camera. the chp has a warning for speeders out there less traffic does not mean that you can drive faster. they are cracking down on peo on the roads. >> people are going 100 miles an hour on the freeway. come on, now. . >> we told them. we warned them. this is what is going to happen. >> unfortunately. >> yeah. especially with the animals wandering into new areas. you could be driving down the interstate and there could be a deer there. at that speed. not good. >> all right. so, let's veer off to weather now and talk about what's going on. visibility up to a mile in half moon bay and as low as a couple hundred feet. you can see the clouds we talked about did move into the bay as we look from the east bay hills camera. let's talk temperatures today. milder this morning. mid 50s and stay at 60 at the

coast with increasing sunshine and increase breezes today. 69 to 73 with sunshine around our bay and inland neighborhoods. and at 4:00, 76 to near 80 inland and then still 68 to 72 at 7:00. enjoy. now on abc7 news live desk update. >> at the live desk, a question that is weighing on many people's minds right now is when will these businesses be able to reopen and we can ease up on social distancing measures. well, i'm looking this morning at where certain states stand on the situation and if you caught governor newsom's press conference yesterday, yews early to set a timeline on reopening nonessential businesses. he says due to the current situation, we are not prepared for that yet. but hospitals will be allowed to resume scheduled surgeries. other states are moving faster to reopening. georgia plans to allow nail salons and bowling alleys and other businesses to open

starting tomorrow. the order goes against white house recommendations. >> i told the governor of georgia, brian kemp that i disagree strongly with his decision to open certain facilities which are in violation of the phase one guideline. >> florida, tennessee, south carolina and alaska are slowing reopening their economy. some businesses in oklahoma will also be allowed to reopen tomorrow. colorado will no longer require people to stay at home starting next week. some states, including nebraska, wyoming and also south dakota never had stay-at-home orders to begin with. kumasi and reggie. >> thank you, jobina. the mayor of las vegas is calling for businesses to reopen as soon as possible, but she hasn't provided any social distancing guidelines on how to do that safely. >> she has sparked a strong reaction across the country here is what she told cnn's anderson cooper. >> it's the people who are working on the floor who are the

ones that are going to become infected and potentially die. >> no, you're talking disease. i'm talking life. i'm talking life and living. these are people who are -- >> that makes no sense. chinese researchers have shown how this virus spreads. i just want to put up for our viewers. >> you are good. we're back to china. this isn't china, this is las vegas, nevada. >> wow, that's really ignorant. >> nevada's governor says he's eager for businesses to reopen, but only when the time is right. >> reporter: here at home napa county decided to lift some restrictions as long as you follow social distancing. construction work, drive-in religious services and real estate showings are now allowed and golf courses and the county is strongly recommending that everyone wear face coverings. this morning, we are learning more about the bay area woman who is now believed to be the first person to die from covid-19 in the u.s. abc7 news reporter julian glover

is live with what her family is saying. julian. >> oh, kumasi. hi, i think you tossed to julian, but meant to toss to me. little confusion there. but let me catch you up on what our story is. we are doing a story about speeding that is going on right now because the freeways are less congested. some are seeing that as an invitation to speed down the road. . the chp is very concerned about it. so concerned they'll start putting some messaging out on the electronic signs reading if you must travel, do not speed. to drive home the point, the chp released some pictures of speeding ending badly. cars crashing into homes among other things. the chp can't believe not only how many people are speeding, but how fast they are going. they say the number of tickets they have written for people going faster than 100 miles per

hour is up significantly. 87% compared to this period of time last year. the chp says the emptier streets are not race tracks, so they're now going to be pushing that message to slow down. they say, if anything, do it for essential workers. think about those health care workers who are out driving. slow down for them. slow down for everyone. they really say we have got to rein this in. amy hollyfield, abc7 news. >> thank you. new this morning, we learned the free drive-through coronavirus testing in fremont will remain open for longer the city initially planned. they confirmed testing at the site on stevenson boulevard was supposed to end this week, but it's now been extended to may 3rd. while the tests are free, you have to have certain symptoms to get one. special mobile teams are now providing covid-19 testing to nursing home residents and employees in hayward. the teams are made up of

specifically trained firefighter paramedics. so far the testing has taken place at seven homes and among employees at their place of work or the testing center located at cal state east bay. at least 13 patients have died at the gateway care center in hayward. san francisco is offering free testing for coronavirus to irk withers in the city open to public and private sector workers who are showing symptoms. san francisco has two testing sites and one is already and that is along the embarcadero and another one opens in soma. >> once we get through people who have enough testing for those symptomatic individuals and people at high-risk groups like people in skilled nursing facilities, i think people who have immune ocompromised conditions, et cetera, then you can start thinking about testing

asymptomatic individuals. >> we have a guide to testing centers on our website abc7news.com. this team of ucsf workers are in arizona and new mexico this morning. helping the navajo nation that is being hit extremely hard by coronavirus. the largest u.s. american reservation and in recent weeks 206 positive cases of coronavirus and 48 people have died. seven physicians, 14 nurses, they will be there for a month to help ease their strained health care system. and a possible new symptom of covid-19 appearing at some hospitals in new york. it is making the battle against the virus even more dangerous for patients. new at 6:00, we're hearing from dr. jen ashton about the concern. could this be the future of flying? one company thinks there are some major changes coming to planes after this pandemic is over. and temperatures keep climbing today and tomorrow with a little bit of a downturn through the weekend before even

warmer weather and maybe our first 90s in as if an earthquake will never happen or we can do something about it before it's too late. it's not a matter of if, but when. now with affordable coverage options. choose a policy that works for you. protect your home with earthquake insurance. learn more at earthquake authority dot com.

welcome back. let's take a look at some neighborhood temperatures while we're mostly cloudy on the coast side and mostly clear on the bay side, 51 to 54 across san francisco and temperatures in the mid to upper 50s in many neighborhood, even 61 in pittsburg. little bit cooler in american canyon at 52 and same thing in pacifica. here's a look at what to expect today pretty much the same as yesterday if you're out and about. hopefully you enjoyed yesterday. let's take a look at some neighborhoods. 59 at 7:00 this morning and our east bay valleys in the mid 70s at noon and low 80s for the afternoon hours and still 75 at 7:00. we'll get rid of the clouds after 9:00 in the south bay and

jump into the mid and upper 70s from noon all the way through 6:00. we'll be in the upper 60s at 7:00 and the peninsula, same thing. we'll get rid of the clouds after the 9:00 hour. it will be breezy, maybe not quite as aggressive as it was yesterday, but pretty close. temperatures in the mid 70s this afternoon. get an update on that weekend forecast next. first, let's say good morning. >> good morning, mike. thank you very much. hello, everyone. i just want to update you on that on-head on crash i was following on napa also known as sonoma highway. that has all cleared. good news there. whoever was hurt was taken away from the scene. but it appears as far as our essential workers, if you need to make your way through that area, you are good to go. live look right now in san jose. 280 nice and clear. our conditions are looking good across the bay area, just be aware the road construction projects and as you heard amy hollyfield just mention recently, slow down out there,

everyone. i'll send it over to you, reggie. >> thanks, jobina. silver and black will take part in the nfl fti since they . barring a trade, the player chosen will be the first to put on a hat with las vegas raiders pacific apparel. online shopping is the only way to purchase the new gear because stores are closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. you can watch this all unfold day one of the three-day event right here on abc7. all the action starts at 5:00 this evening and start a special after the game with larry beil and chris alvarez. prince louis turns 2 today. still ahead, the new photo released by the royal family that are sure to put a smile on your face if you're a royal watcher. cats with covid-19. two pets and more tigers and lions have tested positive. what we know about

abc7 news. >> all news. >> all morning. police in vancouver, canada, are searching for the man in this video pushing andementia. they believe this was a hate crime because they believe the suspect was yelling covid-19-related things a that victim. police around the world have seen an increase in anti-asian hate crime since this pandemic started. >> that is one of the reasons why we held a special town hall on race and coronavirus. they spoke with people about misconceptions about coronavirus and how those misconceptions are hurting our asian american neighbors and friends. you can watch the virtual town hall right now at abc7 nnews.co and on our abc7 news app. doctors are concerned about a strange complication from coronavirus. they're seeing younger patients

in their 30s and 40s experiencing blood clots and strokes. they say that these patients were already quarantining at home, most with mild symptoms and several did not have any under lying conditions. doctors are now preemptively treating youngersitoo thinners. dr. jen ashton weighed in this morning on "gma" she is saying coronavirus is known to have some really strang effects. >> it's not just stroke. when you talk about neurlogic effects things like headache, seizure, dizziness, lost in scent and taste. >> you can learn more about the study doctors from mt. sinai are publishing about bloodtuates coming up on "gma" right after "abc7 mornings."

once the shelter-in-place is over, things will dee different including the way we travel. these new renderings and they show what the future of flying could look like. it includes germ-blocking plastic shields, backwards seats. the company already patented both of the seat proposals, although it does remain to be seen if airlines will support these changes. >> it's definitely an idea whether they're going to spend all that money to totally change the way planes are laid out, i'm a little skeptical, but we'll see. hi, mike. >> yeah. the extra added weight means it will cost more in fuel and, plus, i don't know. you're like me, my shoulders don't fit in that space. mine tend to spill over on either side of it. if they put a barrier like this, i'll be like this the whole flight. i don't comfortable. pretty gray start in san jose and 56 degrees and let's see

where we end up with our accuweather highlights temperatures away from coast and more clouds and cooler weather this weekend as the sea breeze and marine layer take control temporarily because they're gone next week. that means even warmer temperatures than today and tomorrow. look at the fog going away rather rapidly today. by noon easily back to the coast and even the coast, you can see some of the cloud cover melting away under those drier breezes this afternoon. but the breezes coming off the cool water will keep you about 60 in half moon bay and downsloping winds off the santa cruz mountains. santa cruz 75 degrees today. one of our warm spots. 68 in san francisco and 72 in richmond to about 76 in fremont and near 80 in the south bay. and me and near 80 in the north bay. low to mid 50s in most neighborhoods. my accuweather forecast near 90 inland tomorrow and still mid 60s at the coast. see the temperatures drop 5 to 15 degrees by sunday thanks to

the sea breeze and then look at that rebound next week. we may be underdoing the temperatures. i wouldn't be surprised if we warmed those up more so which would make it the warmest time so far this year. reggie, kumasi. now, we're checking in with ginger who is live with what is coming up on "gma" at 7:00. good morning, ginger. >> good morning, ginger. >> hey, reggie. hey, kumasi. good to see everybody this morning. here on a thursday on "gma" right into the tornadoes. there have been at least 26 reported. i have the latest pictures. marcus moore is down there in the region. there are at least four states involved and it will go the threat all the way through south carolina today. i'll give you that as we look at all the images coming in even some new ones from texas this morning. also this morning we have to get to the coronavirus. and president trump at odds with the nation's top coronavirus experts. he's saying that he thinks the virus won't be as bad if it

comes back in the fall, but the experts are warning we won't be in the clear. new details about just how early the virus was in the u.s. i know you have been reporting on this. the first known victims now weeks earlier than the first reported american deaths. so, we're going to dive in to all of it. and then first on "gma" thi goodell getting ready for tonight's nfl draft from the basement. we're all in the basement. doing it remotely for the first time. what is in store for that unprecedented event and then a special edition of "deals and steals." eco friendly small businesses. you can't go wrong. it is the day after earth day and every day is earth day and we're celebrating it here on "gma." >> you're physically in the basement and you'reyou're in th basement. >> it's fitting. >> all right, ginger, we'll see

you soon, thank you. today we're wishing a happy birthday to prince louis. he's 2. and prince william and kate are sharing new photos. making rainbow colored painti paintings. kensington palace said his mom took the photos earlier this month where they're isolating at their country home. help is arriving for small businesses in the east bay that are really being hit hard by coronavirus. also new cases of

eveso we can stillg a answer your calls. now. and we are monitoring our system 24/7 to ensure that we have a fast reliable network, keep the customers connected, and making sure people are staying safe. and we're still on the road. solving critical issues as they arise.

♪ go to xfinity.com/prepare. thank you. we're back at 6:23. talk more about this gorgeous scene from the exploratorium coming up. but first i want to update you since it's thursday on our rainfall. 42 to 52% of average that's all we had this rain season and why the severe drought continues to spread from north to south across the bay area. reggie? here's some good news in the

east bay for dozens of small businesses. this is in oakland, specifically. they've been awarded grants as they struggle through this pandemic. $500,000 all from private donations was distributed among 90 businesses. more than 900 applied. the city of oakland teamed up with working solutions to distribute the funds. working solutions ceo said this program especially helps business that may have filed the application for federal help daunting. >> just thinking about the nail salon. veaetneeeeeeeeeee veveet gnaw . >> working solutions is a nonprofit community develop of and you can find resources or donate to the oakland economic relief fund on its website. abc7 is partnering with iheart

radio to help support local businesses getting hit hard during this pandemic. thousands of stores and services are still open offering to help with essential needs and also many are hiring right now. just go to abc7news.com to find the resources and click on support the bay. now the covid-19 spread to the animal kingdom. two house cats have tested positive for the disease. both of the cats are in new york and their symptoms include sneezing, coughing, runny nose, watery eyes and just kind of tired. the outbreak at the bronx zoo is also spreading. four more tigers and three more lions tested positive. zoo flofficials believe that an from d jen y have infected themr with many veterinarians. >> normally we see zoo nautic disease of animals spreading it to humans. reverse with this. we have to remember our hand hygiene, keeping our hands clean not only important to protect

us, obviously, it's important to protect our pets. >> you can hear more of what dr. ashton has to say about keeping you and your pets safe coming up at 7:00 on "gma." why you might be dreaming about being able to eat at your favorite restaurant, once again. several sheep are gathered spotted outside a mcdonald's in the uk. peter thomas was leaving a store in south wales when he saw the animals and took this picture. even the sheep were having mcdonald's withdraws. people are spotting animals roaming around cities more and more with the covid-19 lockdowns. during this pandemic, a lot of us are looking for magic wherever we can find it. >> good morning. >> good morning. >> say good morning, cinderella. >> i hope you're having a magical day. >> we are now thanks to you. >> this is sweet. cinderella bringing some magic to a florida neighborhood with

special drive-by orlando. cindy simmons shared this video along with the message saying cinderella just came through our neighborhood and i full on ugly cried. what in the world is wrong with me? a thing.othing wrong with you. i mean, you don't see her pumpkin turn into a stage coach every day. i don't blame her for having that reaction. coming up next 6:30. the red cross has plans to start doing something new next week. >> another stunning week for unemployment here in america. nearly 4.4 million americans are out of work and we'll see how the markets react. this morning, new word that the first u.s. coronavirus death was from a woman here in san jose. jose. what we're learning aboutoners in these uncertain times, look after yourself, your family, your friends. but know when it comes to your finances, we are here for you.

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safety. this is abc7 news. now at 6:30, tracking the spread of coronavirus. people may have started dying earlier than we thought. coroners across california are digging deeper into their records. and the opening bell rings on wall street as we learn another 4.4 million people have lost their jobs because of the virus. the just released numbers and how the markets are reacting. good morning, welcome to thursday, april 23rd. don't be surprised if there isn't a huge reaction on wall street at least judging by the futures but you never know. things could always change minute by minute. we can always bet on meteorologist mike nicco. hey, mike. >> hopefully you're not shorting me, reggie. let's take a look at what's going on. the fog is little less thick around the airport in half moon bay. the visibility which was a couple hundred feet earlier is now up to two miles and that is going to be gone in the next couple hours as the winds are up

to 15 miles per hour along the coast and shooting through the san bruno gap 15 at sfo and like the last couple days breezy in the same areas and not as much along the coast as it was yesterday. look at what it does to the cloud cover. almost gone. 60 at half moon bay this afternoon and about 72 to 76 around the bay. near 80 in the south bay and the north bay and low to mid 80s in our east bay valleys. talk more about the warmth because it gets even hotter tomorrow. first, let's get over to reggie for more news. >> mike, thank you. this morning, we are learning more aboutthe bay area woman we now believe is the first person in the u.s. to die from covid-19. julian glover is live with what her family is now telling us. julian? >> hi, goodern moi morning, reg. yes, we spoke to the woman's family. her name is patricia dowd, 57 years old when she died from san jose. she is now believed to be the first coronavirus death not just

here in the bayi area, but in te entire country. what she thought was flu-like symptoms was, in fact, the coronavirus. thanks to an autopsy. let's get to what else you knew about her. she died on february 6th and her death was initially ruled a heart attack according to "l.a. times." family members saying she traveled to europe for work and there was limited testing criteria. you recall, you had to have known travel to wuhan area of china. sending samples to the cdc for coronavirus testing in mid march and now with word of that positive test result, this makes the 57-year-old woman the first known u.s. coronavirus death. >> we had not yet identified our first case of community transmissi happen until february 28th. what these deaths tell us is that we had community transmission probably to a significant degree far earlier than we had known.

>> now, this confirmation moves up the timeline of u.s. coronavirus deaths by several weeks. also tells us new things about community spread of the virus in our area. coroners in santa clara county and several others across the bay, they're now investigating more deaths and expect to find more cases that could in fact be linked to coronavirus. we're live this morning, i'm julian glover, abc7 news. >> julian, thank you. a doctor who was leading the federal agency that is trying to come up with the vaccine has been ousted for political reason. rick bright was suddenly transferred after he insisted on rigorous vetting of a drug that president trump supports. the president is optimistic about this drug that is used for malaria that he thinks will be used for coronavirus. >> i think it could be something really incredible. we're having some very good things happening with it. >> the president's remarks more than a month ago. now, dr. bright was transferred

from the national institutes of health. in a statement he says, i'm speaking out because to combat this deadly virus, science not politics or croneyism has to lead the way. the department of health and human services responded saying dr. bright will continue his work on developing testing pl platforms at the nih. speaking of that drug for malaria, early test results have been disappointing on it. some doctors are hoping a drug used to treat ebola will work. others wonder if blood plasma transfusions can be used to treat patients. starting next week, the red cross will offer anti-body tests for people whosuspec vi ited in donating blood. congress is rushing to pass another economic stimulus package to help people during the covid-19 pandemic. jobina is live at the live desk with the action lawmakers will take today. good morning. >> goodern moi morning, kumasi.

a busy day on capitol hill. the house is expected to vote on the $484 billion economic stimulus bill. the senate already passed the bill on tuesday. it includes $320 billion for the paycheck protection program, which helps small businesses. more money will go towards hospitals and coronavirus testing. the cdc director says it's going to be a long year with possibly more coronavirus cases this fall. >> i said it was going to be more complicated or difficult and potentially complicated because we'll have flu and coronavirus circulate at the same time. >> the latest economic stimulus. calli aitio $500 billion into state aid. governors are certainly feeling that mounting pressure to reopen businesses so that people can get back to work. kumasi, i'll send it back over to you. >> thank you, jobina. governor newsom made the first significant change to

california's stay-at-home order. hospitals will now be able to start scheduling surgeries, they will be limited to essential, nonemergency procedures like heart valve operations. the governor wants to dramatically increase the number of coronavirus tests administered daily from 16,000 to 25,000 a day by the end of april and the goal is to eventually get to 60,000 tests a day. the governor says he's received a pledge from president trump of 100,000 swabs from the federal government. the governor gave no indication of when nonessential businesses might reopen. in the south bay, san jose police are investigatingib hate. someone smashed the windows of several vietnamese-owned businesses. investigators say nothing was stolen from the businesses, no messages were left there. the city leader says it's upsetting that someone would do costly damage to businesses that are already hurting from this pandemic. they point out that there has been a rise in hate crimes targeting asian americans because of coronavirus. a nurse helping coronavirus

patients right now on the front lines of this pandemic was left stranded on the s road.meg asn her ww out in watsonville. she reached out to aaa and had to answer several covid-19 related questions. one of them specifically asked  if she had come into contact with another infected person and she answered yes. aaa connected her to rossi's towing for service. half an hour later she learned help was not coming. >> i believe that they did not pick me up because i had answered that i had taken care of covid-19 patients. >> a passing chp officer eventually helped king get back on the road. aaa says the situation was not handled in the best way and in this case, limited tow service coverage in her area and rossi's towing has yet to respond. i want to show you something that is happening right now. the santa clara county sheriff's office along with other law enforcement agencies are saying

thank you stanford hospital workers during the pandemic. here's a live look outside of lucille packard children's hospital in pal opo alto. iaonthere.e them lininoee t there they are. you can see them right there. everybody is social distancing, having their masks on and still showing love to those who are just on the front lines working to keep us all healthy and sa the money on the way is true for some people out of work, but not for everyone. the hurdles facing the re now c increase in one specific kind of crime. and tonight marks the start of the nfl draft, but it won't be the typical event. we're going to look at how it

will all work virtually. i know, mike, you are probably the most excited person on this screen about this. >> so many aspects of it, yes. how do they virtually boo commissioner goodell. the niners 13th pick, which is a very high pick for a super bowl runner up and, you know, let's see what happens. i can't wait. i'll be excited for all of us. let's take a look at what's going on. and foggy on the peninsula on the coastal side and mid 50s on the bay side where it's mostly cloudy right now. let's look at other neighborhoods. pretty much milder from 52 in napa to look at concord at 59 to 64 in antioch and fremont and hayward and down in san jose. and these temperatures up to 13 degrees warmer than yesterday. even with a little cloud coverage you can see from emeryville tons of sunshine and little bit of a breeze for your commute either this morning or

this afternoon. the fog will be gone. let's talk about neighborhoods in the north bay. look at that. 55 at 7:00. already in the mid 70s at noon and upper 70s to low 80s this afternoon and still 74 at 8:00. for the east bay, get rid of the clouds at 9:00 and help us reach the low to mid 70s from noon through 6:00. 65 with sunshine at 7:00. and san francisco we are warmer than average with the clouds at the coast being eradicated by the breezy conditions there. we'll hit the upper 60s throughout the afternoon hours. we've got some cooler weather on the way for the weekend and then even warmer next week in the accuweather seven-day forecast. before we get to that, let's go to jobina and get an update for our essential workers. hi, jobina. >> hi, mike. i'm excited about the draft, too. i know you and i will talk about that later on in the show. good morning, everyone. live look showing you the bay bridge toll plaza this morning. i have a story for you there. it will now cost you $6 to cross the bay bridge, no matter what time you cross. the bay area toll authority is

suspending congestion pricing because traffic on the bridge i. drivers usually pay $7 during the morning and afternoon commutes. all bay area bridges, except the golden gate, will charge a $6 toll. car poolers and clean air vehicles will still pay $3.

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are in socal. aleady talking about santa anas and heat advisories. way too early for this kind of talk. thankfully most of the heat will stay down there but we're already talking about triple digits in places like palm springs and mid 80s through the central valley and check how much hotter it gets tomorrow especially down in socal. mid 90s and thankfully that is where it will stay until next week where we have chance of 90 degree highs. first, we'll head over to the live desk and talk to jobina. >> thank you, mike. good morning. we have breaking news here at the live desk. i'm looking at more alarming numbers. the u.s. labor department just released the latest job reports and take a look at these numbers on your screen here. 4,427,000 people filed for unemployment benefits last week. that brings the total to more than 26 million since late march. economists do believe weekly claims have finally peaked. i'm going to send it over to kumasi so she can tell us what's happening there on the markets

right now. >> all right, thank you, jobina. all right, let's take a look at and see how the markets are reacting right now to the new unemployment report. you can see the markets are up right now about 187 points, almost 200 points at this point. the stocks are getting a bump this morning because oil prices have stabilized after we saw those historic losses earlier this week. millions of furloughed employees relied on unemployment but those self-employed have arguably been ignored. a abc7 news spoke to two hair stylists who are waiting for their unemployment checks. >> it's been two months since they have gotten us any cash. it's frustrating. >> every day you just try to figure out how you're going to make it. >> both women are at a disadvantage because the state's emergency pandemic unemployment assistance program isn't set up yet and it won't be ready until tuesday. we do have a special section on our website with resources to

answer questions related to the pandemic. topics including stimulus checks, unemployment help and the new rules about face coverings and something lighter. a guide to the virtual entertainment that is happening online. you'll find it on abc7news.com/covid abc7news.com/covidhealth. some of you are putting the pedal to the metal on the road and why not go as if a as i can. i will tell you why the chp is watching and pulling us over and giving tickets. amy hollyfield at the bay bridge toll plaza and these people are going fast, amy. >> reggie, i have seen some questionable speeds coming through this toll plaza this morning. the chp is concerned saying that these less crowded freeways are not an invitation to speed. this is not a race track. they really want to get the message out that people need to slow down to drive home the point and they even released some photos of speeding gone wrong. some cars that have crashed.

some into homes because of speeding. the chp says, listen to this. writing tickets for people going more than 100 miles per hour has gone up 87%. and the traffic volume is way down. so, they really can't believe this. they say think of it this way. health care workers are some of the few people who are out on the roads right now. let's try and keep them safe. all essential workers safe. and let's slow down. officials are so concerned, you'll see them putting the message out on the electronic signs on the highway saying if you must be out on the streets, please, slow down. reporting live from oakland, amy hollyfield, abc7 news. >> thank you, amy. well, oakland is using an electric vehicle charging station to provide emergency power to a coronavirus testing site. the solar power charging station will avoid the use of a generator. this is the first time they're being used to support covid-19 related medical needs. >> having generator fumes and

that new and silent and emissions free. >> oakland usually has three ev units in locations where they could provide emergency power. the 50th anniversary of earth day definitely deserves a celebration that lasts longer than a day and the historic event is really the time to check out more of our abc7 earth original series. go to the nbc7 bay area streaming app. watch our special earth day content and catch our live newscast and breaking news and weather. the app is available on apple tv, androidtv, fire tv and roku. you just search abc7 bay area and install it for free. the countdown to the nfl draft is on and fans, as you know, are thirsty for live sports. jobina fortson is at the live

desk with all the details. good morning, jobina. >> goodern morning, kumasi, ye. instead of that giant spectacle in las vegas, nfl commissioner roger goodell announcing picks from his basement. instead of that war room we all like to see with the managers and the coaches, they will all be inside their homes, as well. >> we'll have all the scouts, all the coaches, everyone will be on there during the draft. probably about 30 people and got the phones and stuff and all of us and john has the same set up in his office for the trades and we'll have another zoom meeting on here between john and i. we're always in the same room together. >> head coach kyle shanahan gave his tour of his home office. the 49ers have two first-round picks and number 13 and 31. the team is holding a virtual draft party on their social media platforms and the team's websites. nfl commissioner roger goodell on gma this morning and he says the team is ready for the draft.

>> we've turned this into sort of a mini studio. three people in here with me. and it's -- it worked pretty well last night. we were testing some of the technology. i think we're ready to go. >> you can watch the full interview with robin roberts on "gma" coming up at 7:00 right here on abc7. if you want to watch the nfl draft do it right here at 5:00 p.m. and then join larry beil and chris alvarez for a post-draft special after the game. and, mike, i know you and i are pretty excited about this. the bengals have the first round pick. i know someone will be wearing this jersey in our living room. it's not me. i'm falcons all day, but i'm really excited about this and i know you asked about the booing for roger goodell. he talks about that in his interview with robin roberts this morning. he says hethere's going to be a way to virtually do that.

>> well, good for him. that is one of the main stays and one of the things i think a lot of the fans look forward to. so, it's great he is taking it and embracing it. good for him. yeah, i'm excited to see who the niners draft for being a super bowl runner up and having the 13th pick, i would like to see what a lot of those mock drafts are saying and take one of those dynamic wide receivers from alabama and get jimmy g. some help and try to make it back. most times when you lose the super bowl, you don't make it back the next year. >> right, right, right. but i'm not going to think like that exactly. exactly, my friend. you got it. >> yeah. good luck to you. and the bengal fan in your household. let's talk about what's going on from the exploratorium. kind of your moment of zen this morning. isn't it so peaceful looking from the exploratorium camera. let's use it for our backdrop. above average today. becoming a little breezy and

sunny everywhere. cooler with fewer clouds and fog tonight. and more clouds as the marine layer and the sea breeze kicks in this weekend and that will temporarily take the sting out of some of this heat we're going to be dealing with today. look how quickly the clouds melt and even at the coast this afternoon, the cloudsgo away for the most part. so, let's see where our temperatures end up. the breeze will keep us 60 at half moon bay and 68 in san francisco and 72 to 76 around the bay. near 80 in the south bay and definitely making low to mid 80s in the south bay valleys and 76 in san rafael and without the cloud cover, a couple degrees cooler tomorrow morning and low to mid 50s except for near antioch. rainfall 41 to 52% of average. look what the severe drought is doing. spreading from the north bay. remember, only up in lake and mendocino counties and now over most of the bay. the drought is only going to get worse as you look up to the north even in extreme drought

crossing the border from oakland. why is the drought going to get worse? because the medium range models show no chance of rain the next two weeks with temperatures away from the coast well above average. reggie? >> all right, thanks, mike. this is a really good example of the way the innovation in the bay area is helping covid-19, the fight against it. nasal swabs are a critical part to expanding testing across california but there has been a shortage of them. the majority of these swabs are used in test kits that come from ialy, but a san francisco company that makes large-scale 3d printers has become a manufacturer. origin makes high-level 3d printers for the foot wear industries and the federal government. when the company realized its equipment could playn important role in the pandemic, it started to collaborate with orders to create 3d printed swabs that would pass fda and clinical research standards. >> it's actually quite an exciting thing for the team.

quite a mission behind it. and, you know, it's really transformed our company and our culture. >> several 3d manufacturers including origin promised to ship between 7 and 10 billion swabs a week within a couple weeks. the annual aids walk san francisco is now going virtual. the walk is still on for july 19th, but this year it is going to be an interactive live streaming event because of the pandemic. we're going to get details on how this is going to work in the coming weeks. abc7 is a proud, long-time sponsor of aids walk san francisco. abc7 ts hess who had to fo graduation ceremonies and other milestones because of the pandemic. forest hunt is graduating with a communications degree. he enjoys sports broadcasting and wants to work for a pro sports team. forest's mom writes that the family survived the coffee park fires and missing graduation is

just another setback. but her message to forest right now is, i love you, i believe in you and we've got this. wise words from mom and congratulations to forest. if you want to honor a graduate, you can share the details at abc7news.com and we may give them a shout out on tv or online. we do ask, though, no professional photos. you can check out a photo gallery of all the seniors that we're honoring eon our website. >> forest hunt is a successful name. i like that name. i am forest hunt. isn't that good? >> had the gear. >> why are you forgetting about this, like every day you try to forget about the fact that at 6:55, we moisturize. >> i forgot what i was missing we're all doing our part by staying at home. that could mean an increase in energy bills. you can save by setting your heat to 68 or lower... unplugging and turning off devices when not in use... or just letting the sun light your home.

stay well and keep it golden. it's only human to find inspiration in nature. and also find answers. our search to transform... ...farm waste into renewable natural gas led chevron to partner with california bioenergy. working to provide an alternative source of power... ...for a cleaner way forward.

it is 6:57. if you're just joining us. seven things to know this morning. number one this morning the u.s. labor department reports more than 4.4 million people filed for unemployment.

more than 26 million workers have filed in the past five weeks after the covid-19 pandemic forced businesses and busine restaurants to close. the house is expected to vote on the economic stimulus package today. the $414 billion deal includes more funding for small businesses, hospitals and coronavirus testing. number three, this is getting a lot of attention right now at abc7news.com. 7 on your side is finding that thousands of people expecting coronavirus stimulus checks have learned that the money went somewhere else like on expired debit cards or on to dormant bank accounts. number four, slow down. that is the message from the chp, which is reporting an 87% spike in speeding. although road traffic is down, the chp says it is writing more tickets for drivers going over 100 miles an hour. and number six.

it will now cost you $6 to cross the bay bridge no matter what time you cross. this is a live look at the toll plaza. the bay area toll authority is suspending because traffic on the bridge is half of what it is. drivers usually pay $7 during the morning and afternoon commutes. if you are commuting this morning, low clouds around the bay, but they won't stay around very long. look at all that sunshine and above average temperatures away from the coast. >> number seven. here is a live look at a tribute that is under way at stanford hospital. law enforcement agencies are outside hospital entrances cheering on doctors and nurses. they wantedharont line workers during this pandemic. and we want to thank them, too. so good to see that. >> and i guess, you know, these workers have really been looking forward to when it's their turn. so, the fact that they got their turn this morning should make us all happy. they all should get a chance.

>> have a good morning, america. deadly tornado outbreak. at least 26 reported twisters hitting four states in the south killing at least six people overnight, destroying buildings, ripping off roofs and decimating homes in oklahoma and texas. the severe weather is on the move and the new tornado threat for more than 12 million this morning. we're tracking it all. president trump criticizes the georgia governor for his plan to re-open that state tomorrow, but at odds with his own advisers about