how he may have been exposed to covid-19. health officials urging americans not to travel. but it's not stopping the christmas week rush. the record numbers we're seeing at airports for the first time since the pandemic began. a deal is done. i'll have more on what to expect from the latest coronavirus relief bill. and moderna vaccines are heading out for distribution. the new recommendations from the cdc about who should be next in line. good morning. it's monday -- what are you stretching? yoga? what's happening, mike? >> i'm a delay. so one of my lights wasn't on. i thought i had time to turn it on. >> i thought you were doing a nice morning stretch. >> yes, exactly. i've been working out a lot. i wanted to show you my chest. >> oh. >> no. no. it was strictly i'm about two

seconds behind you guys. i thought i had time to turn the light on and i got caught. all right. so let's move on. let's talk about what's going on outside. great way to start a monday. we have a dense fog advisory. it's right now for the tri valley. you can see out in the delta. it goes all the way out into the san joaquin valley. this is tule fog. it's exceptionally thick. it will hang around the morning commute and maybe several hours after that, unlike the fog in the north bay which usually dissipates after 9:00, 10:00. so we have to keep an eye on these areas. let's talk about what's going on as far as this afternoon. hazy once that moisture from the fog starts to lift. tmperatures from 56 in half moon bay to about 62 in santa rosa. it is a spare the air day, which means no wood burning. we'll talk more about that coming up. governor newsom is once again in quarantine this morning as a staff member in the

governor's office tested positive for covid-19. that staffer came into contact with the governor and several other staff members. governor newsom and other staff tested negative yesterday. the governor will quarantine for ten days per state guidelines. he'll be tested again in a few days. last month the governor and his family quarantined after another possible exposure. it looks like more people are heading to the airport despite the surging covid-19 case numbers we're seeing and pleas to stay home for the holidays. the tsa says it screened 1 million passengers two days in a row. julian glover is live at sfo with why so many health officials are concerned. >> good morning. we just got the numbers in for sunday. so we know 1 million people passed through those tsa airport checkpoints the last three days in a row, friday, saturday and sunday. so people are beginning to travel again after the big thanksgiving rush. the big picture here, sunday's volume was less than half it was five days out from christmas

last year. more people are beginning to fly for the holiday as bay area hospitals are running out of icu beds. that's why people flying into or returning to san francisco will have to quarantine for ten days. this implies they traveled out of the nine bay area counties including santa cruz. meanwhile in santa clara county, people who entered the county from more than 150 miles away from those county borders also must self-quarantine for ten days. there are some exemptions in both cases for essential workers and people seeking medical treatment. the cdc issuing that advisory asking people to postpone travel and stay home to help slow the spread of the coronavirus amid this most recent surge in cases. reporting live in san francisco international airport, julian glover, abc7 news. >> thank you. this morning there's growing concern over a new and more contagious mutation of coronavirus.

today the eu will meet to discuss plans on how to control this. jobina jobina is fis following . >> thank you. so the world health organization says that the new strain has been confirmed in denmark, the netherlands and also in australia. new this morning reuters is reporting it may be circulating in france, though it has not been detected in recent tests there. canada is the latest country to ban travel to the uk. it joins france, ireland, germany, italy, austria, the netherlands and belgium. the bans hope to prevent the new strain from being imported into continental europe. the mutation is 70% more infectious. >> we think it's more infectious. that's what the data seems to suggest. all of the data so far says it is not more lethal and not likely to be any less sort of protective against the vaccine. >> the uk ordered a new lockdown

for parts of england including london. the restrictions are similar to the california stay-at-home order. happening today, congress will vote on a roughly 9$900 million stimulus package after months of failed negotiations, partisan gridlock. lawmakers announced a deal that would send immediate relief for americans suffering from the economic fallout of this pandemic. here is andrew dymburt. >> the direct payments to americans will be half of what they were in the first stimulus deal, but that's not all. extended unemployment benefits and a lifeline for small businesses highlight this near 1 $1 trillion deal that was eight months in the making. >> reporter: after months of gridlock and failed negotiations this morning a break through this congress. lawmakers striking a deal on a stimulus package hours before a potential government shutdown.

>> more help is on the way. >> reporter: the roughly $900 billion package will include $300 billion in aid to businesses, $300 in weekly federal unemployment benefits through march and $600 in direct payments for millions of americans. >> finally we have some good news to give the american people. >> reporter: joe biden applauding the agreement. this single mom forced to close her business says any help is welcome. >> every dollar matters to me. the more they give me, the more ability i'll have to get my life back in order. >> reporter: for many americans, the help from congress does not fully fill the gap. this woman is a hospice nurse. >> we have about $6,000 in bills. it's not our fault that we can't work. >> president trump is expected to sign the deal into law. the earliest americans could expect to see those checks is in january. andrew dymburt, abc news, washington. today, president-elect joe biden will get his first dose of

the coronavirus vaccine. doctor jill biden will also be vaccinated today. president trump who was hospitalized with covid-19 in october has not said whether he will get it. the vice president got the shot friday. vp-elect kamala harris will get it next week. with moderna's vaccine set to arrive in the bay area as early as today, the cdc has recommendations about who should be next in line. a panel voted to give it to people over 75 along with essential workers like firefighters, playoffs, teachers, postal workers and grocery store employees but it will be ultimately up to the states to decide. >> nice to report our western states scientific review committee reviewed the moderna trials and supported safety and efficacy, this clears the way for upwards of 672,000 doses to be distributed. >> bay area medical groups including stanford, ucsf and kaiser are contacting patients about receiving the vaccine.

federal officials anticipate having enough doses to immunize about a third of the u.s. population by the end of february. we spent all last week digging into all the questions and concerns that you have that you send in to us about the vaccine. you can find all of our stories on abc7news.com/vaccine. there's also an hour-long town hall where you can watch a panel of medical experts answering viewer questions. a spare the air alert has been issued for today. that means there's a ban for burning wood both indoors and outdoors. the bay area air quality management district says light winds and colder overnight temperatures could lead to unhealthy air quality. residencies and businesses that violate the ban could face hefty fines. let's check in with mike for our forecast. hi, mike. >> hi, everybody. so far it's just for today. it's the north bay, inland east bay and in the santa clara valley where we'll have the poor air quality. that means those most sensitive, the younger, the elderly,

asthmatics, you will have issues today. it will not be an issue for the rest of us but we're all under the burn ban. tuesday, wednesday, thursday are not under this ban. but it's something we'll keep an eye on. our pattern will remain stagnant through at least thursday before the rain rolls in christmas day and continues through the weekend. i'll talk more about that coming up. first we have some people sleeping in around fremont and san leandro. we have 37 in union city. 38 in castro valley, low to mid 40s for most of the east bay. look at how thick that fog is through the delta. our tower cam out of walnut creek is getting thick. that will slide down 680 into the tri valley, expect worsening conditions for your commute there. novato, 28. if there's thick fog around that means black ice is an issue. we'll keep an eye on that. us being me and jobina. temperatures, you can see the fog by 9:00, still thickest in the delta and in the east bay.

you're in the 30s, the rest of us are in the 40s. at 11:00, it's still hanging on in those areas keeping you in the 30s and 40s, the rest of us will be in the 50s. in the afternoon, the east bay will be stuck in the 40s at 1:00, the rest of us in the 50s. everybody in the upper 40s to mid 50s by 3:00 this afternoon. let's talk to jobina for the first time about the commute. >> hi, mike. thank you. we will start off with a sigalert i'm following in oakland. the good news is that we don't have a slowdown in the area, but this is going to be on eastbound 580 right at coolidge avenue. two lanes are blocked. this is resulting from an earlier crash. injuries are been reported. we don't have an update from the chp as to when this will reopen. i want to piggyback off of mike talking about that fog. look at that blanketing over the traffic map here. for the chp, there's one main advisory for state route 4 from willow pass to the san creek area. just all over, take it easy,

slow, be careful. let's bring in live cameras. we have the bay bridge toll plaza. overall it's been very light so far this morning. in walnut creek, checking out 680, we'll see the fog. there it is. just be aware of the low visibility again. >> all right. thank you. coming up, the hawaiian volcano that erupted overnight. we have new video. covid crowd control at local malls. we're checking in at how the shopping process is going as people rush to get the last-minute gifts. ♪ >> one of the world's most respected vocal ensembles won't be silent this season. what it took to make this

the kilauea volcano erupted again. marvin garcia shared this video on social media. you can see that bright orange glow with thick smoke rising into the sky.

a magnitude 4.4 earthquake hit about an hour after a volcano starting erupting. the national weather service issued an advisory about falling ash. the situation is rapidly evolving. kilauea last erupted in 2018. it is the most active of hawaii's five volcanos. milpitas police say the man shot at the great mall over the weekend shot himself. the chaos and the confusion led to a massive police response. officers responded to reports of shots fired at the mall just after 5:00 saturday evening. a 22-year-old san francisco man had to be taken to the hospital. shoppers were ordered to shelter in place while officers searched the mall. they escorted people to safety in the parking lot. >> i heard someone mentioned there was an active shooter. >> it happened so fast. i was just trying to get out of the way, get to a safe place. >> the man who police now say shot himself is expected to be okay. if you still have last-minute shopping to do, you

should expect to see crowd control measures when you're out and about. this is the one of the busiest times of the year at the mall. this year capacity limits are forcing shoppers to line up. j.r. stone checked out the process in walnut creek. >> reporter: victoria's secret, lines. ecco, lines. lush, lines as retailers are enforcing covid restrictions and doing so at broadway plaza in walnut creek. >> this year you have to wait in line. >> i just don't like the lines. >> reporter: but there are lines because retailers are limiting the number of people inside at one time due to state mandates. some stores are only allowing one or two patrons. >> that's been rough. then not being able to try on clothes has been an issue too. >> reporter: even with the occasional sanitizer station and long lines, crowds have still been limited. >> it's not as crowded as it was last year. >> reporter: but some shopping traditions don't die, even in covid times. diana lloyd is high risk but her father died as a child and since

that time, she's been bringing her mom chocolate on christmas. she put on her special leggings, a mask, and came out to see's. >> this is one of the new ones from this year, their candy cane leggings. i was wearing a red-hooded sweatshirt with it earlier. >> reporter: with all the covid restrictions and the usual covid complaints, it was actually nice to hear a complaint about something else. in this case, prices. >> expensive. expensive, expensive. >> reporter: something we've all heard before. but this year paying those sometimes expensive prices may just help keep some stores alive. in walnut creek, j.r. stone, abc7 news. >> the show must go on even in the middle of a pandemic. ♪ the san francisco girls chorus put on a virtual holiday performance thanks to current and past members. usually they would perform live

at davie's symphony hall. this year's show featured music from the caribbean and the philippines. the work started on this performance in september. members recorded their individual videos. >> we're talking about more than 400 videos that we put together in one piece. it's amazing to see that. it's very impressive. again, a way to gather the community. >> some of the performers as young as 4 years old. can you imagine being the editor? >> right? how? perfect pitch. that's what it's called. this is my part. i'm singing it. >> right. >> it's going to go. >> now edit it. that person deserves a big christmas present. >> yes. >> we all deserve something like that to listen to. that was nice. i enjoyed that. all right. yeah. everybody, thank you for that. let's look at the fog. that's our big story starting out this morning, especially in the north bay and into the east

bay. this will slowly creep to the west. for now the weather service has a dense fog advisory for the delta and for the tri valley in contra costa and down into alameda counties. it does not have one in the north bay. you can have one every day up there i guess in the winter. that's one reason why they don't do it. you can see an area of high pressure over the four corners there. it's still steering all of the storms to the north. it will do that throughout the next four days. on christmas, one of those storms will come crashing through and open the storm door to a possibly wet weekend. we have a spare the air day. temperatures in the mid 50s to near 60 this afternoon, which is pretty close to average. averages are about 55 to 58 degrees. tonight the fog will be more widespread. temperatures in the upper 30s to upper 40s. here's my accuweather 7-day

forecast. our coldest mornings will be wednesday and thursday morning. look for frost in our inland neighborhoods. the rest of us in the 30s and 40s. lots of sunshine in the afternoon hours. friday afternoon and evening, rain comes in, turns to showers as we're between storms on saturday and a better chance of heavy rain sunday. these could be a couple of g g soakings within 72 hours. kumasi, reggie? >> emeryville celebrating the installation of a new bike and pedestrian bridge. the structur was hoisted into place over a four-hour stretch this weekend. the new bridge will connect east and west emeryville near the bay sheep street shopping area. altogether the project costs about 22 million bucks. use it. >> use it. coming up next, the 7 things to know this morning. and a dramatic rescue

straight out of "it's a wonderful life." we'll hear from two teens who pulled another child from a frozen pond. and california is mandating face masks to stop the spread. abc7 wants to remind you

if you're just joining us, here's the 7 things to know this morning. number one, governor newsom is in quarantine as a precaution after being exposed to covid-19. a staff member in the governor's office tested positive. the governor will be in quarantine for ten days. the first moderna covid-19 vaccine expected to arrive at bay area hospitals any day. distribution began over the weekend following the fda's decision to grant emergency use authorization. number three, president-elect joe biden will get the coronavirus vaccine on live tv today. this is a part of a growing effort to convince americans that the vaccines are safe. dr. jill biden will also be vaccinated. number four, the european union today will meet today to discuss a more

version of covid-19. lawmakers reached a deal last night to send financial aid to americans. number six, air quality is an issue. in solano county we have poor air quality. those most sensitive could have issues. heading throughout the day, the north bay, inland east bay and the santa clara valley could have poor air quality. number seven, the chp confirmed that the sigalert i was following in oakland is a deadly crash. so on eastbound 580 at 35th avenue, two lanes are blocked. there are first responders on the scene investigating. in today's "gma first look," five teens getting credit for saving two kids who fell into an icy pond. they formed a human chain for this rescue. here's will reeve. >> in this morning's "gma first look" -- >> you could see the fear in

their eyes. they were looking at me, looking at him screaming. >> reporter: it's a dramatic rescue straight out of "it's a wonderful life." >> we were shaking. we were freezing. >> reporter: instead of george bailey to the rescue, it was a group of local teens. >> if we weren't there and the parts were up the hill they probably would have had hypothermia or something. >> especially the 4-year-old. he was pretty short. if he couldn't stand up he would have been under. >> they wanted to pull us out. >> they wanted to help. >> very nice of them. >> they were the guards. >> they were the lifeguards. >> reporter: we'll have much more on this dramatic holiday rescue coming up at 7:00 a.m. with your "gma first look," i'm will reeve, abc news, new york. tesla will make history today when the s&p 500 opens for trading this morning. they'll have the fifth largest weighting on the index, that's

1.69% of the s&p. facebook ranked above tesla with more than 2% of the index. the company's shares jumped 730% this year. its market cap has grown to more than 6$658 billion. as public health officials warn us not to gather for the holidays. zoom is removing the time limit for free basic accounts. video meetings with three or more people are typically limited to 40 minutes. the company will remove the time limit and offer unlimited video chats through christmas. >> that will be lovely. >> i was going to say maybe the time limit is not bad. >> friend -- >> you know. depending on -- >> i know. >> you're right, it's great. we're coming back with another full 90 minutes of news including why you'll see more stars than normal if you look up at the sky tonight. the phenomenon that experts are

calling the christmas star. and bay area restaurants are doing their best to adapt to dining restrictions. how you can help them for the holidays. at doctors at ucsf continue to battle against covid-19, they are excited about the moderna vaccine. the latest coming up. first a live look outside at 5:26. we'll be right back.

mom and dad. doctor's visits, landlords, parent-teacher nights, you name it. but when it came to getting them signed up for health insurance, i needed a little back-up. en covered california nos entienden. covered california offers free, expert assistance in multiple languages - and financial help for people who need it. covered california. this way to health insurance. enroll now at coveredca.com people are saving hundreds on the most reliable in a land not so far away,nce. network with xfinity mobile. they can choose from the latest phones or bring their own. and choose the data option that's right for them.

they even get nationwide 5g at no extra cost. and since they are on the carrier rated #1 in customer satisfation, they live happily ever after. again, again! xfinity mobile. your wireless. your rules. your way to stay closer together. click, call, or visit an xfinity store today.

now at 5:30, moderna vaccine expected at bay area hospitals as soon as today. we're tracking the distribution process this morning. alternative care sites going up as icus reach capacity. the urgent need for health professionals to staff them. and a live look at capitol hill. lawmakers will vote on a $1 trillion relief bill today. a bright spot in the sky as we close out 2020. what we'll see just after sunset tonight that hasn't happened in 800 years. >> don't we need that? >> i think we need anything to look forward to. >> thank you mother efforarth. >> as long as it's not an asteroid coming to hit us we're good. >> mike, no asteroids, right? >> please. >> just beautiful stars? >> that took a hard turn, didn't

it? >> you never know, mike. 800 years since we last have seen the christmas star like this and we're talking asteroids and doom and gloom. i thought it was the season of hope. >> not this year. >> you guys, keeping it lively. i love it. i love it. we do have issues, so we'll take it down a notch before we get back to that story. dense fog advisory, low visibility out there. tule fog is more of an issue this week. you can see in the east bay especially in tcontra costa and alameda counties, tri valleys o and out towards the delta, thick fog there. the national weather service issues the dense fog advisory. we have air quality issues. parts of solano county have poor air quality for those most sensitive. east bay and santa clara valley could join them. temperatures 56 to about 60 this afternoon. more on our first day of winter

and the christmas star coming up. back to reggie. >> the second vaccine now rolling out and heading to the bay area. moderna's version comes as some places in the bay area are out of the pfizer shot they got last week. aiman ezz amy hollyfield is live at ucsf this morning. >> one doctor here said there's a light at the end of the tunnel and for once it's not a train coming towards us. they're excited here about this new vaccine headed their way after all they have been through during this pandemic. ucsf is expecting a shipment of moderna any day now. the rollout of the moderna vaccine means the country has two vaccines in its arsenal. doctors here are not taking it for granted. they have so much respect for the work that went into this. >> this is a triumph of modd een molecular biology going back to

watson, crick. this is what all of us in science have been studying for the last 80 years. it paid off in extraordinarily ways. this is a historic moment. >> officials are saying the vaccine is 95% effective and getting 80% of the country vaccinated is the way out of this pandemic. they're saying the general public may be able to start getting vaccinated maybe as early as this spring. reporting live inmy a federal advisory panel voted to put people 57 a75 and r and essential workers next in line for vaccines. state health officials say there were 76,000 n

in california. and the cdc says to stay home to protect yourself against covid-19. the vaccine is coming as covid cases surge. the bay area saw its cases go up slightly in the bay area. the great every sacramento region icu capacity is at 11.6%. northern california is at 24.2%. it's the only region not under a stay-at-home order. san joaquin valley is still out of beds but that does not mean people will not get care if they don't show up at the hospital. as california's intensive care units are reaching to capacity, officials are turning to alternative care sites. the sleep train has been set up to take pressure off the hospital system, but governor newsom says there is still a huge need. >> at the end of the day, the biggest challenge we face in this state is enough staffing to

meet the needs as it relates to this surge. >> the governor is appealing for health officials and for health professionals to sign up with the state's health corps program if you recently retired or if you have a particular expertise. more financial help on the way for americans. congress will vote today on a nearly $1 trillion relief bill aimed at bringing financial help to most americans hit hard by the pandemic. jobina fortson has reaction from republicans and democrats today. >> thank you. so after six months of negotiations and gridlock, lawmakers finally came to an agreement on another round of help for americans that have been hit very hard financially by the pandemic. the roughly 9$900 billion packae is expected to include 300 billion in aid to businesses, $300 a week in federal unemployment benefits, and $600 in direct stimulus payments to millions of americans.

lawmakers acknowledge the long wait for many americans. democrats say this is just the first step towards more relief. >> 9$900 billion is packed with targeted policies that help struggling americans who have already waited entirely too long. >> our support for state and local governments, while significant in this legislation requires more to be done. so we consider this a first step and, again, more needs to be done. >> speaker pelosi went on to say more will be done with the incoming biden/harris administration to provide relief for those local and state governments. president trump is expected to sign the bill. americans could soon start seeing those checks by early january. kumasi? >> thank you. a new and more contagious mutation of the virus is causing chaos in europe. london has been pretty much shut down. more than a dozen countries have

suspended travel to the uk. mona kosar abdi has the latest. >> reporter: this morning, canada now added to the list of countries halting passenger flights from the united kingdom as a new variant of covid-19 puts much of britain on virtual lockdown for christmas. >> as prime minister it is my duty to take difficult decisions to do what is right to protect the people of this country. >> reporter: france, belgium, italy and the netherlands among the other countries banning travel from the uk. the french shutting down the euro tunnel and the uk's main port threatening british food supplies. announcement of the lockdown triggered this rush at train stations in london. people fleeing before the new rules took effect. now others are calling for similar action here in the u.s. including the governor of new york where an average of six flights come from london each day.

scientists say the new variant spreads 70% faster than the original virus, but health experts say mutations of any virus are expected, and they insist there's nothing to suggest this mutation is more deadly. mona kosar abdi, abc news, new york. with no indoor or outdoor dining, many bay area restaurant owners are pivoting for christmas. what they're counting on you to buy in hopes of surviving the pandemic. look up, the christmas star set to light up the sky tonight. we're excited about that. we'll check now with meteorologist mike nicco. will it be clear for us to see it? >> absolutely. yes. right after sunset. look to the southwest sky and you will see them. i had a graphic made for this. where did it go? yah. it's -- it is -- we'll circle back to that. the reason is for the first time in 800 years is because we can see it at night. and the last time it happened 400-year-olds ago, it was during the day. it happens every 20 years. let's talk about winter.

it arrived while most of us were sleeping at 2:02 this morning. that means the sun made its furthest south migration over the southern hemisphere and it is making us have our shortest day. nine hours, 32 minutes and 52 seconds as the sun sits over the tropic of capricorn in the southern hemisphere. we'll gain about 3 seconds of sunlight tomorrow. that's it. let's talk about the air quality. it's unhealthy today. tuesday, wednesday, thursday for now are looking boarder line. they'll be moderate. we have temperatures that are freezing cold from danville southward, that is not where the fog is. the fog is north of there in places like walnut creek and also in concord and out around antioch. so there could be black ice around antioch and around novato and napa as you're at 30 and 33 degrees. mid 30s from san mateo into the south bay also.

here's walnut creek, you can't even see 680 from north main right there. that's how dangerously low the visibility is. that's your biggest issue with the commute weather-wise. let's find out what else is going on and go over to jobina right now. >> thank you. that was a perfect lead-in to me because i will also show you that walnut creek camera bringing you 680. the chp issued a fog advisory for state route 4 in between willow pass and it looks like also san creek area. just echoing mike, that low visibility is your biggest problem in the east bay, also east contra costa county, all those roadways through there. want to bring in our san rafael camera to see how 101 is looking. the north bay usually -- it looks like our camera might be frozen and it's not as foggy there. that's a good update. i will bring you the map now. i also have a sigalert. this is really unfortunate situation unfolding in oakland right now.

a deadly crash on eastbound 580 at 35th avenue. investigators are there right now. you can expect at least two lanes to be blocked. again, just bringing up the map here, so you can see the fog

a toy giveaway is under way in the mission district. the mission food hub feeds 7,000 families and is giving out toys to kids. the mission has been hard hit by the pandemic with kids unable to go outside to play or go to school. >> i wanted to make sure we brought joy to every child for christmas. so we went out and did a toy drive. >> the toy giveaway will continue through january 6th when latina communities celebrate the day of the three kings. in the east bay, they were giving away toys and turkeys.

abc7 news was at first covenant church in oakland with santa and mrs. claus. 400 families registered for help this holiday season. the goal was to get enough toys for more than 1,10 children. we know many bay area restaurants are having to pivot this holiday season. meal kits are becoming a new business strategy. that's because during what would normally be a really busy time for them, bay area restaurants can only offer takeout and delivery. the economy is something that we are focused on as part of our efforts to build a better bay area. luz pena spoke to restaurant owners. >> reporter: we are five days from christmas, and if you don't feel like cooking, say hello to the holiday meal. this is what many restaurants are doing to stay alive.

>> short rib holidays kit for two. it's a braised, bone in short rib. >> reporter: the family meal is a new business strategy that came out of necessity. >> laid off, you know, more than half our staff. we went down to the skeleton crew of just management and the core guys who helped us open. and without these kits and without the support of the community, restaurants are in a really dire place right now. >> reporter: sean camacho, like these three other restaurant owners, have basically lost count of how many times they've pivoted this year. meet kim alter. before the pandemic, her restaurant was only a california tasting menu. now -- >> we cook for homeless, churches. for the last four months we've been a part of the fema program cooking for seniors. we started a burger pop-up. >> reporter: this week, they've pivoted again. >> now we're doing holiday meals. >> reporter: the same goes for -- >> my name is diane. >> reporter: their pop-up filipino restaurant is also embracing the moment and offering holiday meals. >> we've created a kit where it

comes in a half-sheet cake box, 14 by 19 box, and there's a lot of food in there. >> reporter: and they're almost sold out. >> we're trying to hit 300 people, and right now we are -- we are 281 already. >> reporter: many finding comfort in knowing that these meal kits are keeping their doors open, but also bringing joy to families in the middle of the pandemic. >> it's pretty cool that they have our food in their little bubble. >> reporter: in san francisco, luz pena, abc7 news. if you are still in the market for a holiday meal, we'll have more information on those restaurants online at abc7news.com. if you're a business owner or a worker struggling with unemployment right now, you can head to our 7 on your side page for resources. a once in a lifetime occurrence will happen during tonight's winter solstice. jupiter and saturn will be so close together it will look like one bright star. it's called a conjunction.

right after sunset look to the southwest. the last time this happened was in 1623. as mike mentioned a few minutes ago, it's been 800 years since this happened at night. some thing this may be the origin of the star of bethlehem when the stars lined up in the year 700 bc. despite what we see, the planets will be 456 million miles apart. if you want to check out that rare event tonight, join chabot astronomers virts wa s virtuall. they will host a steaming event on their facebook page starting at 5:00 and we'll have information on our abc7 facebook page. i'm excited about this. >> this is getting better. they'll probably have the could cool technology so we can see it well. >> right. >> breaking everything down. >> right. >> play by play. >> giving me goosebumps. yes. the smart people will tell you exactly what to see. do either of you have binoculars

or a telescope? >> no, i'll be logging on. >> un-huh. >> all right. because with binoculars, i've done this earlier this winter, you can see the rings around saturn with powerful enough binoculars. tonight with binoculars you should be able to see the four large moons of jupiter also. you know where i will be once the sunsets? i'll be outside with my binoculars and a heavy coat because temperatures will quickly fall into the 30s. you mentioned it. look to the southwest. today it's the closest. it will still be around the next day or so, but it will get lower and lower in the sky. that's why you have to really see it tonight. let's talk about san jose. you're immune from the really chilly weather. 48 and the fog that is plaguing the north bay and the east bay. we are all under the spare the air today. no wood burning. dry and seasonal through thursday. christmas through sunday, a

storm soaking. let's focus on the fog right now. as we head from 7:00 to noon, it's still thick in the delta and in the extreme eastern parts of contra costa and alameda counties. that means you will be cooler than the rest of us. we'll get a break during the latter parts of the afternoon hours, by then it's too late. the sun's warmth passed that window. look how thick it gets tonight and it covers almost all of our neighborhoods. you can see the 50s around concord and antioch and fairfield and vallejo because of the fog. the rest of us will be pushing 60 to 62 degrees away from the coast. tonight some 40s out there. here's my accuweather 7-day forecast. frost will become more likely wednesday and thursday morning inland. our temperatures in the afternoon will be a little bit cooler because of that, back into the 50s. friday afternoon and then again sunday is our best chance. the rainfall amounts are looking impressive. i'll have those coming up.

we need more health care workers to fight this pandemic. one bay area college is rising to the challenge. the training tram it's offprogr aer offering for free next month. plus pixar's new movie "soul" coming

sfx: dog bark ♪ a little taste of home is worth sharing. county fire department which includes burlingame, hillsborough need your help to make the holidays brighter for donations are down 75% this year because of the pandemic. the captain says using funds from the donors and the union is

a way to give back to the community and support business that supported their efforts for years. >> if you can donate please do. do what you can to end this year on a positive note. >> oakland parks and recreation department central west unit is also in dire need for donations. they were so short on toys the annual drive-through event had to be invitation only. both organizations will collect toys through christmas. if you're able to help out local businesses and neighbors, head to the front page of abc7news.com to give where you live. we have donation links for several local vetted charity organizations. a historic pixar movie is coming out on disney plus this friday. "soul" is the first pixar film featuring a black lead. jamie foxx is the voice of aspiring jazz musician joe gardner who rethinks his life after falling into a

>> i did it. i got the gig. >> you have this protagonist, and he is an absolute human being unlike other big pixar movies. >> joe gardner is a black man living in queens, new york, who is a middle school band teacher and his passion is jazz. ♪ one of our cultural consultants, she calls it black improvisational music. we knew joe had to be black at that moment. >> as a creative person, it was wonderful to bring as many personal experiences as possible into creating this character and the world of this character. ♪ but it wasn't just me. it was an opportunity for everyone involved to kind of craft joe and craft joe's world. >> being an animator on "soul"

was a dream come true. joe gardner is our first african-american lead, and with that comes a community that is very much like one-to-one. i had a chance to animate marilou. they are joe gardner's best friends, you see them in the shop. they remind me of my own aunties. >> we had a lot of access to the producer to share our ideas and share anything we felt would make the movie more authentic. >> yes! woo-hoo! >> so the plot is this man dies. he becomes a soul. he meets a little lost soul. there's a sequence where the main character, joe, is able to look back at his life and evaluate if he believes it's been worth living. >> it's about looking at your life and looking at the time that you have on earth, making sure that you're living it presently and looking at what matters most. >> get ready. your life is about to start.

>> of course disney is the parent company of abc7. we do have an extended interview with the pixar producers at our website, abc7news.com. and if you want to check out "soul," you can subscribe to disney plus anytime. it's $7 a month, and gift subscriptions are available. one thing that is really interesting to me when i talked to the producer of "soul" was that the ending, which i won't ruin, was not determined until the final screening. they had a different ending. they decided to go in and change it almost at the very last minute. she's very happy with the way they decided to change it. i thought that was fascinating. >> it seems like they let the process flow. i like how she was like we need to change this. we need to do this. implement these different people and didn't thougfferent thought. i'm excited to see this. >> you should be. i can't wait to see it again on friday. >> they did some major pivots several times in this movie, that's what i found impressive.

even more so than "frozen" when they rewrote the whole movie based on the song. it's amazing what they can do. let's talk about what's going on. thursday evening, you can see a storm barrelling down on us. there you go. by friday afternoon, we have rain. that's christmas afternoon. it will continue to rain but saturday looks to be the driest day of the weekend because once we get past saturday, with he have more rain. this is a colder system. look at that, snow coming down to possibly lake and mendocino counties up in the mountains there. we would have some snow accumulation probably. we'll keep an eye on it. monday we'll have a chance of rain, in the north bay it moves to tuesday. look at the rainfall totals. they're impressive with most of us receiving more than an inch of rain when all is said and done. that's some good news. >> i'm still on that interview, friend. when he started talking about how the characters looked like

his aunties. all of it. >> i low blood pressure had hal expectations it exceeded them. new at 6:00, one organization's efforts starting today to get families in need a christmas meal. >> more than 1 million families passed through tsa checkpoints the last three days in a row. this as the bay area county has the ten-day mandatory quarantine orders in effect. and governor newsom back in quar

we'll have what to expect from the latest coronavirus relief bill. and a live look outside from our sutro tower camera this morning. mike is tracking unhealthy air. and that's prompting a spare the air alert. good morning on this monday, december 21st. this is the shortest day of the year. it's the first day of winter, but we are going to have that bright star, the christmas star in the skies. that's something to look forward to.