it's easy and affordable to get started. get self protection for $10 a month. ending the year on a grim note, the united states has a second consecutive record day for coronavirus deaths while getting vaccines out quickly remains a challenge. plus, president trump cut short his holiday as republicans eye a last ditch attempt to challenge the presidential election result. and a post brexit trade deal

signed, we'll look at how life in the u.k. and europe i'm isa soares and "cnn newsroom," starts right now. now, the closing days of the 2020 have brought the highest daily covid deaths in the u.s. so far. have a look at this. wednesday had the most deaths reported in a single day, well over 3,700 people, and u.s. health experts predict that more than 80,000 more americans will die of the disease in the next three weeks. and to put that in some historical context, more americans have died of covid-19 in less than a year than all of the united states combat deaths during the world war ii and vietnam combined. we get the latest now from cnn's nick watt.

>> there's two holidays, there's been three major snowstorms. there's numerous factors and here's what i have confidence in every day, everybody gets better. >> reporter: and we're lagging behind some other countries in shots per day per capitame. better than canada, worse than the u.k., and a lot worse than israel. >> it comes down to a national strategy on vaccine distribution, and this has been a problem since day one on the pandemic response. >> reporter: meanwhile, the brits authorized another vaccine. astrazeneca's u.s. trial continues, authorization, maybe in april. it's cheaper and easier to ship than those green lit here. >> we know it should be better, and we're working hard to make it better. >> meanwhile, it's officially here, a new variant of the already rampant virus, one confirmed cases, one more suspected in rural colorado. both national guard members

deployed to a care facility after an outbreak. >> we don't yet have a good idea of how prevalent it is either nationally or within our state. >> reporter: another case confirmed in southern california. there is no evidence this variant first detected in england is more deadly, but studies suggest it is more transmissible. >> that means it's easier to spread. it's easier for people to get infected by this virus. >> potentially piling more pressure on already crowded hospitals. nearly 125,000 covid patients currently hospitalized in the u.s. a record. here in los angeles county, that number is up nearly 1,000% since late october. some patients have been turned away due to oxygen supply issues. >> we officially have no more bed. zero beds. and our morgue is full. >> reporter: in l.a., there's now a covid death on average

every ten minutes. so admiral brett giroir who is one of the people involved in the vaccine program in this country admitted, he did say, we need to be doing a better job but added all vaccine programs start somewhat slow. nick watt, cnn, los angeles. >> well, california has more cases of covid-19 than any state in the united states. well over 2 million confirmed infections since the pandemic began. front line medical workers there are fighting an up hill battle you can imagine as they face an overwhelming surge of patients. i spoke to dr. cooperman of university of california, and i asked how it compares with the conditions he saw earlier in the year. take a listen. >> the early peak in march was not half as big as the peak now. back in march, we didn't know what we were dealing with.

we had a new viral pandemic. we did not know how to treat patients, and we weren't sure if we were transmitting disease to our families and to our loved ones. now, the peak is much bragreate yet we are much more experienced in caring for this disease. we know how to treat patients. we know how to keep ourselves safe and protected and we are also mindful of everybody's wellness and trying not to burn our clinicians out because that's a great risk. >> you are, you know, taking great care, but you must also be exhausted. i have so many friends who are doctors here in the u.k., doctor, and they are physically and mentally drained, not to mention as one friend told me recently, they are working in constant anxiety. >> so you're absolutely true that these times are exhausting, both mentally and physically,

and you have to be super mindful about that because people are getting sick. fortunately our health system, nobody has died. that is no staff have died from covid. given that this is an academic medical center, we are really asking people just to care for patients, get home, and take care of themselves. rest in between their shifts. don't worry about anything else except for the outstanding care of patients. because this is a time unlike any we've ever experienced. so we are having to be very mindful of people's physical health and mental health as well. >> when you're done, everyone is done with their shift and have to look after loved ones as well. let me ask you, doctor, about vaccinations. we were told that 20 million doses would be administered by january 1st. we're so far off from that

target, doctor, what's needed to pick up pace, do you think? >> well, that's an outstanding question that public health authorities need to answer. we have only administered 2 million doses i think in the united states. you know, fortunately, at health systems like ours, everybody has been immunized and we follow cc recommendation of who is first tier, who is second tier, emergency personnel, intensive care personnel received the vaccine first, and then on down the line. the administrators only at the very end so fortunately the good news is that we feel sort of a shot of hope, and we feel better prepared to care for patients psychologically because we, at least, the clinicians are protected. the distribution nationally has been a problem that public health authorities need to answer. >> dr. nathan cooperman at the

university of california davis. thank you very much, sir, for your time and your work. we wish you a better new year and a healthier new year, too. thank you, sir. here in the u.k., medical experts are advising against having new year's eve parties as cases surge. 981 covid-19 deaths were reported here on wednesday. that's the highest single day number since april as you can see on your graphic. more than 50,000 new infections were confirmed, the second highest after tuesday's record. the government has moved 3/4 of the population into the highest tier restrictions. seems like a lock down. let's bring in cnn correspondent matthew chance, live in london. millions of people in england waking up this new year's eve to new restrictions as the numbers as i have just outlined, continue to spike. >> yeah, very dangerous situation that the u.k. is facing at the moment because of

that dramatic surge in covid-19 infections. giving us the numbers, a thousand people dead in the past 24 hours, the highest number since april. 50,000 new infections, and an enormous amount of pressure, the medical provider in this country that is struggling to find capacity, staff, beds, to cope with the influx of people across the country that need hospitalization. well, the national director of the nhs for england is professor steven prowess. here's what he had to say about the new year's eve celebrations. >> stay at home. mark the new year with naearest and dearest. this will relieve pressure on hospitals. covid loves a crowd. please leave the parties for later in the year. >> reporter: well, later in the year there could be some cause for party because as 2020 draws

to a close, there is a glimmer, at least, of hope with the approval of the new vaccine from astrazeneca, and oxford university. it's much easier to store than the vaccines that are already out there. it doesn't have to be frozen at those very deep temperatures. it can use normal refrigerators, which is going to make it much easier to distribute around the country and around the world. >> matthew chance in london. thank you. with us now from cambridge, england, david king, the formatter top scientist for the u.k. government and chairman to have the independent scientific advisory group for emergencies, also known as sage. always great to get your insight, let's talk about this sharp rise, sharp surge in cases we have seen and deaths throughout the country. not even taking account, as we have heard, christmas and the new year. given the trajectory of the spread, i know that independent sage has been looking at, how worried are you? >> extremely worried. this is the worst situation we have been in since this pandemic

began. and quite frankly, the real reason for the surge is very clear from the dna data that's been conducted on the patients that have come forward from the disease, it's clear that this new variant which is now present in the united states as we just heard, is the cause for this very rapid rise here. what we have seen is that the number of deaths as you have just said, is virtually at that very high peak back in april of this year of around a thousand deaths a day. but the problem is now as distinct from that point in april, we're still seeing a daily rise in the number of deaths in this country, and all of this big rise is attributable to this new variant. this variant we have analyzed is

56% more transmissible than the previous variant. that is its advantage over the previous one. >> and you know, we heard matthew chance just now our correspondent in london saying 20 million people were in tier 4 as of today. do you think these tiers go far enough, from those regions we're looking at, have been in the highest tier for some time. they are reporting highest covid cases. what needs to be done here? >> if we take london, for example, the number of cases since tier 4, the highest tier was introduced in london in the southeast, the number of cases has quadrupled in that area. quite clearly, it is not enough, particularly with the new variant to control the pandemic, and we are calling for a complete lock down across the whole of england. and the reason i say across the whole of england is that it's very very clear that b 117 is

going to penetrate the whole of the united kingdom. there is no way we're going to prevent that from happening. it's already across the country, and once it's anywhere, it's going to spread very much more rapidly than the old variant. the worst aspect of these new measures is the schooling. every one of us would love to see schools stay open, but we realize that a lot of the transmissions are occurring for children who themselves are not suffering badly from it. of course they transfer it over to adult, and it goes from adult to adult. >> david, we'll get to schools in a moment, let me ask you this. have you seen any, has the government published any scientific advice in relation to the lock down or not? why not go for the lock down as you clearly pointed out. these tiers are simply not having the effect to curb the virus in the first place.

>> for some reason, the government is always behind the curve on this epidemic. if we look at countries that have got ahead of the curve, that means as soon as the virus is in the country, they have acted quickly in europe. the country that is the exemplar is greece and in greece, they acted very very quickly, back in february, they got all the equipment in place in march. they began the lock down very much sooner than any other country when they didn't even have a single death. by the time they got to june, they only had 300 deaths in greece. now, we have always been reluctant to take any measures. and i think the problem is that we are seen to have a division between people in the chancellor's office saying we must not hit the economy by going into lock down. this is simply crazy if i can say that. if we delay going into a lock

down, the lock down lasts considerably longer. always in a pandemic get ahead of the disease. we got behind it, and we have never had a proper test trace, isolate and support system in place. we are taking the best case example from new york city where they are isolating people into hotels which are acquisition for this purpose. absolutely the right way forward. >> and some may argue there's a lack of strategy, not just getting ahead but a lack of strategy all together. sir david, always great to get your insight. great to see you. hope you have a wonderful new year. >> thank you, isa, the same to you. not one republican senator says he plans to object to the electoral college results as president trump gives up for an early return to the white house after a holiday in florida. we'll explain what that means, next. air wick scented oils. connect to nature.

who experience occasionalthe millions obloating, gas, or abdominal discomfort? taking align can help. align contains a quality probiotic to naturally help soothe digestive upsets 24/7. try align, the pros in digestive health. president donald trump is skipping his annual new year's eve bash in florida and in just hours, he will be headed back to washington earlier than expected. and this comes ahead of republican plan to try to disrupt the certification of joe

biden's win. cnn's boris sanchez has the details for you. >> reporter: as president trump spends yet another day on the golf course, missouri republican josh hawley becoming the first senator to say he will challenge the electoral college results in congress next week. >> these are normal folks living normal lives who firmly believe that they have been disenfranchised. >> hawley arguing that some states failed to follow their own laws and quote, at the very least congress should investigate allegations of voter fraud and adopt measures to secure the integrity of our elections. >> 74 million americans are not going to shut up. >> reporter: with hawley joining a small group of conservative house members next wednesday, it will force a debate and a vote on the election results which will put gop lawmakers on the record, either supporting trump's unfounded voter fraud claims or voting to certify joe biden's win, which is certain to happen. >> this was a massive fraud. >> reporter: the news coming as

trump's campaign launches another last-minute hail mary effort in court. trump's team appealing their most recent loss in the wisconsin supreme court to the u.s. supreme court. seeking to toss out more than 50,000 absentee ballots from heavily democratic districts. the trump campaign now racking up at least 59 out of 60 losses in court with cases denied or dismissed at the local, state, and federal level. despite the staggering failures and zero evidence, trump continuing to peddle conspiracy theories and, again, targeting gop officials in georgia on twitter. >> there were no fraudulent absentee ballots identified during the process. >> reporter: after an exhaustive audit found no widespread fraud in the peach state, trump calling on republican governor brian kemp to resign. >> so i have done the things that i can do under the power that i have by our laws and constitution in this state, and that's what i'm going to continue to do. >> reporter: and erroneously

accusing secretary of state brad raffensperger ron of working for a chinese firm. >> integrity matters, truth matters. >> reporter: raffensperger's confirming his brother does not work for a chinese company and his name is not ron. something else to consider about president donald trump's attacks on georgia officials just how much confidence republican voters are going to have in the state's elections when two senate republican incumbents are fighting in very tight runoff races days away. boris sanchez, cnn, traveling with the president in west palm beach, florida. from georgia to washington, a lot of developments for us to cover, and joining me now to discuss them all. leslie, it's been a while since we have spoken. let's talk about president trump, if we can, with only a few weeks left of his time in office, heading back to d.c.,

trying to disrupt president-elect biden's certification. what is the exit strategy here, do you think, leslie? >> i think his exit strategy is very much partly just, you know, continuing to be deeply distressed by the result, not wanting to accept it. i think there's also a play here. donald trump, as we saw him tweet just recently is thinking about his future. he's intimated that there's going to be more media channels, other than fox news. he's thinking about the future of the republican party. he's playing populous politics with the fiscal stimulus. he was really looking ahead and thinking about how to shore up his base, who will be his base, among senate republicans. and so really, all of his moves right now, i think, are very much focused on his own personal position. >> yeah, and as we just saw or heard with boris sanchez's report, we have the republican senator josh hawley to become

the first senator to say that he will object to the certification of joe biden, but perhaps he might not be the last. does it have any chance of succeeding? or is this just a show? >> it is a show, but of course, you know, the goal, again, for josh hawley in particular is to position himself within the republican party to tightly align himself with donald trump. he's in a very strong seat. he doesn't really have any personal risk to his own position. he's looking ahead to 2024, to what plays and sets him apart really from mitch mcconnell and others who might have aspirations. but it's really deeply destructive for the republican party as a whole not showing consensus, clearly mitch mcconnell and others want there to be a smooth process on january 6th. it's not going to affect the outcome, but it certainly sows discord among the american electorate, and really shows a

republican party that has not come together and is going to face a series of internal struggles and battles and play out with quite high consequences, potentially for public policy in the days and weeks ahead. >> yeah, and i think you pianoid out clearly, the whole is motivation, trying to put himself ahead, tap into president trump's base, perhaps. let's talk about the high stakes race in georgia because there's more than 2 1/2 million people, i believe, have voted early in georgia. who do you think that pobodes wl for, leslie? >> you asked the right question. early voting is, you know, it's almost -- it feels a little bit, isa, like the replay of the presidential elections where that early voting, which was of course counted quite late, early voters were democrats. it's looking right now that a lot of african-american communities are voting early, as well as a lot of wealthy

democrats, but it doesn't tell us what the result will be. it really is a very tight two races. it really will come down to voter turnout. a lot will depend on election day itself january 6th, january 5th, and the fact that the president is traveling to the state indicates that he understands just how important that voter turnout is, and right now, you know, getting white working class voters to turn out in a runoff election, it's traditionally been a harder sell. i think those trips are really important. >> yeah, and the president's traveling, so is the president-elect joe biden, but like you said, it feels like another election in the days ahead. leslie, always great to see you. have a wonderful new year. thank you so much. >> it's great to see you. >> thank you. today is the last day of trading for the year for stock markets that in 2020 really saw remarkable rebound from a

spectacular collapse. the asian markets you can see closing the past couple of hours, you can see it ended mixed with a shanghai composite there, 1 3/4%. u.s. markets are not looking to close out the year with a bang unfortunately. the dow, nasdaq, and the s&p 500 futures are all pretty flat as you can see. but that follows a record setting day with the dow hitting an all time high. and that is quite remarkable considering how sharp the u.s. markets felt at the beginning of the pandemic, and how they have bucked really widespread unemployment to really strongly recover. we'll keep an eye on those markets the u.s. for you today. meanwhile, the clock is ticking down, not just on 2020 but on the uk's long relationship with the european point. we'll take a look at what the end of the transition to start a new deal would mean for many people. plus this. and i feel that there's got to be a better way to distribute this for people that really need

it. >> seniors in florida are among the first to get covid vaccinations in that state, but to get a shot, many of them must endure long hours of waiting in line. we'll bring you that story after a short break.

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all powered by reliable, secure wifi from xfinity. gotta respect his determination. it's easy and affordable to get started. get self protection for $10 a month. welcome back, everyone. i'm isa soares live in london. staying here in the u.k., the topic of brexit has been a heated debate, as you can imagine, for so long. it's almost hard to believe it is actually finally happening. the post brexit bill is now law with the queen having the last word. she gave royal assent this

morning. just hours from now, the realities of the new arrangement will begin to sink in for british, as well as european citizens. >> when the clock strikes midnight, the britain and the european union finally divorce. after many months of bitter negotiations, the two blocks begin a new relationship, as sovereign equals. >> glad tidings of great joy. >> reporter: not always a joyous affair. a deal was settled just days before the december 31st deadline, leaving businesses little time to assess the practical implications of the 1,200 page agreement. under this new deal, the u.k. will continue to enjoy zero tariff and zero quota access to the eu single market, and that means no taxes on each other's goods when they cross the borders and no limits on the amount of things that can be traded. so what's changing? freedom of movement. british citizens will no longer have the right to live and work

in the u without the necessary documentation and vice versa, and how about those precious holidays, vacations remain visa free, but british travelers will only be allowed to spend 90 days out of every 180 in the u while the u.k. will allow european citizens to stay for up to six consecutive months. this represents the most tangible consequence of the breakup, and the renowned british love faces it toughest test. no longer allowed to use eu gates, they must use the all passport line instead. brexit killed the dream that brought him to london 22 years ago. >> british people are not working in the hospitality sector. we need to find people in europe. because of brexit going on, they are staying in their own country than moving to london. >> students bear the separation, too, no longer able to move

between universities as part of the program. eu chief negotiator michel barnier called it a failure for the people. >> with this bill we're going to become a friendly neighbor, the best friend and ally the eu could have. >> reporter: brexit might now be over, but a divorce of this magnitude puts inevitable strain on the pair's future relationship. let's talk with salma abdelaziz in london. let me start with you. how is the u.k. preparing for this moment that many, not all, i may add, have been looking forward to. what should we look forward to in the next 24 to 48 hours. >> reporter: in some ways, coronavirus restrictions have sped this preparation forward. let's go with what's in the rule, no tariffs, no quotas, you also have issues with how freight and cargo goes across

the channel into the eu. we have seen that play out a week ago in the port of dover. new restrictions were put in place. all of that will be playing out. you no longer have the freedom of movement. british citizens will have to get visas, if they want to work, travel and study in the eu. that could potentially cause some confusion, and chaos at places like the eurostar when people are trying to board planes to go to france, and of course most critically, we're going to see businesses and families trying to figure out new rules, new restrictions, one of the criticisms of this trade deal is there's very little about the service industry which makes up about 80% of the british economy. a lot of questions as well will be asked and it is important to remember this was a deal that was reached on christmas eve, more than 1,200 page document so the lot of information that everybody has to get through before this all goes into place tonight. >> and very briefly, salma, how quickly, though, are we going to

start seeing those changes, is this immediate or is this going to take some time, you think? >> reporter: it should be immediate. it is immediate. i mean, there was a one-year transition period, so the transition period is over. ties will be severed at 11:00 p.m. tonight. these changes will happen. the government has warned this will be a bumpy road, more bureaucracy, and red tape. a lot to figure out. >> thanks. europe in some ways must be relieved not least because the negotiations after almost five years have finally ended. what has been the reaction from europe, and how does this change or reshape the block? >> well, first of all, you're absolutely right that europe is relieved. going into these negotiations a number of years ago, i think the main criteria, two main criteria were protect the unity of the european union. that is in addition accomplished. they showed remarkable cohesion during the years' long negotiation. everything being channelled through their negotiator,

michelle barnier, nobody doing side deals with the u.k. unity has been achieved. check. number two, they wanted to protect their economy, the single market and the customs union of the european union is arguably their most precious good and their biggest achievement. they had to protect that. they had to protect their economy and their businesses. they feel they have done that. so check and check. the other thing is the european union is there were fears earlier that this could spur other countries to want to also exit the european union. you know, there was talk of frexit, grexit, the italian potential exit. there are talk of those concerns appear to have been averted as there is no more talk of that in the block at this juncture. >> cyril, i know you mentioned this briefly in the last hour, european president, she said, and i'm quoting her, we are putting brexit behind us.

you mentioned there's no fear of fragmentation. is that because the block is now focused on really on much more important really crisis they have on their hands and that is covid? >> reporter: yeah, absolutely. this is a grim end to a grim year. not many of the european countries, in fact, none of the european countries have covid under control at this stage. the ray of light coming from the vaccination program which is a little bit more advanced in the u.k. astrazeneca vaccine if and when it is approved in the eu is really going to be a game changer because trying to vaccinate 450 million people with the pfizer vaccine and the cold chain and the logistics that it implies, that's very difficult to do. at the moment, you're right, the top story in the eu is covid, it is the vaccination program and it is possible lock downs coming as early as january after the holiday season, isa.

>> cyril vanier in paris. salma abdelaziz in london. if i don't see you in the coming hours, which i probably won't, because of the tears, i wish you both a happy new year. in the last hour, if you remember, i talked with the chief political commentator from the british newspaper, the independent, and i asked him if this is a win for the prime minister boris johnson and the u.k. here's part of my interview with him. >> no question about that, huge personal victory for him. 4 1/2 years ago, he tentatively decided to put himself at the head of the referendum campaign to leave the eu and now, well, nearly five years later, he's done it. he's prime minister. and he's got us out of the eu and signed a trade deal that a lot of people were very skeptical about. whether it's a victory for the country depends on your point of

view, and half the country didn't want to leave. half the country did. so it divides us right down the middle. >> yeah, and i think it's fair to say, and correct me if i'm wrong, john, that leaving the eu was never really about economic proposition, but rather such an emotionally charged political one, so what challenges does the u.k. face going forward now that it's in control of its sovereignty? >> you're absolutely right. it wasn't primarily an economic argument. it was a question of sovereignty and the fact that people didn't like free movement of people because they thought that a nation state would be able to decide who comes and who goes. and that was a very strong feeling. now, the question is how much of an economic price do we have to pay for that, and that of course is going to be very difficult to assess in the middle of a coronavirus recession.

but what we don't know is what kind of disruption there will be at the border, especially the dover border on january 2nd, because i mean, january the 1st is a bank holiday. >> exactly. these are the things that we will all be looking at. as you said, it's harder to tell because of coronavirus as well, and the restrictions, but you know, you touched on something i think really struck me throughout our conversation over the years is that this has been such an emotional issue, john, for so many. it has divided the nation for nearly five years, like you said, it's split families and brought down two question of fact prime ministers. do you think we'll ever cease to divide the country? >> it won't be as sharp, the division, from now on. i mean, the labor party yesterday had to come to terms with this deal. the leader of the opposition asked his mps to vote for it. so there was a huge majority for

it in the house of commons. but it will go on being an issue. >> thanks to john from the independent. still ahead this hour, florida is rolling out covid vaccinations for the most vulnerable residents. getting the shot can be a process. we'll explain after a very short break. you are watching cnn. it's all in one tiny pill. try move free ultra now. feel the difference.

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the u.s. state of florida has put its elderly residents at the front of the line for covid vaccinations but there is a limited amount of the vaccine leading to long wait times. ryan young has the story for you. >> reporter: this bumper to bumper traffic jam twists around the orange county convention center in orlando, florida. a line so long that drivers have more than enough time to get out and stretch. >> you have to be patient, but it's a good set up. >> reporter: not just in orlando. elderly floridians across the state, anxious to receive the

covid-19 vaccine are dealing with a similar situation. in fort myers, many bringing lawn chairs as they sit and wait for hours. nine to be impact for this man. >> i personally feel there's got to be a better way. >> because florida has one of the largest populations over the age of 65. governor ron desantis decided to break slightly with dcd recommendations which call for front line health care work skpeers and first responders to be vaccinated first. >> we believe the best approach is the elderly first. >> reporter: the vaccine much needed in the sunshine state which has seen dark days this year, more than 21,000 covid deaths so far, many of them seniors. >> we know people that have not survived. >> unfortunately. >> unfortunately. >> reporter: but the problem is all 67 counties are handling the vaccine rollout differently, creating some confusion. >> i'm grateful to get the vaccine, i feel there's got to be a better way to distribute this. for people that really need it.

elderly that might be disabled in some ways, they can't endure this process. there's got to be a better way. >> reporter: the issue not restricted to long lines, some seniors have started showing up at hospitals only to get turned away. while others flood hospital phone lines looking to make appointments. in south florida, broward health says they have booked up appointments and won't take on more patients until february. back in orange county, 30,000 people signed up within 24 hours on the county's web site. they vaccinated 1,500 seniors on the first day, a dose of hope during this awful year. >> great, i can't wait to see my grand kids. i can't wait to hug those little guys. it's like it's just been so long and coming, so relieved. it's just wonderful. >> we're just feeling very blessed right now. >> reporter: ryan young, cnn,

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a redesign of new york's laguardia airport is expected to cost $8 billion. officials hope new services, art installations and topnotch security will silence critics of the much maligned airport. our richard quest has all the details. >> reporter: welcome to laguardia. long considered one of the worst airports in the united states. for decades, it's been a sore point for new york commuters. now it's making an $8 billion bet on repairing laguardia's reputation once and for all. >> new yorkers love to criticize, they love to hate. i think if you looked at every single passenger survey, laguardia was always the worst, so the challenge, first of all, was to take it from worst to first. >> reporter: it has one of the worst on time records in the

country. travelers say it's amongst the noisiest, most outdated, that's difficult to get to. little wonder, given the central terminal building hasn't changed much since it opened in 1964. officials in new york gave laguardia's restoration the green light in 2015. after a wake up call from the then vice president joe biden. >> if i took you blindfolded to laguardia airport in new york, you must think i must be in some third world country. >> reporter: that had ramifications. that was almost like firing the starting code. >> it was. many people were unhappy at that comment. governor cuomo took it as a challenge. and that was the impetus to create the advisory panel and the project was off and running. >> reporter: laguardia's reopening comes at a difficult time. passenger numbers have plummeted

during the covid-19 pandemic as states impose strict quarantines. many countries shut their borders to international travelers. >> at the beginning of the crisis back in march the passenger levels at this airport and all three of our airports dropped 98%. there was 2% of regular passengers using these airports. we are still down 75 to 80% in terms of travel through these airports. deserted check in, empty concourses, this isn't what they had in mind when they started the $8 billion reconstruction of laguardia airport. one of the most overcrowded and grubby in north america. now look at it, brand spanking new, gleaming with facilities galore, just waiting for post-covid passengers. >> reporter: new york's port

authority is doing all it can to lure travelers back to its airports, even offering free covid tests to arriving passengers here at laguardia. but with the increased foot fall comes bigger health risks. when they do return to laguardia, passengers will find an airport completely transformed. >> that the airport should be inspiring, it shouldn't just be functional. so art becomes a center piece, and you have five major artistic installations. >> laguardia's transformation is almost complete. the terminal won't fully reopen until 2022. when it does, officials are opening it begins a new chapter for both laguardia, the aviation industry, and the passengers who travel here. >> laguardia has gone from the worst airport in the country to what we think is best in class. and it not only is best in class

in terms of function, it is inspiring. it is appealing, it has works of art, and it speaks to where it is located, which is new york, and that was what we wanted to build. >> richard quest there with that report, and that does it for me for today. thank you very much for watching. i'm isa soares, i want to wish you a wonderful and healthy new year. may the trials, the tragedies and the tears come swiftly to an end in 2021. if you are looking for something to do, be sure to watch our new year's eve special, anderson cooper and andy cohen will welcome 2021 live in times square. there won't be the usual crowds, as you can imagine, but surely a night to remember. party starts at 8:00 p.m. eastern live here only on cnn, and do stay with cnn. "early start" with christine romans is next, bye bye.

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welcome to our viewers in the united states and around the world. this is "early start." i'm christine romans. it is thursday, december 31st, the final day of 2020, and it is 5:00 a.m. exactly in new york. it is midnight in samoa, happy new year to the first part of the world to begin 2021. at the end of a very challenging year, it is clear some of the hardships that marred 2020 will