LAWRENCE WITH THE UP DATE FROM
WASHINGTON.
WHILE WE WAIT FOR VACCINE ONE OF THE BIG STORIES OF THE WEEK HAS
THE BIG STORIES OF THE WEEK HAS
BEEN THE NEW STRAIN OF THE VIE
RUSS -- VIRUS AND NEW VARIANT
AND SPREAD TO OTHER COUNTRIES.
IT HAS BEEN DETECTED IN ISRAEL.
A NATION ALREADY BARRING
TRAVELERS FROM COMING IN FROM
THE OUTSIDE.
DANNY DANON, FORMER ISRAELI
AMBASSADOR TO THE U.N.
IT IS INTERESTING DIFFERENT
APPROACHES DIFFERENT COUNTRIES
TAKE ON THIS, WHEN YOU HAVE A
MORE CONTAGIOUS, TOUGH TO STOP
NO MATTER WHAT YOU DO, WHAT
WOULD YOU SAY ABOUT IT?
>> IN ISRAEL WE HAVE EXPERIENCE.
WE HAVE CHALLENGES, WE DO NOT
TAKE ANY CHANCES.
WHY PRIME MINISTER NETANYAHU
DECIDED TO CLOSE THE BORDERS
IMMEDIATELY.
ANYONE COMING TO ISRAEL, WE MAKE
SURE ALL IS SAFE.
NOW WE HEAR A GOOD REPORT WE GOT
ON THE MUTATION.
WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND WE STARTED
TO VACCINATE THE ISRAELI
POPULATION.
IT IS ONLY NINE MILLION PEOPLE.
IT WILL TAKE THREE TO FOUR
MONTHS UNTIL WE GET 60, 70% OF
THE PEOPLE WHO WILL BE
VACCINATED.
WE HAVE TO TAKE IT SERIOUSLY.
WE HAVE ONLY ONE AIRPORT.
IT IS MUCH EASIER THAN THE U.S.
AND OTHER COUNTRIES.
WE CANNOT TAKE ANY CHANCES AFTER
WHAT WE EXPERIENCED.
CONNELL: TALK ABOUT THAT
APPROACH A LITTLE BIT AND HOW IT
IS DIFFERENT FROM OTHER
COUNTRIES AND HOW EVEN INSIDE OF
THE UNITED STATES, WHICH IS A
COUNTRY YOU’VE BEEN FAMILIAR
WITH FOR YEARS, THE APPROACHES
HAVE BEEN DIFFERENT.
PEOPLE ARE TRYING TO BALANCE OUT
WHAT IMPACT MIGHT BE ON THE
LOCAL ECONOMIES VERSUS OBVIOUSLY
TRYING TO CONTROL THE VIRUS.
SO, FOR EXAMPLE, YOU’RE JOINING
US LIVE I BELIEVE FROM MIAMI,
FLORIDA.
FLORIDA IS MUCH MORE OPEN THAN
THE STATE I’M IN, NO, WHICH MAY
NOT BE AS CLOSE AS ISRAEL IS BUT
SHUT DOWN MORE THAN FLORIDA.
HOW DO GOVERNMENTS BEST BALANCE
THIS?
OBVIOUSLY YOU HAVE AN ECONOMIC
CONSEQUENCE TO THESE DECISIONS
YOU MAKE, RIGHT?
>> WE ALL AGREE NO ONE WANT AS
LOCKDOWN.
NO ONE ENJOYS THE RESTRICTIONS.
IN ORDER TO DECIDE WE HAVE TO
LOOK THE AT NUMBERS.
IF YOU HAVE A REGION LIKE
FLORIDA, IN OTHER PLACES IN THE
U.S. WHERE THE NUMBERS ARE NOT
SO BAD, NO REASON TO IMPOSE
LOCKDOWNS BUT WHEN YOU HAVE A
PLACE LIKE WE HAD IN ISRAEL,
DIFFERENT CITIES THAT WE HAD NO
CHOICE BUT TO IMPOSE LOCKDOWNS.
YOU HAVE TO LOOK EVERY DAY.
YOU HAVE TO WAKE UP, LOOK AT THE
CHARTS.
ACCORDING TO THE NUMBERS, TO
TAKE DECISIONS AND TO BE
FLEXIBLE WITH YOUR DECISIONS.
WE SHOULDN’T BE AFRAID OF
IMPOSING OR LIFTING RESTRICTIONS
AND TO DO IT FAST.
CONNELL: DO IT FAST, RIGHT.
THAT IS AN INTERESTING POINT.
DON’T YOU AUTOMATICALLY BY THE
WAY INFORMATION IS EXCHANGED AND
EVEN THOUGH WE GET INFORMATION
FASTER THAN WE EVER GOTTEN IT IN
THE PAST, AREN’T YOU
AUTOMATICALLY BEHIND?
BY THE TIME FOR EXAMPLE, I FIND
OUT ABOUT SOMETHING IT ALREADY
HAPPENED, RIGHT?
THIS STRAIN SPREAD OUT OF THE
UK, WE’RE WORRIED ABOUT IT
COMING HERE.
DOCTOR FAUCI SAID THE OTHER DAY
IT IS PROBABLY ALREADY HERE AND
SOMEBODY MAY HAVE GOTTEN ON THE
FLIGHT A COUPLE WEEKS AGO.
WE DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT THE NEW
STRAIN.
IT IS TOUGH TO STAY AHEAD OF IT.
>> YOU CANNOT STAY AHEAD OF IT
BUT LOOK AT THE NUMBERS OF
PANDEMIC AND ACT FAST.
AND YES, WE’RE DEALING WITH A
GLOBAL THREAT.
WHY WE HAVE TO COOPERATE AND
MULTILATERAL COOPERATION.
WE CANNOT ONLY TAKE PEOPLE OF
OUR OWN NATION.
WE HAVE TO WORK WELL WITH OTHER
NATIONS AND UNDERSTAND WE HAVE
GLOBAL THREAT THAT WOULD REQUIRE
GLOBAL SOLUTIONS.
SIMILAR TO WHAT HAPPENED IN THE
U.S. YOU DIDN’T HAVE THE FEDERAL
SYSTEM BUT IN ORDER TO FIGHT THE
ISSUES AND CLIMATE ISSUES, YOU
ACTUALLY BROUGHT THE FEDERAL
SYSTEM.
WE HAVE TO BRING A SIMILAR
SYSTEM FOR THE INTERNATIONAL
ARENA WHERE WE COOPERATE FAST
BETWEEN THE NATIONS IN ORDER TO
GIVE FAST SOLUTIONS.
CONNELL: AS A FINAL POINT WHAT
WILL ISRAEL OR ISRAEL LOOK AT TO
OPEN BACK UP?
WE HAVE FOREIGN TRAVEL, WHAT
WILL IT TAKE TO GET BACK, QUOTE,
UNQUOTE, NORMAL?
WHAT WOULD HAVE TO SEE IN THE
NUMBERS?
>> I EXPECT WE’RE HEADING TO
ANOTHER LOCKDOWN UNFORTUNATELY.
I BELIEVE IT WILL BE THE LAST
ONE BECAUSE WE ARE STARTING TO
VACCINATE.
WITHIN A FEW WEEKS WE’LL SEE THE
NUMBERS.
BY THE WAY WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR
THE U.S. AND FOR THE LEADERSHIP
OF THAT ADMINISTRATION THAT
PUSHED THE VACCINE SO FAST.
SO I THINK IT WILL BE THE LAST
LOCKDOWN.
NUMBERS OF PEOPLE WHO ARE
VACCINATED WILL GO UP.
WE’LL BE ABLE TO OPEN UP
EVERYTHING WITHIN THREE TO FOUR
MONTHS.
CONNELL: THREE TO FOUR MONTHS.
OKAY.
WE’LL KEEP FOLLOWING IT AS WE
HAVE BEEN.
AMBASSADOR GOOD TO SEE YOU.