned into a testing center for healthcare workers. while prime minister boris johnson will be sending a letter to every household in great britain, urging them to stay home. things will only get worse before they get better. there is a lot to cover. and as you can see there from all around the world, europe, to asia, to latin america and other regions as well. let's begin, though, in washington with white house correspondent jeremy diamond. >> president trump, on saturday,

backing down in the face of criticism. the president earlier on saturday proposing a quarantine. essentially, restricting travel for any residents of new york and people in parts of new jersey and connecticut. restricting them from traveling to other parts of the country. the president, late saturday night, instead, backing down and proposing this instead. quote, on the recommendation of the white house coronavirus task force and upon consultation with the governors of new york, new jersey, and connecticut, i have asked the cdc to issue a strong travel advisory to be administered by the governors, in consultation with the federal governments. a quarantine will not be necessary. full details will be released by the cdc tonight. that was the president tweeting on saturday night. so what the president is proposing here, it's not clear exactly what the details are. of course, there are already pretty strict restrictions by each of those three states, already in place. take new york, for example. there is a stay-at-home order,

encouraging new yorkers not to leave their homes other than for necessities like getting groceries or getting medicine. so it's not clear what this travel advisory would do to actually change the situation on the ground. but what is clear, though, is the timeline of all this. the president's tweet, backing down from his proposal earlier on saturday morning. came after criticism from new york's governor andrew cuomo. >> this is -- would be a declaration of war on states. a federal declaration of war. and it wouldn't just be new york, new jersey, connecticut. next week, it would be louisiana, with new orleans. and the week after that, it would be detroit in michigan. and it would run all across the nation. >> cuomo made pretty clear that he not only disagreed with this proposal by the president, but that he believed that it would be illegal if implemented. or that the president didn't have the legal authority to actually impose some kind of geographic-based quarantine. what is clear, though, is that

this, in keeping with the president's thinking over the last several days. the president has been eager to get the economy going again and what he's been looking at as this 15-day guidelines are set to lapse in a matter of days is putting in a system that would be more geographic based. looking at the risk in certain areas of the country. but it appears the president's initial attempt to do something that would be geographic based, at least something that would be federally enforceable, so far, has not come to fruition. jeremy diamond. cnn washington. >> and an infant in chicago who tested positive for the coronavirus has died. the baby, not even a year old. and an investigation is underway into the cause of death. ryan young with more from chicago. >> reporter: in the state of illinois, they are bracing themselves to see what happens next. of course, chicago has been picked as a place that could be a potential hotspot in the future. but just today, state officials have confirmed there are over 3,000 cases in the state.

over 400 new cases in the last 24 hours. but something that's very concerning that stands out. there has been a child, under the age of 1, that tested positive for the coronavirus that has passed away. they are going to do a full investigation to figure out exactly why this child died. but it's obviously something healthcare officials will be paying attention to. we also talked to a doctor who worked in an icu here in the chicago area. dr. omar latif tells us, as of right now, his icu is making sure that patients are comfortable and being taken care of. but, at the same time, he is looking at preparations for what could happen next. >> regardless of where we are today, the reality is there is an opportunity and a very real potential of running out of ventilators. and that has to do with the net number of patients. there is a fixed amount of resources in chicago. and while, today, there are icu beds that are available and ventilators that are available. that does not mean tomorrow there will be or the next day there will be. if there is exponential growth, just like other cities in the

world, we will run out of those resources. >> healthcare officials are also concerned about clusters. in fact, one group at a church, seems like a group of them have all gotten sick from the coronavirus. there was cases at a local jail. the cook county jail. where the sheriff actually taken the extraordinary step of moving some of those inmates outside the jail facility to make sure the coronavirus doesn't spread. healthcare officials are also watching that because they want to make sure that it doesn't overwhelm the healthcare systems around the area if several people were to get sick at the same time. the other part they're stressing. social distancing and people staying home. be interesting to see if the street stays clear as they've been for the last few hours. reporting in which i c reporting in chicago, ryan young, cnn. >> here to discuss more about this is dr. raj kelsey. he is an emergency medicine physician. doctor, really appreciate you taking the time. you know, i was watching an interview you did here on cnn -- i think it was 10 or 11 days

ago. you said you were scared. i'm just wondering has that feeling grown? or abated? >> it's grown. but we are now starting to see a surge. a surge that has been a phenomenon, a concept, in the clinical word, has now been happening to us. so we were watching internationally first and the epicenter at new york and now, we are starting to experience these patients coming in. and they're -- they're coming in more quickly, and they're coming in more sick. and they're needing to be either ventilated or they're about to be ventilated. and the fear that we have is multifactorial. almost like we talked about the last time i was on. will we have enough equipment? will we be able to depart from our covid tunnelvision as doctors and make sure we don't miss other diagnoses, which is really important. and will we have the staff to be

well enough and healthy enough to maintain all of the efforts that we need to give to the community? >> yeah. i think a lot of people -- you know, it's easy to forget that you guys are busy anyway, normally, before all of this with heart attacks and strokes and car accidents and the like. i -- one thing that you talked about is the standard procedure when a patient is, i think, in the hospital, as they call it, crashing. you know, in immediate risk of -- of dying. i mean, you got a team that races in. the crash team. to respond. but, in this environment, everyone has to stop and gear up and that -- that must take precious time, right? >> absolutely, michael. you bring up a great point. and this is such a change in paradigm for everything us, nurses and doctors and technicians, all healthcare workers, are intrinsically designed to do. and we -- we are rooted in compassion. and the compassion is race into the fire like police officers and firefighters race into the line of fire or the fire itself. and -- and -- and potential

injury. we race into that crashing patient. and the problem is, now, we have to take our time. we have to don, meaning apply, protective equipment and that mea takes time. we have to coordinate a strategy to quickly assess this patient, intubate them, ventilate them. this concept you're all hearing about. and then limit exposure to my staff and other patients nearby, so that we don't infect other people. and we maintain the status of our department. >> yeah. and -- and -- and not infect yourselves. i mean, you're the guys most needed at the moment. it is interesting. as often happens in times of war, as well. the human side can get lost in the sheer numbers. try to give us a sense of the emotional toll on workers dealing with what they're dealing with. seeing patients die, perhaps when they wouldn't under different circumstances. >> michael, i have the honor of having worked a shift today at one of my bigger institutions. we have 400 beds and i am honored to work at that institution with amazing people. just amazing people.

who i hope are watching now. and i'm speaking for them and we had to tell two patients. one over the phone, two daughters, that their mother was going to be a dnr. and because of this covid pandemic, we couldn't do more resuscitative efforts. fortunately, these were amazing family members who did not want their mother to suffer more. so they allowed me to be compassionate and keep her comfortable. another patient who was very young, 54, and suffering from cancer. we had to pull back the resuscitative efforts. and the family understood. and this was a challenge because, that one, i had to face in the hospital, with the family right at my elbowside and explain to the patient also who was quite aware and quite mentally aware to process the situation that this is just a terrible time, internationally. and it's just so unfortunate, michael, to see these patients

die alone because when we do declare that they are covid ruleouts, meaning they could have covid, they are not able to have family at the bedside unless they are imminently dying because of the risk of co-infecting all of us or other people. >> that -- that is just horrific. i don't know how you -- you and your team bear that. the families, obviously. you know, having to tell families. but patients, too. and -- and tell them that. i mean, there have now been -- it's well over 50 doctors in italy who have died. many other healthcare professionals, as well. i mean, you must have genuine concerns about you, your team, medical workers, in general, being taken out through -- through all of this. >> look. so a couple things. one is we are screened as we come into all of the hospitals that i work at to make sure we don't have a cough, a sore throat, shortness of breath, or a fever. the minute we flag one of those, those people are pulled out appropriately.

they're pulled out of the game. and the more we lose to those symptoms, whether it's from covid or some other illness, which is very obviously prevalent. like, another type of cold that's not covid. we lose that support. and i have three kids. i have a wife who is a nurse and she works at one of the hospitals i work at. and we are fighting for our patients. and we need to be around. i -- i respect, so much, law enforcement, military, now more than ever. their commitment to the country. this is -- this is our calling. >> yeah. i got to ask you and i'm sure others do as well from time to time. or i hope they do. how -- how are you doing? >> it -- it's hour by hour, michael, sometimes. i have been doing this 15 years, and i've been through some pretty horrific cases even before this pandemic. certainly, nothing to the depths of what's going on internationally. this is something that's so new and different for all of us, as doctors. i have my moments. and i have great, great people.

i have great administration around me who will let me pause, take time, let me vent. and let me just decompress and then get back in the game when i'm ready. and i'm -- i'm honored to be around the nurses and healthcare workers and the doctors that i work with. i truly am. >> are you -- are you shocked that, in the wealthiest country in the world that, it's in this position? importantly that, you know, prior scenario testing, as recently as last year, warned precisely these issues, these challenges, would arise. and pretty much nothing happened. >> you know, i am not a politician, michael. but i'll tell you that it is amazing, in the most amazing country and i'm so proud to be a part of this country, that we don't have more resources available. but this is what we have, michael. and we, as healthcare workers, we need optimism now more than anything. and we will get through this. we will all, together, get through this. and we will get through it only

one way. and that is together. regardless of how this happened, how this came acbout, we have t move forward. we have to salvage lives. we have to salvage families. we have to salvage emotions and we need to, hopefully, by july or august come away from this hole. and i think there is going to be a huge paradigm shift in the field of medicine, in healthcare, after this. unlike we have ever seen in a decade or two. but we need to come out and we need to be here for each other and we have to move forward, michael. >> well, i -- i -- speaking on behalf of the world -- thank you for what you do. you and everyone around you and -- and throughout the world for what you do. bravery, above and beyond. thank you so much, doctor, thank you. >> thank you, michael, for giving us a voice. thank you. >> unbelievable. all right. we'll take a break. when we come back, coronavirus cases spiking all around the world. when we return, we will take a look at britain's sobering milestone and what they're doing

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welcome back. the british government is preparing for a surge of coronavirus cases. workers in london, busy converting london's center into an emergency hospital. on saturday, the department of health reported that more than a thousand people had died from the virus now. the medical director of mhs england addressing that sobering milestone. >> i think the chief scientific advice to the government said recently if we can keep death below 20,000, we will have done very well in this epidemic. it's early, at the moment. and the scientists who are working with government to model what we can expect are, of course, adjusting their predictions now as we start to see the actuality of the epidemic in the uk. >> spain remains europe's second-worst-hit country after italy, of course. zoos, parks, restaurants, appear

to be completely abandoned now. but officials there are showing cautious optimism. the director of spain's center for health emergencies says the disease is stabilizing, and his country's approaching the peak of the curve for coronavirus cases. spain, reporting more than 72,000 cases. at least 5,600 deaths. the latest from europe. journalist al goodman is in the spanish capital, madrid, for us. but let's begin with cnn in london. selma, you know, just talking there about that increase. the largest day-on-day increase of deaths in the uk. more than a thousand people now dead from it. what -- what is the government doing to -- to combat the surge? >> it is, indeed, a very grim milestone, michael. and you can say, at best, the uk government's position right now is precarious. as you know, the prime minister boris johnson has tested positive for coronavirus and is

currently in isolation. the health secretary has tested positive and is in isolation. various other members of the government, showing symptoms and in isolation. so the concern is, is how are they going to lead this battle? how are they going to fight off this pandemic, when so many members of the government are, themselves, suffering from it now? prime minister boris johnson, very much coming out in front of this. he will be sending letters to each and every household in the uk, saying, please, be patient with us. this is going to get worse before it gets better. continue the social distancing measures. continue to support the nhs, the national health services. and let's fight this together. but a great deal of criticism, as well. a leading medical journal publishing that the uk was delayed in responding and -- and putting out these measures. saying that they have left the health services wholly unprepared. and that patients will die unnecessarily. very stark words there. but, as you heard from that pressor earlier, that the uk would do well if it kept the

death toll below 20,000, rather, really, this will end up being measured in number of lives lost, michael. unfortunately, that's the only way we are going to find out how successful the uk has been in battling this. >> it is just a sobering and horrible to hear, you know, a senior health person like that say, boy, if we can keep it under 20,000, we done good. i mean, a horrible thing to have to hear. another aspect i know you have been looking at. we're seeing around the world, a lot of gratitude for healthcare workers. i know you have been looking into that. >> that's right, michael. i was at a hospital just friday. one of the only four trauma centers in london. and there was really a sense of urgency there. the healthcare workers wouldn't allow the journalists onsite at the hospital. they were trying to minimize exposure. there were new guidelines about who would be allowed in and out of the hospital. we are hearing reports of course of people, nurses and other medical staff, who are -- the

proper ppe. but so far, the public message has been we are preparing for this. and the most important thing is to keep those critical workers, key workersers those nurses and doctors and staff that will actually be taking care of these patients, that will be fighting on the front lines of the pandemic. the most important thing is to keep them healthy, and to keep them safe. yesterday, the uk announcing that there will be testing measures in place for nhs workers. that, of course, is to keep them from infecting others. meanwhile, keeping them able to work in these hospitals. uk very much aware of thousands across europe, thousands of medical workers across europe, who have contracted this virus. and really trying to avoid the same fate, michael. >> all right. good to have you there, thanks, selma. let's go to madrid where al goodman is standing by. spain, still being hit hard by this pandemic. but -- but some positive signs. tell us the latest. >> hi, michael. well, officials are cautiously optimistic that they are going to finally start to flatten this curve. now, the city, as you mentioned

earlier, is basically empty. the streets. just take a look at this boulevard here. this is right near my house. no one -- no one buying a newspaper yet but they want it to be even emptier. prime minister announcing saturday night on national tv that the -- the government is going to require all nonessential workers to stay home. so, under the state of emergency, the lockdown order that's already been in effect two weeks is going on for another two. only people with essential activities were able to go out, go to the food store, you can go to work. now, for instance, construction workers, all that will stop because they are trying to continue to reduce the movement of people in the streets, through the metros and buses, on the job sites so they can lower the new infection rate. so that they can lower the pressure on the intensive care units, and they can possibly save more lives. now, the government, expected to do that in a special cabinet meeting this morning.

recent -- just yesterday, came out with another measure saying that employers cannot use the coronavirus as an excuse to fire workers. that's a move supported by unions, not by all the businesses. and these nonessential workers, who are now going to be furloughed, will get paid. and they will have to make up the hours to their companies in the coming -- when -- when this is all over. michael. >> all right, al. thanks. appreciate you being there for us on the spot in madrid. al goodman. well, describing scenes of horror has ecuador wrestled with the coronavirus pandemic. coming up. why it could be a sign of things to come for latin america. we'll be right back. ♪ i know that there'll be better days ♪ we are all one jeep community and we can help. so we're offering payment assistance, 24/7 support and the option to shop at jeep.com. we're offering 0% financing for 84 months with no payments for 90 days.

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welcome back, everyone. to our viewers in the united states, all around the world, i am michael holmes. you are watching cnn "newsroom." let's check the headlines for you this hour. president trump, backing off his idea to put parts of new york, new jersey, and connecticut under quarantine. instead, the centers for disease control and prevention advises that people refrain from nonessential travel for 14 days. that is very similar to what those states' governors had already put in place. italy reporting a grim milestone. the country's civil protection agency announcing that the death toll from the coronavirus had crossed the 10,000 mark on saturday. the country has surpassed china in the number of cases and deaths. workers in london, busy converting the xl center into an emergency hospital. this comes as the uk reported its own milestone. on saturday, the department of health confirming more than a thousand people have now died

from the virus. china wants the world to know that life is getting back to normal in covid-19's epicenter. state media showing that public transportation is coming back online in wuhan, where it all began. this is only a partial reopen, and health checks are still in place. but passengers with face masks are filtering back into the metro system. in japan, meanwhile, the virus is pushing the country to the brink of a national emergency. saturday, japan reporting its biggest single-day jump in cases. nearly 200. prime minister shinzo abe, urging people to avoid crowds and limit their outings so japan won't have to impose the strict measures seen in europe. and he is pushing for a massive aid package to help soften the impact on the economy. cnn's will ripley is in tokyo for us. the prime minister says japan barely hanging on, on the verge of a state of emergency. is there a sense that, you know, in a way, they're a little late

to the game in getting serious about this? >> a lot of people are, certainly, asking the question, michael, why all of this is happening only after the olympic postponement? it just took a couple days before all of a sudden japanese officials started talking about the spike in the number of reported cases. then said they are considering a lockdown for tokyo. measures that seemed unthinkable a short time ago. and the message may have gotten to some japanese too late. huge crowds pack tokyo's river. the viewing of the cherry blossoms. they gather, despite increasingly dire warnings from the japanese government. warnings that coronavirus cases could see a major spike. >> the situation is very, very severe. >> kenji sees the crowds from his apartment window. >> what do you think when you see all these people outside, some not wearing masks, close together? >> not good. yeah. feel very worried. >> the japanese government is

worried, too. tokyo governor koike calls the situation severe. cooperation, critical. she says this may be the japanese capital's last chance to flatten the curve. >> we would like to see each resident share the sense of crisis, she says. do what you can to avoid spreading it. koike is asking people to stay home, avoid nonessential travel, be vigilant to slow the spread. so far, it's not working. despite guidelines to work from home, many offices, this week, full. public transportation, packed. bars and restaurants, open. this weekend, the city's relaxed mood does seem to be changing. the park's famous cherry blossoms closed. along with many department stores and around 500 starbucks. the iconic shibuya crossing, always packed, on saturday, empty. people preparing for the kind of restrictions on business and travel that other nations

imposed weeks, or even months, ago. japanese prime minister shinzo abe is moving closer to declaring a state of emergency just days after announcing the tokyo olympics will be postponed. experts warn of a steep price in human life if coronavirus spreads rapidly in this rapidly aging society. >> very dangerous. coronavirus very dangerous to all the people. >> you have a lot of senior citizens. >> yeah. yeah. yeah. in hospitals and nursing home. >> dr. masahiro kami is director of medical governance institute. he says most coronavirus patients in japan are likely showing few, if any, symptoms. japan claims it can process close to 8,000 tests per day. in reality, they are testing less than one-sixth of that number. averaging around 1,200 tests per day. the health ministry says, as of friday, just 27,000 people have been tested.

27,000 people in a country of 125 million. leading many in japan to wonder how many cases are really out there? that really is the big question, michael, because you think about the fact they've only tested 27,000 people. and they now have 2,200-plus cases. that is counting the diamond princess cruise ship but when you test more, you find more. and to get a handle on the outbreak and get control before it spreads out of control, health experts have said repeatedly you need to test. japan saw this firsthand with the diamond princess situation. yet, their policy continues to be people have to self-quarantine for four days before they even qualify for a test. we have gotten reports of hundreds of doctors being refused tests. and a lot of people are asking, why? now, especially as they are seeing the numbers going up. >> testing. testing. testing. it always goes back to that. the countries that tested widely and often are the ones that get ahead of it first.

extraordinary. will, good to have you there on this story. will ripley for us in tokyo. >> wonder people aren't worried about africa and we are getting a better idea of how the virus is spreading through that continent. the world health organization now reporting 2,600 cases and nearly 50 deaths across the continent. but that is certain to be a wild underestimate. more widespread testing is only just becoming available. the w.h.o.'s director general says only two of the 47 nations in its africa region could do testing when the outbreak started. india reporting its biggest single-day jump in cases saturday. health officials there say nearly 900 total cases, 19 deaths. but, also, not enough testing there. preventing the spread of the virus could be a big challenge in india. as you can see there, thousands of migrant workers trying to leave the big cities because there's no work during the lockdown. they could be taking the virus

home. some local governments, arranging for buses to take those stranded migrants home. now, we told you yesterday here on the program about the dire situation in the city in ecuador. they have run out of hospital beds. the clinics are full. we told you they were building mass graves there. now, raising a chilling alarm about the growing number of dead bodies. she said they have been put outside hospitals. just left there on sidewalks and abandoned in homes because nobody is picking them up. ecuador has reported more than 1,800 cases of coronavirus. more than 40 deaths. lot of concern about latin america. so far, they haven't seen the kind of infection numbers that europe, the u.s., and asia have. but there are fears that could soon change. cnn's matt rivers with more for us from mexico city. >> in latin america, coronavirus cases are spiking. well over 13,000 and counting. that's about ten times higher

than it was 12 days ago, as more and more people keep dying. in ecuador, government workers were seen fumigating streets as its case total climbs. in one coastal city, government officials removed 100 corpses from different homes in three days, according to reuters. some, who died experiencing symptoms of the virus. curfews in place made it difficult for families to get their deceased to funeral homes. similar preventative measures have sprung up elsewhere. in argentina, for example, thousands have been arrested for violating a nationwide curfew. and, in panama, a ban on foreigners entering the country had stranded a cruise ship off its coast. four people have died on the holland america ship zaandam, though it's now allowed to transit the panama canal on its way to florida. two people aboard have tested positive for the virus and, as of friday, 138 more are experiencing flu-like symptoms. >> it pretty much confirmed

along with the news that, yes, we are in a very dire situation. we're hoping that's the end of death. but there's certainly no guarantee of that. >> one of latin america's most dire situations is in brazil. its thousands of cases and dozens of deaths are the most in the region. but even as individual cities like rio de janeiro. soernl med social media accounts that support president bolsonaro, titled brazil can't stop. measures that could hurt the economy shouldn't be used. >> i'm sorry. some people will die. they will die. that's life, he says. you can't stop a car factory because of traffic deaths. >> in mexico, the president had similarly played down the threat for weeks. regularly seen mingling with crowds until a few days ago. though, his government has taken

more action recently. closing businesses and schools and encouraging people to stay home. it's clear some aren't listening. restaurants are allowed to be open, and the streets are much emptier than usual. but finding people out and about isn't hard to do. meanwhile, the number of cases in mexico has about tripled in the last week. >> we have seen this virus devastate china, europe, and the united states. fears this region could be next. matt rivers, cnn, mexico city. we're going to take a quick break. when we come back, another front seems to be emerging in this pandemic. an escalation in domestic abuse cases. when we come back, we'll find out what authorities are doing about it. you're watching cnn. cid serum. with our highest concentration of hyaluronic acid. visibly replumps skin. and reduces wrinkles. revitalift hyaluronic acid serum from l'oréal.

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welcome back. the united nations is warning that domestic violence is likely to increase as more countries issue lockdown orders. cases in france, for example,

have already spiked by more than a third. and women and children living with abuse have few ways to escape under quarantine. cnn's melissa bell looks at the problem and what authorities are doing about it. >> reporter: from above, paris couldn't look more peaceful. but, for some, france's stay-at-home order could prove anything but. behind the doors closed by the country's confinement measures, domestic violence is up with the interior ministry reporting a 36% rise in police interventions in paris, in just one week. the figure came from -- who announced on thursday a new system where women can raise the alarm in pharmacies. one of the few places open. pharmacists told to act as a relay with the police. the government also points to the hotline women can call if they feel they are in danger. a hotline that existed before the outbreak. that line is advertised as being open monday to saturday from 9:00 a.m. till 7:00 p.m. we had

to make a dozen attempts over the course of several hours, this saturday, to get through. french government figures released before the coronavirus pandemic show one woman is killed every three days at the hands of a partner or ex-partner. >> there are cases, of course, where women were already experiencing abuse. and, perhaps, now feel completely trapped with their abuser. in other cases, there can be new instances of abuse that only emerge during a crisis like this. >> so will france's measure help women, who are both more likely to be in greater danger and feeling more cut off from help? >> they try to stay at home during the first week of the containment and one time -- one day, she will say, okay, it's enough. i -- i -- i have to leave to save my life. and then we will have problem because we have not enough place in shelters. >> even before the pandemic, groups were warning that domestic violence was an underreported problem.

the fear is, now, with doors even more firmly shut, it only gets worse. melissa bell cnn paris. >> even during a global pandemic, love can find a way. next, the, quote, cupid things stupid things a young man had to do to get a happy ending. we will be right back. and it still smells fresh.ed pour a cap of downy unstopables into your washing machine before each load and enjoy fresher smelling laundry for up to 12-weeks. not drinking water?ties? we've all committed skin sins! new neutrogena® bright boost... kick-starts dull, tired skin with neoglucosamine... a gentle, non-acid amino sugar exfoliant that works within the surface and boosts cell turnover by 10x. for brighter, wide-awake skin. bright boost. pair with illuminating serum for 3x the brightening power.

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welcome back. love will make you do the most desperate of things, even in a pandemic, even if you're ocean apart. a canadian-egyptian man couldn't wait to see his canadian love who is studying in quebec. especially since he was about to propose to her. many airports were closing down. he spent thousands on a ticket, had temperature checks just to get out of cairo and back to his fiance, he said stay in cairo with his family or catch the last flight to canada to be with my love. he said i believed nowhere was safe and self-ice lasolation wa best course of action love will make you do stupid things.

he joins me from quebec city to talk about this amazing journey. how difficult was it to leave your family behind? i read your article. i mean that moment of saying good-bye to them at the airport. what's going through your mind? >> well, everything happened really quickly. i didn't, i was pretty much set that i was going to be quarantined in egypt for a while. and so when i did get that ticket, just hours before the flight, i was kind of just rushing to get everything prepared and in the back of my mind the whole time was that thought, you know, my parents are both old. they both have health complications. so it was very difficult. i felt tormented by the decision for weeks, just reading up lead it, like i said, i didn't think it would happen. >> we're watching photos of your journey and the empty airports.

you weren't tested at all. even when you got to canada. how worried were you about covid-19 during your journey? >> oh, i was very worried about it. i mean, i don't recommend anyone travel at this point in time, and i know that what i did was kind of silly, because the best strategy here is to stay home, stay isolated. like i said when i went to the airport, i tried to take every precaution i could. and even that week you were seeing airports on the news in chicago, and they were crowded, and it was super frightening, and i thought i was going to get in that situation. but yeah, it was completely surreal to show up to the airport and find that we're the only flight checking in at the time and there was no one really around in the airports. >> when you arrived and you're there, when it came to the proposal, you didn't waste anytime, did you? >> well, i didn't think we had

time to waste, right? i mean, i'm potentially exposing my fiance to a very scary virus. i didn't know how much time we would have, but i didn't want to waste anytime. and i wanted her to know that not only did i love her but i was willing to commit myself to her, especially if that meant, you know, we are putting ourselves both at risk at the time. so i didn't waste anytime. >> they're great photos. we're looking at them right now of the two of you. what are the wedding plans, and how do you plan a wedding at a time like this ? >> well, i mean, we're not looking to plan the wedding in this moment. what we wanted to do right from the get-go. she's from an island in italy called gilio. i've been there, it's beautiful. it only seems fitting that one of the reasons i was moving in the first place to her was because her family was stuck in italy and we'd heard of the

devastation, that we didn't want to take any chances. we wanted to get together as soon as possible before these lockdowns happened. so as soon as it's safe to travel again we will definitely be heading over to italy and having our wedding in gilio. >> how does it feel now? you've got the ring on the finger, feel good? >> yeah, it feels great. i was, again, she was alone here in quebec city, and i felt this isn't a thing that's going to last for a dumb week weeks. we're talking about months possibly. even if we're quarantined, it's definitely something both of us are very happy to have each other during this period of time. because it's difficult, and i know couples all around the world are kind of dealing with that, whether it's safe to even be together or not. and so-, so far we don't have ay symptoms.

we made the right choice, even though it might have been a sill e ey eye one. >> thanks for watching "cnn newsroom," spending part of your day with us. i'm michael holmes, and i will be back with more news after the break. i always dreamed of teaching kids and having kids of my own. i didn't realize that having kids would be the hard part. so we planned to start ivf treatments. ♪ now i'm ready for someone to call me "mom." at northwestern mutual, our version of financial planning helps you live your dreams today. find a northwestern mutual advisor at nm dot com.

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hello, and welcome to our viewers here in the united states and indeed all around the world. i'm michael holmes, and coming p here on "cnn newsroom," the death toll from skroifcoronavir doublings in two days while president trump backs down from a quarantine idea. and clear waters in venice, cleaner air in china. what our planet is telling us during this global pandemic. welcome everyone. in the united states, president trump backing off his idea to put parts of new york, new jersey and connecticut under quarantine. instead, the centers for