Anontributions to this pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. A shocking sign of our times. Mass burials in new york signalo th that the outbreak has taken even as signs emerge that infections are leveling off. When social distancing is simply not an option we haveci a sal report on the migrant situation in northern france and in the uk. No virus can touch me until god is through with me. Plus pitting faith against infections. Some churches in the u. S. Plan to stay ope for easter despite bans on public gatherings. Others say its god will to stay inde. For allf you watching on pbs and around the globe, welcom to world news america. Coming to the end of the week we find ourselves with yet another grim milestone from this global outbreak. More than 100, people have coronavirus according to researchers at John Hospital kins universi hop university. There has been another 777 if a at that time in the pt 24 hours and ann though cuomo says the rate of hospitaliza ons is leveling off the state now has more coronavirus cases than any single country in the world. Heres ourri north a editor john sopel. Its somehow unimagable, unbelievable, that in the most famous city in the richest country in the world they are digging mass graves for those who cant afford a funeral a for those who died of coronavirus with no nextofkin. This is just off the bronx in new york city. This state alone and they are i struggling to deal with all the burials. Were in tot control of our destiny here what we do will affect literally life and death for hundreds of ndpeople. Hospitals have had to bring these refrigerated thingsn to act as makeshift morgues. The is a glimmer of good news and thats that the number of people being admitted into hospitals is falling sharply and Donald Trumpsaid today he m america may be over the worst. RsPresident Trump the num of beds being used are substantially reduced. Thats usually a sign that its heading on e downward curve. He wants to reopen the entry or business as soon a possible. President trump i want to get it open as soon as we can. We have to get our country open. Can you say what metrics you will use . The metrics right re. Thats my metrics. Thats all i can do. Memorial would be packed with visitors but america is closed. Country on may 1 but his medical experts are saying be very cautiousus the v kind of decides whether or not its going to be appropriate to open or not. So even though were in a Holiday Season n iso time to back off. As they say so often now is the time to actually put your foot on the accelerator because were going in the right direction. Ts keep in that direction. Lord, let us come out with a ving economy. The president had originally wanted america to reopen f is weekend with churches packed. This was the reality. E today no crowded pews, just a blessing from a bishop. We bless them and america in jesus name. And for nearly all other christians this easter will be online, virtua and socially distanced. The one church that will be open is the biggest anglican cathedral in the u. S. This new yorkdmark will be avlable for worship wont be available for worshippers. Its been readied as an adtional field hospital. John sopel, bbc news, shington. Joining me to discuss the medical battle against this outbreak is doctor who is globalr of the Harvard Health institute. Thanks so much for being with us. As we heard there, president ump is hoping to get the country open by may 1. He said that he wouldake medical advice on that but whats your sense . Is that a realistic time frame for reopening thecotry . Yes, i think may 1 is going to be very, very difficult. As dr. Fauci said, we dont make the etimeline. Irus makes the timeline, and there are a set of metrics that we have to hit and if we dont hit them and we open too early were going to end up closing back down again so we have to let us hit those metrics and then open up. I think may 1 will be very difficult. So lets talk a little about those metrics. You were advising the task force would you be looking at testing, sveilling hot spots . What would be your advice . You started listing them. First and foremost we needo see the numbers of cases declining for a substantial period o ttime. We nee be absolutely sure that were on the right side of this virusnd of this infection. We want to see substantial declines in infection for a sustainedperiod. Second, is we want to make sure our hospitals are ready because if we open up and we get a surge of cases we want to make sure our hospitals and healthcarsy ems are ready. Third is arguably just as porch, maybe more, thats having a very robust testing infrastructures because thaow we remain open. Were going toeed to be able to do an extensive amount of thats the only approach we have to staying open. If t United States gets to a point where things get back to normal, there is, of course, the poibility of a second wave that people fear. Would the United States at this poineabe to respond if that happens . He a more effective way than first time around . Thats a great question. First of all, its worth remembering, that when we open start rising. Umber of cases will even if there is a seasonality and the summer months are quieter there will be a second wave in the fall and chances are it will be even bigger than first a the only way well be ready is if we dohose things weve talked about. If we have a terrific testing structure, if our Healthcare System is ready then well be able to handle the second wave i. Want to make sure were using the curre time the summer months to get ready because there is no doubtec that ad wave is coming. I dont think its an if. Its a when question and i hope tt weve learned our lesson and are much more ready for round two. We heard that Antibody Testinmight be ready in a couple of days. W i wondert you make of the usefulness of that testing and would we know ify someb was unable to transmit the coronavirus once they had been sted for sure . Yeah. Its a very goodquestion. Im very enthusiastic about the Antibody Test but we have to be cleaha about it can and cant do. It will be a good test to know how many people have been infected, and i think it will give us a pretty good feel for whether youre immune so we believe, and again,his is beli because the signs here are still in flux and comingn but we believe if you have you shouldnt bee to get theune. Infection or transmit the infection. Its going to be very helpful in understanding how widespread the infections have been. It may also be useful in diagnosing where somebody has an acute infection but we have other tests that help us to do that already. All right. Thank you so much for your inght. Thank for having me. So thats the medical side o things. Now, lets switch gears to politics and President Trumpnt s been fnd center in this crisis. His regular appearances with the White House Task force has been appointment viewing for some but ceainly not all. Re to discuss that and more with us is ron christie, a former adviser to president george w. Bush and a bbc toanalyst. Greaave you on again. I really wonder what your take s on how President Trump has performed because here in the United States, apparently even some of his aes wonder if these press companieses have hurt him rather than helped him . Good evening to yo the audio just blinked out on me a little bit. This has been aasnating week in american politics. Unlike anythg weve ever seent from the trump administration, i would say to you that the opresident initially cam a little bit unstea in his presentations. They were very long in his White House Press briefings. He seemed to talk a lot about emself, then he g way to the experts and we heard from dr. Fauci and seval others who are fighting this virus every single minute of every single day. Ive been a little disturbed by some of his tweets a of late wherhes talked about his night football a a number of television shows. I would say to you that the people, all of the people in the world, find a way around this virus, find a way through this pandemic, and that wac get to full health. So his performance has been good in spots and a little bit disturbing in others. We heard from the president to y, he said that reopening the country and when to do that will be theiggest decision hell ever have to make. How do you think that will not onlyefine his presidency but how do you think it will affect him with his upcoming president ial election . I think thatsxactly what this is all going to boil down to. Can he find a way t bring the country back . Can he get the American Economy up and going full steam . It was just several weeks ago that we were having some of the st Economic Growth tha weve seen in the United States in years and years, and now nearly one out of 10 americans is out of a job. If america perceive that the president , working with the administration, working w the congress, can find a way to safely bring america bk to life, i think thats going to do very well for his reelecd. On however, if he cant, or if he keeps saying two more followed by two more weeks followed by two more weeks, i think people are going to say perhaps we need to turn the page and find someone else who can reopenni thed states of america. The president has said as soon as tuesday he wantsor to a new task force. The opening our country councili if you were ad the president what advice would you tell him to tak and from whom . All, first foyer most, most of the job creation in e United States is done at the small businevel. Not the big multinational corporations. But the Small Business level. So i would convene a small group of very good people who have a handle on whats goingn in our ighborhoods, commu and state . And how can we safely find a way to bring these jobs ck to reopen america at theame time findina runway way a way to work withe larger corporations. We jt lost ron christie but always great to have him. Religion have lon made for a tricky mix in this country. Throw in a pandemic and the upcoming easter w kend and it gets even more complicated. Most churches will remain shuddered due to the ongoing plan on public gatherings but me have challenged those measures arguing that they violate freedoms guaranteed by the constitution. The bbc h more. This is going to be a very different easter. In these pandemic times, most churches have closed their doors. But not this one. Some christians believe that religious freedom is under a attack meeting physically is an act of faith. Im telling you what, no virus can touch me until god is through with me. There are political battles l over whether churches should be forced to start meeting in person and stick onlyo services online. But those tha stay ope say they can protect their members. At the ghurious wayh in houston, families are seated six feet apart. Jesus is his word. His worked ss that we should come gether. Pastor insists that gathering publicly is an essential p of worship. Weve done the life Stream Service on a temporary basis for the 15 days that President Trump asked for. But when it tolned into week, when it turned into palm sunday and nowppaching easter sunday, this is a special time of year. Its never been shut down, and so we must doth. But the challenge, even the add very nture s adventure ho many will remember this easter and many argue staying out of church ing the christian t to do. Suspending in person worship is not just aboutte ping those who go to the Actual Church service. Its about protecting the lives of every single Grocery Store worker, ga station attendant and hethcare worker they meet. Its truly abo lovingur neighbor and healing the sick t which are ar things jesus told us to do. In this Brooklyn ChurchJanice Russell has been making music for decades. Normally her ensemble would take part in a two choir brass band this year therebe only a solot on a Facebook Live but with new yor the epicenter ofirhe coronav crisis even thats something for which to be thankful. The fact that we can do it from home and still be somewhat connected to others, i cant imagine what it would be like if we did not have the internet. If we didnt have zoom and all of these things, where we can at least we can at least see a face. We cant touch eve oth but we can see a much. Perhaps this easter the traditional story of death and resurrection will be heard in new ways. Barbara cut, bbc news, washington. Mass without the masses. Now in other news, the british Prime Minister has been taking rest as p of his ongoing ds of thats according to a downing street spokesman. Boris johnson was released from the intensive care unit on thursday. Hes thanked the team looking r aftem for the incredible care hes received. And prosecutors in los angeles l have f a new Sexual Assault case against harvey weinstein. The ce of Sexual Battery byre raint stems from an incident that allegedly took place at a Beverley Hotel in 2010. The disgraced movie pducer is already serving a 23year sentence in new york for rape. Ure watching bbc world news america. Still to come on tonights program,utting a hold on a y. Ligious production in germ how our current pan dig democratic pdemic has forced the delay of a 400yearold tradition. European leaders have agreed a 5 billion package of measures to help offset the economic damage of the pandemic. Heres more. Thesert sups will say the bloc has taken a bit of a while to get its act togeer. Its poised to sign off half a trillion euros to help sinesses and workers and e. U. Countries most affected by , covidut critics of the e. U. Can also point out that covid19 is highlighted one of the biggest problems with the e. U. And thats when it comes to a crisis. We saw thion with the migra crisis and the financial crisis. Each cntry puts itselffirst. Its population, its national borders, its national politics. So, for example, weve just seen italy and spainthleading with richer countries, as you say, germany and netherlands, lets shell out, were told no, well help you but we wont go that far. The British Red Cross says there areands o refugees and asylumeekers living i poverty in the uk. Meanwhile in france, many more i ants remain in makeshift camps hoping to make the journey across to what they see as a better life. Heres this special report. They look like scenes from coronavirus. Re the we filmed these crowds nearly three weeks into the french nt goves lockdown. No social distance for the good morning. Coffee . Ff . No hot food either. A sandwich given by the state. The sole meal of the day for this camp is on the edge of an indurial state about a mile from callie. It might as well be on the another an. Were sick people. How deficit here . Far more difficult tha here. There is no good food. There is water. No clothing. No shoes. French volunteers hp here every day. Have some pi. You wouldnt do this to a dog, would you . So youre doing it to human beings im ashamed. I cant sleep at night. M sick of this. These are people and they have suffered. They arent criminals. Re theyhe opposite. They have been raped. They have been assaulted. They have been ransomed. They he been ve han ttortur. Ed to britain. Even under lockdown, it seems a better prospect. Im onrn a j through migrant experience in callie and london. People already living on the coronavirus has beothing he short of catastrophic. But suppose they do make it here . Migrants will find an asylum system alrea backlogged and struggli with the impact of the erus. Old us she survived on odd jobs and help from friends. We voiced her words to protect her were desperate. We have no way of paying rent. Cant get anywhere. There are no places offering accommodation. No one giving you money to buy groceries. Food banks are closed. There are many migrants, a lot of them from afri , who want to get here. What would you say to them . I would tell t migrants in callie not to think it gets easier. Not to have that much hope. Just because youre not in the camp doesnt mean that youre going to be treated human. Its just the same circumstances, different tting. Fine they cant start the asylum process, new arrivals wont get more than about five pounds forty per day to buy ce ities. Is there anything in there that you would like more of . A few food banks still operate. This britished cross centen north london opens twice a week for all who arehungry. Abdul is an Asylum Seeker from north africa. I have a daughter and a wife. A staurant. My family [inaudible] this center is a lifeline for those who ang surviith very few resources. And while this is a charity, the workers here do their level best to make it feel about sharing. Ling up to the larger rhetoric these desperate times. N, in the world is consumed with fear o sickness and economic crisis. Hard times othe margins getting much harder. Bbc news. In crises we often see its the poor that pay t highest price. Turning now to germany because once every 10 years a bavarian village puts on its world famous passion play during easter. Its a dramatic retelling of the trial and death of jesus christ. This particular tradition stretches back to the 17th century when locals believed the stage would protect them against the plague. Now tak coronavirusoutbas forced them to postpone it as jenny hill reports. It should have been the performance of the decade. Under way for the one of the worlds most famous religious productions. Opening night was just weeks away when coronavirus brought n the curtdown. Its obviously a very special year, the passion play here, and people are getting ready and suddenly, everything stopped. Ink t thats pretty hard for a lot. I think its a close communit its generations that come together. Its 400 years since this bavarian village made a promise. Play. Would put on a passion eturn they hopedod would protect them from the plague. They have been doing it ever once every 10 years, the village faithfully reenacts the life, death and resurrection of christ. As legend h it the play saved them from black death. Little protection now it seems ainst a modern virus. Its kind of a grave lays all over everylife, every action, everything that we do. With reserve. Stopping or two years later on the stage, the fact that coronavirus rises costumes, props in storage now. The play itself is ensured but lol businesses again on the visitors. In lockdown, the produion postponed until 20. People think about the meaning, meaning of life, and so on. I have the feeling there are a lot of answers in the passion play itself. Its about jesus talking about the poor, hes talking about war, and those sentences, we ha the rehearsals, i think they have a different meaning when we brit onstage in two years. When we bring it ontage in two years. In this, the bleakest of times, faith and hope. Eennyhill, bbc news, berlin. And bef we go, Public Officials across this country and beyond have been pleading for people to act responsibly this Holiday Weekend and stay indoors. Thats true in chicago where the citys mayor has a specific demand for any would be tweeting your jump shot is wealways going to be. Stay out of the parks. Enjoying a bit of shade. Ha great weekend. Remember, you can find more on our website. Woanks for watching. Rld news ameri narrator funding for this presentation of this program is provided by. Language specialists teaching spanish, french and more. Raymond james. The freeman foundation. By judy and peter blum kler foundation; pursuing solutions for americas neglected needs. And by contributions to this pbs station from viewers like you. Ank you. Narrator yo re watching pbs. Mr. Rogers its a beautiful he neighborhood. Girl we are. Woman 1 wow man 1 the adventurous. Man 2 oh woman 2 those venturing out for dathfirst time. R all blast off [rocket explosion] man 3 and those who have never lostur senman 4 whoa . Man 5 are you seeing this . [quacking] vo we are the hungry. Cookie monster cookie man 6 the strong. Muhammad ali i must be the greast vo the joyful. Bob ross a happy little cloud. Man 3 we believe theranis always more wencover. Girl more we can explore. Woman 3 we believe. Man 6 . In the capacity for goodness. Vo and the potential for womgreatness. Elieve. Man 7 the torch has been passed to a new generation of americans. Man 1 pbs. Ma 3 pbs. Girl pbs. Captioning sponsed by newshour productions, llc i woodruff good evenin judy woodruff. On the newshour tonight, another week in a changed world. Global deaths surpass 100,000, as americans reel from the duali health and ecocrises, and Small Business owners strugglevi to hold on as 19 bears down. Then, senator Bernie Sanders on his withdrawal from the democratic president ial primary race and the challenge the nation faces with the epidemic. Plus, on good friday we examine holy week during a pandemi cas pope francebrates in a vacant vatican. And its friday, mark shields and david brooks analyze the latest on the pandemic, and this week when thoughts turn to easter, passover and a role for faith. All that and more on tonights