of reloijs you leaders are vowing to and... l(music fades in). hey! -hi! ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

essential and it's time to open up. and now they have the department of justice on their side. >> only on abc 7, robin william's son opens up about his struggles and the his advocacy work during the pandemic. >> face coverings are about to be mand tour. >> the holiday weekend forecast is coming up. building a better bay area for a safe and secure future. this is abc 7 news. we will not be doing church like we used to, so we're not going to put peoples' lives in jeopardy. >> tonight the battle between church and say it is heating up. more than 1,200 california pastors say they will defy the governor's orders and hold

services on may 31st. thank you for joining us. i'm dan ashley. >> and i'm ama daetz. j.r. stone is following the growing debate and has more from oakland. >> the church is essential, especially for times like these. >> bishop bob jackson of acts full gospel church in oakland making a plea to california governor p gavin newsom saying in these tough times churches need to be open and there for prisher ins. >> there's nobody ministering to their spiritual needs and that's what the church is for. >> the department of justice agrees with jackson and sent him a letter telling not to discriminate against places of worship. more than 1,200 california pastors also agree and are leading the charge. health experts are cautioning that. >> you bring a lot of people together. you put them in close quarters. you have a lot of proximity. i think all of those may bring

significant risk of infection. >> we asked viewers on facebook if you would feel comfortable going back to church. you responded with well over 300 comments. close to 90% of you saying no. the 11% in favor saying it's another essential activity. bishop jackson says there will be a church service may 31st, but they'll do so in this parking lot with people in their cars until a plan to safely go inside is finished. >> we will not be doing churches like we used to. we won't have a choir like we used to have. we're looking at having a praise team which consists of about three people, and they'll all have individual microphones. we're taking every precaution that we can. >> bishop jackson met with alameda county officials on wednesday. his 4,000 capacity church will likely now max out at around 900 people. j.r. stone, abc 7 news. in the south bay, santa

clara county is about to require everyone to wear face coverings in businesses. san jose wants to take it one step further but it is finding push back from a surprising source. >> reporter: in hard hit santa clara county, new face coverings, it'll be mandatory for people entering businesses to be masked, also those taking public transit. but the city wants stricter rules. >> the reason we took it one step further is we felt there was a gap in that mandate. >> what went to tuesday night's 11-hour long city council meeting. the big debate surrounded enforcement. we reached out to eddie garcia wednesday but he was unavailable for an interview. >> they can say they're not going to be enforced, that we're going to treat it with kid gloves but we're going to get

inundated with calls. >> the intention was not to have police issues citations or making arrests but the hope is they would help inform and educate. >> there's nothing wrong with a simple reminder or a gentle nudge to say that, you know, face masks are mandatory and you should be wearing one. >> the city's ordinance looks at requiring face coverings whenever people leave the house. when interacting with people indoors or outdoors or working in a shared space and when enjoying the same outdoor area as others. >> i think we have to think about the rest of the people. >> reporter: residents we spoke with said whether it's required or not, they see this as a responsibility. >> it's a responsibility for city council to try to pass these rules and regulations. they're doing the best they can and the police chief is doing the best they can. thumbs up on everybody. >> the city will vote on revised ordinance on june 2nd. abc 7 news. on the peninsula as part of phase two in san mateo county, all child care facilities

including camps can now reopen as long as they follow some safety requirements. among other rules, each program must run for at least four weeks, enough time for a case of covid-19 to be identified. also, children must be kept in the same group of 12 or less with the same staff member. and kids cannot attend more than one program at the same time. >> because of the pandemic, our efforts here at abc 7 to build a better bay area are focused on four key areas, health, the economy, changing workplaces, and education. when it comes to california's public schools we don't know when they'll reopen yet. but we are getting answers for parents and sunts about what it will look like when they do. everyone will be wearing masks. class sizes will be smaller as schools ensure social distancing. constant cleaning will be a reality. the state superintendent of public schools says districts will decide when to reopen, but he expects most will be ready to go in late august or early

september. >> we've heard from different districts who were thinking that reopening might mean a blend of styles of education with some in-class instruction and in some cases still some distance learning. so we're working with -- >> he'll lead a virtual meeting tomorrow with all 1,000 reps from school districts around the state. another focus point for building a better bay area is the changing workplace after all of this. and that includes your commute. san francisco transit leaders are warning that there is the potential for gridlock as people head back to work. why? well, that's because commuters are less likely to take public transit as social distancing continues and people are a little uncomfortable about it. drone view 7 captured this video today showing there are already more cars on the san francisco skyway leading to the bay bridge. s.f.m.t.a. executive director is calling on the city to get ahead of the curve. >> we believe we have a very

narrow window of time in order to set the transportation system up so that the city's economy is not strangled in traffic congestion. >> so, transit officials are encouraging people to use modes of transportation that take up the least space like walking and bicycling. tonight more streets in san francisco are closed to traffic as part of the city's first lease program. the idea is to create more space for people to get out and exercise and keep their social distance. the new locations are sanchez between 23rd and 30th street and shot well between cesar chavez and 14th street. you see the streets highlighted on this map. the city wants to add 13 more locations. we are working every single day to tell stories that help build a better bay area which includes stories about your health. may is mental health awareness month as you may have heard, and right now during the pandemic it is the topic that in many ways affects everyone. in an interview you'll see only

on abc 7, our reporter kate larson speaks with zack williams, robin williams' son, about how he has overcommental health challenges and is now working to help others. >> a reverse cow lick. >> a shelter-in-place haircut humor to kick off my conversation with zack williams, the oldest child of legendary actor and comedian robin williams. >> i have hand sanitizer. i wonder if i can use that as gel. lavender spray. i smell a lot like lavender. >> perfect! >> there we go. >> comedic relief, important as ever as people around the world wade through not just a viral pandemic but a surging mental health crisis. >> we're experiencing a parallel pandemic. actually exaggerating existing issues. it can cause people to feel more isolated. it can cause people to potentially self-medicate more. >> zack grew up in san francisco. he now lives in los angeles and

he's a mental health advocate. >> i needed to heal and recover myself. >> his struggles began after his father committed suicide at home in marin in 2014. >> my becoming a mental health advocate stemmed from the trauma and loss i experienced after my dad died by suicide. i experienced a serious low point in my life. i felt completely emotionally disregulated and was experiencing ptsd and was self-medicating to the point where i want to not feel anything. and i found that the most healing experience for me was committing to service around causes. >> zack is on the board of bring change to mind, a non-profit founded by glenn close that works to end the stigma surrounding mental illness. he's an adviser for inseparable, a national organization focused on pragmatic policy. and he's launching a stress

anxiety relief supplement company. >> there's a lot to do. and i see that there's tail wind relating to reducing stigma associated with mental health. >> can you sort of talk about your own experience and what's helped you? >> very focused on things like talk therapy and engaging in community support groups. i personally stay away from drugs and alcohol. that's been very helpful for me especially during this time. it's enabled me to address the challenges that i'm feeling both with anxiety and also depression head on. >> and now you're a dad yourself. what's your hope as a dad and for your son, for your family. >> as a dad, i hope my son can grow up in a stigma-free world. when it comes to sharing and being vulnerable, i think we need to shift our mindset from thinking about it as weakness to

thinking about it as a strength to create a more connected, happier world. >> in san francisco, kate larson, abc 7 news. >> great conversation with zack. and we appreciate him speaking with us. tomorrow we are hosting a town hall on mental health and coronavirus. watch tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. right here on abc 7. we've all seen those images of packed planes. next, what one airline is doing to keep passengers safe. >> scientists may have a new tool in the fight against the coronavirus and the technology could be sitting in your living room. [ cheers and applause ] >> and we are there as ucsf's longest coronavirus patient finally gets to go home. >> i'm meteorologist sandhya patel, the seven day forecast features heat. wait till you see the temperatures, coming up. >> all this ahead. but here's a look at what's

coming up on "jimmy kimmel live". >> thanks dan and ama. ask your doctor if this is right for you. ♪ happy

tonight marks a milestone. for the first time since march, all u.s. states have now partially emerged from coronavirus lockdowns. but as abc news reporter explains, there's still concern about whether states are doing it safely. >> reporter: a nation trying to return to normal with both reservations and push back for not moving fast enough. in michigan some barbers making a statement on the state capitol lawn, arguing for a faster reopen, gefing free haircuts, many without face masks, some armed. and in orlando vice president mike pence at a burger joint

with the governor, neither wearing a mask. connecticut becoming the 50th state to partially reopen but with precaution, retail at half capacity and outdoor spaced out seating. >> maybe 2 out of 10 don't have masks and you've got to say you've got to have a mask. >> reporter: companies are taking precautions for future flights. delta with the pre-flight spray for killing bacteria, a wipe down, and crew inspection. positive news about antibodies potentially blocking against covid infections. >> those antibodies at least to the extent we've tested now seem to correlate with blocking of viral infection. >> reporter: although they say it's unclear how long the antibodies offer protection. not everything is getting a green light. ford has briefly closed down two plants in illinois and michigan after three workers there tested positive for covid-19. they say both plants will be back up and running by tonight. the navajo nation, they have the

country's highest per capita rate of covid-19 infection, and they're leaders are putting place measures. abc news los angeles. in the south bay, san jose's airport is seeing a massive plunge in travellers. the number of passengers at the airport was down more than 58% in march. an airport spokesperson expects a 95% drop when data is compile frd april. new at 11:00, the stud, san francisco's bar is closing after 50 years. the closure is due to a lack of revenue during the covid-19 pandemic. so many businesses in that same boat. state senator scott weiner will speak tomorrow. tonight he tweeted in part some of my earliest memories were at the stud. the stud survived hiv. it survived the cost of real

estate. it didn't survive covid-19. this is a tragedy. napa valley was supposed to be this weekend but not postponed until october. so, the concert promoters hope to tide fans over until fall. bottlerock will be streaming past performances and new content on the youtube channel saturday. you can watch for free, but viewers are encouraged to donate to charity. after this weekend, the online series will continue at 5:00 p.m. on fridays for 18 weeks. ucsf's longest staying coronavirus patient was finally released today after spending 60 days in the hospital, 34 of those on a ventilator. a small army of nurses, doctors, and staff was there for the send off. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: in the scheme of things, these uplifting send offs of covid patients never get

old. >> it's a miracle i'm alive. thank you so much. thank you. >> reporter: ron was hospitalized at ucsf on march 20th after complaining of flu-like symptoms. his condition got worse, ending up in the icu where he spent 44 days, 34 of those on a ventilator. here's a photo of ron before his ordeal. the couple had been to europe and south africa. their last day was in england before returning to san francisco. even though they travelled together, ron's wife, linda, never had any symptoms. she eventually tested negative for covid-19. >> it's like a tornado. it goes through and picks up a house here and goes around and picks up another one a couple of blocks away. you just -- you just don't know. >> ron says it was his nurse,

jason bloomer, who reassured him there was life after covid. >> understand i had that in my head that there would be an end to this, no matter how long it took, everything turned around. >> the hardest part is the lack of visitors and family support. so, doing things like zoom and bringing everybody in is a huge part. >> today two of his children were watching him over the phone from l.a. as he left the hospital. two days ago, the couple celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary from a distance. today there is much to look forward to. >> enjoy watching my grand kids, seeing my grand kids, and then just enjoying my second life because this is life number two. >> in san francisco, lyanne melendez, abc 7 news. >> way to go, ron. in the north bay sonoma beaches will remain closed through the holiday weekend. they'll be considering next steps after the holiday as some

park access was expanded last week and they need to see the impact, if any, that it has on covid-19 cases. right now the beaches are only open to coastal residents. for picnickers, there will be no more guesstimating about how close they can be to other visitors. check this out, there are new painted circles on a section of the park's lawn intended to keep people six feet apart. earlier this month, mayor london breed threatened to close the park because of the crowds. with the humans home, the sea lions roam. this video on twitter of them wandering around the boat dock. i like this one. i like this boat over here. pier 39 is closed now and they've lost their audience of tourists. the sea lions are expanding their horizons, maybe hoping to take a boat out as well because the weather is going to be nice. >> why not.

let's talk to sandhya patel about the holiday weekend, sandhya. >> yeah. those sea lions are looking for an audience indeed. it is going to be fabulous weather for them, for us. i want to show you a beauty of a sunset. take a look from the east bay camera. sun went down at 8:17 tonight and other than a couple of clouds around really it was glorious this evening and we are expecting this trend to continue tomorrow. so, century tower camera painting a lovely picture. sunny and mild the next two days, warming trend for the holiday weekend with near triple digit temperatures early next week. so, here's a look at the memorial day weekend. mild to warm on saturday, mid 60s to upper 80s. even warmer on sunday as you will notice low 90s. and by memorial day we're talking about heat. inland areas in the upper 90s, low 70s right near the beaches. if you are going to be driving down south for the holiday weekend, los angeles going from

75 on saturday to 82 to 85. it's going to be hot in fresno. you will notice warmer weather is redding and also here in san francisco. live doppler 7 showing patchy fog right near the coast, and it will expand a little bit but not much. numbers right now anywhere from the 40s to 60s as we check out the hour by hour forecast. 5:00 a.m. tomorrow, fog around the coast and locally over parts of the bay. 8:00 a.m., that same general vicinity, something to look out for if you have to commute in the morning. and then in the afternoon and evening, a few patches linger. temperatures in the morn, 45 degrees at lakeport all the way to 55 in antioch and everyone else in between. tomorrow afternoon is going to be a nice day, a lot like today. low 80s inland around fairfield and antioch. coming up a few degrees. oakland, 75 in san rafael, 80 in santa rosa. it is going to be breezy near the coastline once again. here's a look at the accuweather

seven day forecast. bright and mild. next two days are low 60s to low 80s. over the weekend, upper 8 0s to upper 90s is where we're going from saturday to monday. nice summer microclimates by monday. we're talking about beach weather. tuesday, wednesday, the warm -- hot weather, if you will, will persist. so, temperatures well above average for this time of year. we're going to have to fund creative ways to keep cool if you don't have a pool or you're not near a beach. >> get a kiddy pool and umbrella drink. tomorrow on "good morning america" steph curry chats about life in quarantine, home schooling husband kids, and what he thinks the nba will look like

guess what.

apparently you can breathe a little easier if you've been madly disinfecting packages of groceries. we have been at my house. the cdc says the coronavirus does not spread easily on surfaces. the agency says it may be possible for a person to get covid-19 by touching a surface and then touching their mouth. but the main way to transmit the virus is from person to person. >> do you know how much time i spend cleaning off all my groceries. >> i know. it's crazy. >> better safe than sorry. you may have had one or maybe your parents did. now the blu-ray players are being studied to see if they can kill the coronavirus. the dial itself doesn't kill the virus but adding a small crystal to it kills a light that would kill coronavirus and pose little risk to us. >> if this whole package is really this big, you could imagine making a mask that has a

uvc battery-powered lamp in it that is cleaning the air that you breathe. >> that would be cool. researchers at uci hope to know by this fall whether this small piece of technology can help protect us. >> interesting to see the noin investigations coming it oof all of this. sports with larry beil is up next. >> the season is not over yet for steph curry and the

now abc 7 sports with larry beil. >> good evening. steve kerr recently said it felt like the warriors' season was already over. not so fast, if the nba can safely return the plan is to bring teams back maybe five more regular season games and then head into the playoffs. disney complex, hotel space, facilities, and players can be more isolated than let's say vegas. virus tests have to be widely

available. the doves return, but without lunny. he missed 45 of 65 games this season dealing with health issues. it was six years ago today kerr was hired as the head coach, five finals appearances and three championships speak thr themselves. remember back in 2014 i spoke with steve. the knicks also wanted kerr. >> when did you become this? >> just now. didn't get recruited at all out of high school. didn't have a single scholarship offer. i think there might have been one girl who wanted to go to the prom with me. that was about it. i've never been in this position where i've been recruited. >> nascar's back running seven races in 11 days no. fans allowed but foxes apparently are permitted. this race filled with crashes. kyle busch takes out chase elliott in the battle for

second. danny hamlin stays in first. we go to foxes to birds if you know know what i mean. here comes the rain. we get hand gestures of a different kind. the race is called. denny hamlin wins wearing a mask of his own face. i've got to get one of those. little niko alvarez from castor valley loves playing golf. first attempt. he knows he's got to adjust. second attempt. wide right. the 3-year-old is locking in on his target. niko's third attempt right down the middle. boom! hey niko, we just called your play on abc 7. >> send me your video. be sure to use

when visible set out to create the future of phone service... we tossed the stuff that wasn't working. stuff like foot-long bills and fees from nowhere. time-wasting stores, misleading ads, unhelpful help centers. and saved the stuff that was working. like verizon's 4g lte network. plus unlimited data, messages, and minutes. it's a simple system. trim the bad... make the good better... and way cheaper.

meet visible. unlimited data on verizon's 4g lte network. just $25 for your first month. join us at visible.com.

thank you so much for joining us tonight. i'm ama daetz. >> and i'm ♪ da, ba, da, ba, da, ♪ jimmy kimmel live! this is ridiculous, from his house. >> jimmy: hello and thank you for joining my quaran-ted talk. i'm jimmy, the ol' hermit from up in the hills. we are in week nine thousand of lockdown. of stay-at-home. people are getting restless craving other human beings. and i want to address something that i believe may be the cardinal sin of quarantine. maybe you have experienced this. it's the random unannounced drop-by. a friend calls you says, "hey, i'm pulling up in front of your house. come outside and say hello." and what are you gonna do? you're trapped. they know you're in there not doing anything. there's no getting away. so you put on pants and sk