>> do they play vitamin c anymore? right now on "america this morning," the worst month for american jobs since the great depression. that's what some experts are predicting as we get new data on the economic toll of the coronavirus. the industries hit the hardest plus the staggering need for food. this food line extending down eight city blocks. the new advisory about a rare illness affecting children. cases now in states other than new york. what parents need to know. sticker shock. the rising price of meat with more stores running low. some food processing companies slowly starting to re-open today. how long the shortages could last. breaking overnight, a major wildfire spreading in florida. several buildings destroyed. a new plan to play ball. the crucial step major league baseball is now taking.

and the picture of devotion. the er doctor who hasn't been able to hug her baby son for seven weeks. what keeps her motivated to fight on the front lines. good thursday morning, everyone. we've been reporting for weeks about the scale of the health crisis in this country. now we're getting new figures on the economic crisis. >> in just the last month 20 million jobs were lost in the private sector alone and figures out this morning are expected to show that 33 million americans have filed for unemployment benefit. >> here's proof of the economic hardship. this line outside a food pantry in queens, new york, was half a mile long. a new study finds 17% of american families with young children are going hungry. >> most of the country is re-opening, but the restrictions are causing tension. in oklahoma police say two workers at this mcdonald's weree

dini roowa fe-teateng. but we begin our coverage with the growing concern about the economy. this morning, as unemployment numbers soar across the country, covid-19 is also changing how people find a career. >> when would you be available to start? >> reporter: companies in several states are holding drive-through job fairs. people looking for employment for this company register online and pull up to a designated parking spot. >> you interview either standing or in your car and you can get an offer on the spot. >> reporter: the new approach comes as job losses reach new highs. payroll company adp says the private sector slashed a record 20 million jobs between march and april. the biggest job losses were in transportation, construction and services and hospitality. a report out this morning is expected to show another 3 million americans filed for unemployment benefits last week bringing the total to 33 million since march. and the labor department's monthly jobs report tomorrow is

expected to show an unemployment rate of 15% to 20%. >> my guess right now is it's going to be north of 16%, maybe as high as 19% or 20%, and so we are looking at probably the worst unemployment rate since the great depression. >> reporter: and it's worse in las vegas where experts say unemployment could be as high as 25%. >> it is like a ghost town. it's like if this was a science fiction horror movie, you couldn't make up a scenario of just driving down the strip at night and you see nothing. >> reporter: working from home is providing a life line for some. new data shows in the early stages of the pandemic, 90% of job losses came from people who couldn't work from home. but this morning, more of the country is re-opening. 43 states will have lifted some business restrictions by this weekend including iowa where this graph shows cases still sharply on the rise. now more than 10,000. meanwhile in california, some nonessential businesses in los angeles county are now being allowed to re-open in the coming

days. >> beginning friday, florists, toy stores, music stores, book stores, clothing and sporting good stores in the city of los angeles may offer curbside pickup. starting saturday as well you'll be able to return to trails and our golf courses will be re-opened. >> reporter: but in some areas business owners are not waiting for restrictions to be lifted. people lined up at this barber shop in michigan to show their support for the owner who is defying stay-at-home orders. karl manke says he decided to open after he was denied unemployment benefits twice. >> i just can't do it. i mean financially, emotionally, i can't do it. i have to work. i mean, it's a necessity. manke's. >> reporter: in texas the governor is now supporting shelly luther sentenced to seven days in jail for opening her salon. the state's attorney general sent a letter to the judge wednesday asking to set luther free. at her hearing luther told the

judge she kept her salon open because she needs the money to feed her family. >> if you think the law is more important than kids getting fed, then please go ahead with your decision, but i'm not going to shut the salon. >> reporter: and in north carolina the first phase of re-opening begins tomorrow affecting parks and beaches. there's growing concern about a mysterious illness in children that appears to be linked to the coronavirus. after surfacing in the uk, more than 60 kids in new york have now been affected, and cases are also popping up in new jersey, philadelphia and boston. symptoms include fever, abdominal pain and a rash and are similar to toxic shock syndrome. it attacks the cardiovascular system. now we'll talk to a doctor about this in less than 15 minutes. president trump is reversing course now saying the white house coronavirus task force will continue working together. it comes as the former head of the cdc offers a new prediction about covid-19. abc's alex presha has more. >> reporter: this morning a new warning from the former head of the cdc predicting the number of coronavirus deaths in the u.s.

will exceed 100,000 by the end of this month. >> until we have an effective vaccine and unless something very unexpected happens, our viral enemy will be with us for many months and possibly many years. >> reporter: dr. tom frieden made the comment on capitol hill. he was brought in as a substitute after president trump prevented dr. anthony fauci from testifying in front a democratically led house committee. fauci, the federal government's top infectious disease expert, will instead testify before the republican led senate next week. >> the house is a setup. the house is a bunch of trump haters. >> reporter: the white house is defending the decision saying house members did not provide an adequate explanation for why fauci should testify. >> we don't have time in the middle of a pandemic for publicity stunts. it's not the time for that. >> reporter: the absence of dr. fauci prompted frustration from members of both parties. >> i think it would have been good testimony useful to this committee. i think useful to this country. >> reporter: in the meantime, president trump is backing off plans to wind down the white house task force in the coming weeks. >> i had no idea how popular the

task force is until actually yesterday. >> reporter: the president spoke during an event marking national nurses day where he also contradicted a nurse he was honoring as she spoke out about the availability of personal protective equipment. >> so ppe has been sporadic, but it's been manageable, and we do what we have to do. we're nurses and we learn to adapt. >> sporadic for you but not sporadic for a lot of other people. >> oh, i agree, mr. president. >> because i've heard the opposite. i've heard they're loaded up with gowns now. >> reporter: as for dr. fauci, the white house says both democrats and republicans will get a chance to ask dr. fauci questions at the senate hearing next week. kenneth and mona. >> all right, alex, thank you. now to the nation's meat supply crisis. agriculture secretary sonny perdue says we've turned a corner after dozens of meatpacking plants were forced to close because of virus outbreaks. he expects supplies to improve in stores within ten days.

shortages have been fueling price hikes. packs of ground beef in miami are selling for $11. several processing plants are restarting production today including the smithfield facility in south dakota closed for nearly a month. a major pork plant in iowa is also resuming limited production. local leaders say they're satisfied with new safety precautions. >> i am hoping that the measures that are put in place right now by the company will be able to mitigate any potential risk for the workers in our community. >> reporter: meanwhile, in nebraska coronavirus cases are on the rise. one of the heardest hit areas is home to a meat plant. in georgia, protesters are demanding justice as state investigators look into the deadly shooting of an unarmed black man who was out jogging. video showing the death of ahmaud arbery has sparked outrage. the 25-year-old was confronted by a father and son in february. authorities say he was shot by the son. the men allegedly claimed they thought arbery was running from

a crime scene. that led to yesterday's protest in atlanta and angry pleas for arrests of those two white men. a grand jury will determine if charges will be filed. supreme court justice ruth bader ginsburg is back home after a one-night stay in the hospital. she was treated for an infection but still took part in court proceedings online. time now to check your thursday morning forecast. dry and windy conditions fueled a major wildfire in florida burning around 2,000 acres near pensacola. homes are more than a dozen structures that burned. some residents have been forced to evacuate. the fires started as a prescribed burn that got out of control. checking today's high temperatures. seasonably warm along the gulf coast and another scorcher in the southwest today. meanwhile, 60s from the northern plains all the way to new england. 66 in seattle. 74 in portland.

coming up, the need, the need for speed. just how fast people are driving on the highways right now. but first the shortage of clorox wipes. details on when you can expect them back in stores. and a plan to charge airline passengers extra money for a social distance upgrade meets some fierce opposition. people at higher risk, must take extra precautions. you are at higher risk if you are over 65, or if you have any serious underlying medical conditions,

like heart disease, chronic lung disease, diabetes, or if your immune system is compromised for any reason. if you're at higher risk, wash your hands frequently with soap and water for twenty seconds. avoid touching your face. disinfect frequently touched objects. and wash up after being in public spaces. and when it comes to social situations...less is better. stay six feet or two arm lengths away from other people. better still, stay home if you can. if you're sick, please stay home and away from others. and if you think you've been exposed to the virus, call your health care provider before going to their office. in challenging times, the choices you make are critical. please visit coronavirus.gov for more information.

back now with some news from clorox. the company is ramping up production to meet demand for its clorox wipes, but the ceo says it will be summer before the company can fully meet the demand which is up 500%. and frontier airlines is dropping plans to charge passengers a fee to make sure the middle seat next to them is empty. after facing a backlash, the airline said it just wanted to give customers an option for more space.

industry experts say airfares could rise 50% if social distancing is enforced. >> if you're traveling by car, beware. police are stepping up patrols because of a surge in drunk drivers and drivers who are speeding. here's abc's kimberly brooks. >> reporter: this morning a growing risk on the road. more americans finding the need for speed. with far less traffic since stay-at-home orders, highways that used to be jam packed now look like racetracks. this police radar near san francisco caught a driver going 124 miles per hour. a maryland driver was clocked at 136. >> people think that because the freeways are empty that it's okay to speed because, you know, they're not going to hurt anybody or whatnot. but what ends up happening is those same vehicles are the ones we see rolled over. >> reporter: between march and april california highway patrol saw an 87% increase for speeding

>> the judge has the authority to take your license for 30 days not to mention if the chp ends up impounding your vehicle so also looking for that fee for 30 days looking over $2,000 plus a citation. >> reporter: in new york city speed cameras issued nearly 25,000 tickets on march 27th alone. nearly double the usual number. in minnesota, car crashes and fatalities have more than doubled, and police are also seeing more drunk drivers. >> that's something we really have to address. >> this tweet from the nevada department of public safety showing that last year there were 75 dui arrests in april and this april, 133. this unexpected by-product of covid-19 now keeping police vigilant. >> we're definitely out there. you might not see us from point a to point b. be aware, we have a zero tolerance. >> and, guys, there's also been a rise in the number of pedestrians killed. in los angeles, they're actually making changes to the traffic

lights and the pedestrian walk signals. kenneth, mona. >> all right, thank you, kimberly. and coming up, why more people who have been staying at home are coming down with the coronavirus. also ahead, why llamas could hold the key to finding a cure. but first meet the er doctor who hasn't been able to give her baby a hug for seven weeks. what keeps her going next. and the struggle is real. mom! look! take something that can wipe you out? or don't, and fight through every second. new quick-dissolve nurtec™ can bring you back when migraines attack. just one dose can work fast and last so you can keep going. don't take if allergic to nurtec. the most common side effect was nausea. nurtec one migraine. one dose. onederful™ high protein. low sugar. tastes great! high protein. low sugar.

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the stories of sacrifice from the front lines of the pandemic are seemingly endless and often heartbreaking. angela chen is an er doctor in new york working with coronavirus patients each day. so she's been isolated from her 14-month-old son theo for seven long weeks unable to hold him. >> he raises his arms out. he wants to be picked up and there's no way to explain to a 14-month-old i can't pick you up

and it's -- i mean, it's crushing. >> just heartbreaking and for dr. chen mother's day will be yet another day away from her baby. new data from new york shows many coronavirus cases in recent days were in people who have been staying home. early i spoke with dr. ravi. i asked him how these n nonessential workers are getting sick and i also asked him about the serious illness now affecting children. >> as there is more community spread and children are spending more time outdoors after being cooped inside for so many weeks, it's important to continue the basic safety precautions such as hand washing. it's important to know a large proportion of pediatric cases are associated with household contact, so it's important to truly isolate anyone in the home who may be sick and closely monitor who children are coming in contact with. finally while there are children who develop severe symptoms, a significant proportion of children who do get the virus are asymptomatic or have mild cases and most recover and do well overall. >> here in new york governor andrew cuomo said that 66% of hospitalizations in the city from new coronavirus cases are

people who are staying home and not essential workers. can you explain what that means? >> sure. it's definitely frustrating for all of us to hear that severe cases are still occurring by all the work we are doing to stop the spread.referring to from ne, the majority of individuals are elderly who do have poor morbidities. so then we ask, what are the gap nast we are missing? we have to double down on washing the happens after picking up the mail or doing grocery shopping. and we have to watch who we're coming in contact with, especially perhaps younger family members who may be visiting but are themselves not taking the proper precautions. >> mother's day is sunday. so many people are thinking about visiting mom who they likely haven't seen in person in quite some time. your advice for them? >> you know, that's a great question and one i can personally understand myself. that being said we're not out of the woods yet by any means and community spread of the disease is ongoing.

while i know it's hard, the weather is getting better, we've all been cooped inside for so long, i would advise families to come up with other ways to celebrate mother's day with elde ceinin person. we know the elderly are especially susceptible to serious consequences from the virus, and many of us may be infected but asymptomatic with the potential to spread the virus to our loved ones in person. >> got to protect mom. our thanks to dr. ravi there. well, coming up, this you have to hear, the toilet flushing during court arguments at the supreme court. >> plus, "the simpsons" make another accurate prediction. with rheumatoid arthritis. t fe because there are options. like an "unjection™". xeljanz xr, a once-daily pill for adults with moderate to severe ra for whom methotrexate did not work well enough. xeljanz xr can reduce pain, swelling and further joint damage, even without methotrexate. xeljanz can lower your ability to fight infections like tb;

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others call it the covid 19. officials in one town on long island, new york, are starting a townwide diet hoping to get people to heat healthier. >> our video is so rude. one of tv's best known families has apparently predicted the future yet again. >> this time "the simpsons" saw decades into the future during an episode in 1993. one scene seemed to foreshadow the coronavirus. [ crowd chanting "we need a cure" ] >> why, the only cure is bedrest. anything i give you would only be a placebo. >> where do we get these placebos? >> maybe there's some in this truck. >> i remember this. some say the killer bees reference could be the murder hornets now seen in the u.s. for the first time. >> full circle. now, scientists say llamas may hold the key to beating the coronavirus. researchers are studying an antibody fragment from a 4-year-old llama.

they say the particle appears to block the virus by binding to its proteins. llama antibodies were already being studied as a potential treatment for sars. you never really know what's going to happen when the supreme court is hearing arguments by telephone. case in point wednesday's session when there was evidence that someone really had to go, and i mean go. take a listen. >> and what the fcc has said is that when the subject matter of the call ranges to the topic, then the call is transformed. >> that sounded like a toilet flushing while attorney there roman martinez was answering a question. he didn't miss a beat, but they say that was somebody else, right? this wasn't him. >> okay, okay. >> want to hear the hand washing but we have an update on a 5-year-old boy in utah pulled over for driving down the highway. he took his parents' car for a joyride because he wanted to find a lamborghini. >> adrian just got his wish.

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now your health, your safety. this is abc7 news. making news at 4:27. reopening confusion. governor newsom will lay out phase two of reopening california today but the bay area might not go along. seemed like an easy way to celebrate and spread some cheer, but one county is putting a stop to car parades. covid-19 has changed the work a lot of us are doing and now some companies are considering digital surveillance to make sure we're working. and the house, we'll have to see about this story. it is thursday may 7th and so much more in a few minutes but first checking in with meteorologist mike nicco. you are working hard at home this morning, mike, we don't need surveillance. >> thank you, i appreciate that. i would like to keep work at home separate as much as

possible even though i do enjoy working from home. working hard now, but maybe not later today when it gets hot. you have to take it easy. you can see how quiet it is out there. look at the lack of clouds from our exploratorium camera at pier 15 and on this friday eve, temperatures are soaring away from the coast. mid to upper 70s into san francisco and richmond. low to mid 80s around the bay and upper 80s to low 90s in some inland neighborhoods and some 90s around antioch, concord and fairfield. even hotter tomorrow, kumasi, and we'll talk about that coming up. governor newsom expected to reveal new details of the state's reopening that is set to start tomorrow, but different counties may be on different timelines. abc7 news reporter julian glover is live with more on this. julian. >> hi, kumasi, good morning. pretty much all of us are

excited to hear what governor newsom has to say today when it comes to easing restrictions in gaze two and allowing more nonessential businesses to restart, but the reality is much not much will be changing here for us in the bay area. here's what we expect the governor to highlight in phase two. some stores will be allowed to open for curbside pickup and similar shops like that. but in order for that to happen must be signed off on the local county level and approved by the state. for most of the bay area, that likely won't be happening for quite some time. >> the governor's guidance to retailers coming out thursday will spell out the state's expectations. we will study those very carefully. however, it is important to remember that the rule of thumb is whichever order is more restrictive is the order that will take precedence. >> that was dr. grant colefax.

so what will change in your area? abc7 news reached out to nine bay area countie to see if they plan to move forward on friday. contra costa, marin and sonoma and all of them saying not ready for phase two come friday and only napa and solano and low-risk activities to resume on friday and we'll have to see exactly what those are. alameda and marin said they might be ready in mid-may. we could see some easing of restrictions eventually. reporting live this morning, julian glover, abc7 news. testing for coronavirus we all know how key that is and the state is making it easier to find the testing site. you can put your zip code on california's coronavirus website and just put it in there and it will show