a recall before his term ends? next at 5:00, the county th about to open up vaccinations to anybody 50 and older. as another county moves into a new phase of reopening they have one last wall. lessons learned, a doctor sits down with us to reflect on doing the unthinkable. locking down. how the federal government prepared the county early on. also, mayor london breed gets vaccinated one year after she announced she would shut down the city. why she said it was a sign of hope. also what employers are being asked for before workers return to the office. good evening and thank you so much for joining us. >> we begin this evening with

new signs that we are really turning a corner in the pandemic. san mateo county is going into the orange tear. they are the first in the bay area to get there. restaurants can also reopen. >> i think that this is better. people have been cooped up in their homes and everything. that kind of affects our mental health and everything. >> schools will also begin a hybrid of distance learning and in class instruction starting on monday. meanwhile, san francisco and marin county say they could also get to the orange tear by next week. also the seven day test positivity rate is at a new record low. that means for every 100 covid tests, less than to come back positive and the vaccine supply

will also soon increase. >> we have gone from scarcity in the last five or six weeks to abundance. >> governor newsome said he expects the vaccine supply to really step up the speed of vaccination. today marks one year since the shelter in place order was announced for six bay area counties. march 16, 2020, was the first day that most bay area schools closed and students were kept at home. the third and fourth deaths were reported in santa clara county and the grand princess cruise ship left the port of oakland to anchor in the bay with medical workers on board to care for the 340 crewmembers and six foreign passengers. today abc 7 news reporter chris when sat down with reporter sarah cody for a candid conversation about some of the lessons learned through the course of the pandemic and what she is focusing on now

moving forward. >> reporter: one year ago today, this public health officer joined colleagues from across the bay area issuing the first shelter in place order of the country. it was a move that critics initially blasted but she said turned out to be one of the easiest decisions she has made since the start of the pandemic. >> we had enough signals that we were in trouble and not enough tools to address it. the shelter in place was the one thing that we knew we could do to protect people i do not think that we imagined that we would be sheltering for as long as we did. >> reporter: overnight, but to the bay area was shut down and with it so much uncertainty surrounding what would happen next. today, we sat down with her as she offered some insight into what has been the most challenging year of her career. >> there have been so many lessons but one is that we are not an island. >> reporter: the pandemic response has been a state-by- state, county by county

process. she said that it was troubled from the start due to the federal government's initial inability to handle it. >> the public was getting inconsistent messages. they were very mixed and the core things that we needed the federal government to do like scale testing, mass-produce personal protective equipment, get resources out to communities so that we had away to make people hold when they needed to isolate and quarantined. those are all things that the federal government should do and did not. >> reporter: yet santa clara county pressed on. they issued health orders that were unpopular with some but generally supported by the public. dr. cody also said she realized early on how fortunate she was to have the backing of the county administration. >> we have had the support of the whole county.

everyone in the county of santa clara is now a public health worker. the priority is covid. the priority is vaccination. that support just to feel that support has been phenomenal. >> reporter: not everybody has agreed with her approach. >> reporter: you have also been vilified by those that blame you for the death of the local economy and as a result a lot of pain and suffering in the community. what is your response to that? and do you take those comments personally? more of that conversation at 6:00. chris nguyen, abc 7 news. the san francisco mayor london breed is now among the san franciscans that have received the vaccine. the mayor addressed the shortage of vaccines and frustration that many are feeling as they wait to get an appointment. >> reporter: the mayor received

the one and done johnson and johnson vaccine. >> i cannot have fun yet. we are partnering just yet but we will hopefully be partying very soon. >> reporter: worth of optimism despite the short supply for demand now that people with pre- existing conditions have been approved to sign up. according to the health department, the city has the wherewithal to vaccinate 10,000 people per day. san francisco received a lot less than that. 13,000 doses for the entire week. here is where san francisco stands. 73% of san franciscans 65 and older have received the vaccine . 31% of those over 16 have also been vaccinated. >> it has a lot to do with population. in san francisco population of less than 1 million people but we are also vaccinating people that are not san franciscans.

>> reporter: while blue shield has manage the program and parts of the state, san francisco is still in conversations with the provider. santa clara county opted out because it believes it can do a better job at reaching the most vulnerable populations than an outsider like blue shield. >> the more we can cut out the bureaucracy, the more we can get accessibility to vaccines. that will be our choice. >> reporter: meanwhile, san francisco was on track to be in the orange tear by march 24 which would mean expanding capacity and businesses. ultimately we will continue to be probably more conservative than the state will allow in order to make sure that i never have to give up here and close down the city again. >> reporter: it was a year ago today that san francisco and five other counties announced that they would shelter in place to try to reduce the threat of the virus. leeann melendez, abc 7 news.

solano county made a big move to significantly expand the number of people eligible to get vaccinated. starting tomorrow, anybody 50 or older can get a shot. they can also get vaccinated at the solano county fairgrounds. an appointment is needed. every school in marin county is open for in person learning. the superintendent posted a tweet about it this afternoon thanking teachers and school staff. she said that they lead the way to returning to classrooms even before receiving vaccinations. the goal was to fully vaccinate teachers by next month. front-line employees with santa clara began receiving their vaccinations today. all transit workers became eligible yesterday. 100 employees that work on location got there shot at the county fairgrounds. >> it has been a long time coming and i am glad to be here and be part of the process. anything that would help us to

help the public. >> educators from across the county also received doses at the fairgrounds today. hotel, convention, and airport workers that are uncertain about the future of their jobs to their concerns to city hall today. they held a car caravan ensuring employees get back to work as they get back to work. they have agreed to offer workers their jobs back based on seniority. as people start going back to work, the cdc says that companies with large spaces and workforces can set up temporary vaccination sites. they are setting up clinics now to minimize logistical difficulties once the shop are more widely available. this comes as we have new insight that shows most people are worried about health risks of going back to the office. david louis has that story. >> reporter: employees, not the

process, could be said in the back to work agenda. envoy makes systems used by offices to manage facilities and services. >> two thirds of people think that they may be pushing too quickly to return back. that is incredible. that means they are very nervous. >> reporter: 78% of people among color and 75% of the under 25 group. 1000 people nationwide were called. vaccination status appears to be the biggest concern. nearly 2/3 want mandatory vaccinations for workers before heading back to the office. the result was 76% among tech and business sector employees. they can make this a requirement . >> if an employee has a sincerely held religious belief or an underlying disability that prevents them from getting

the covid-19 vaccine, then the employer would have to engage in the interactive process and provide a reasonable accommodation. >> reporter: a year of remote work also has employees using a hybrid model., six out of 10 in the study said that they wanted . have said that they would quit their job is not given that option. >> this is a huge factor. the top talent is absolutely thinking this way. >> reporter: companies me need to use technology like this to assign tasks for distancing and capacity to keep workers safe. david louie, abc 7 news. still ahead, san jose makes a decision. the man elected as the police chief after a search. we ar

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fellas, can it get any better than this? whoa! my old hairstyle grew back. so did mine. [80's music] what? i was an 80's kid. it only gets better when you switch and save with geico. in the south bay, san jose has a new police chief. anthony mata who is currently a deputy chief was named to the position today. he has been at the department since 1996 and has steadily rose through the ranks. he beat out three other candidates including two other department leaders. the announcement came today during a city council meeting.

he made a brief statement. >> i am truly honored beyond words. i am grateful for this opportunity to leave the exceptional workforce at this time. i look forward to working with our community to make it safe. >> he takes over officially next monday. he replaces eddie garcia is a retired at the end of last year. this is shaping up to be the driest winter in decades. you can see these reservoirs ri each end of the bay area. santa clara valley water district said today they are not imposing restrictions but they are asking 2 million residents to step up conservation. marin meme conservation mandatory. >> reporter: it has been several years since we filled your screens with scenes like these and talk about drought. what goes around comes around and we are not talking about water circling the drain. >> they told me this is the driest year and 90 years on

record. >> reporter: cynthia from the marin municipal water district has worried about her seven reservoirs and the absence of rainfall to fill them. the county has declared a state of drought and will discuss possible restrictions tonight. the first in decades. reservoir capacity is roughly 50 to 55%. it should be 90 at this time of year. this would be shoreline where i am standing in a good season. >> i am worried. i'm not shocked because we have been seeing this coming. this is directly related to climate change. >> reporter: it is the same in the south bay. the water district went public today with worries about their water supply especially with anderson down mostly out of service for a retrofit. they are very concerned about next year if the dry season continues. >> the further along we go as far as the drought goes the more troubling it gets and the more severe the water restrictions get.

>> reporter: consider these photos from lake mendocino which provides water to somebody on the county. >> we are really facing the third driest year we have seen on record. >> reporter: the sonoma county water agency compares this with the mega drought of 76-77. >> we are currently behind the rain fall of 1977. it is not looking good for us right now. >> reporter: just as the covid crisis appears to weaken, fear of drought takes its place. wayne freedman, abc 7 news. we are expecting rain but it may not too much to my psoriatic arthritis pain? i had enough! it's not getting in my way. joint pain, swelling, tenderness...much better. my psoriasis, clearer... cosentyx works on all of this. four years and counting. so watch out. i got this! watch me.

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of it or hated the ferris wheel at golden gate park will be around for several more years. they made the decision this afternoon. they could have opted to have it removed early next year. they brought it in last year to celebrate the 150th anniversary but the pandemic hit and shut it down. they will stay at the park until 2025. this looks like it could be a scene from overseas. snow on the mountain top. this is from the observatory. there you see it. the very greenhills. it is always nice to see it.

sandia patel is tracking more rain. >> we will talk about that in just a moment. a live look from the east bay hills camera as we look out. we see hazy skies up above but don't worry. the air quality is just fine. 56 degrees in oakland. good air quality right now expected to remain good to moderate over the next couple days. we are seeing blue skies. it is 60 in fairfield. here is a look at live doppler seven. right now we do not have any rain but that will be changing.

anywhere from 39% on average in santa rosa to 42% on average in oakland. we will continue with some wet weather going into spring and that should help out. we see the sunshine right now. increasing clouds and not as cold in the morning. this mild weather comes for the weekend. just as spring begins. here is a look at a temperature. we had upper 20s to low 30s in the coldest spots tomorrow morning. we have increasing cloud cover that will insulate us. afternoon highs mid 50s to low 60s. increasing cloud cover with a level i system coming in on thursday. that will bring us three quarters of an inch for most of us. we have showers on thursday

going into friday. the commute is going to be wet. it tapers was still some showers going into friday for this system before it exits and we drive out as the seasons change. you will notice anywhere from about a quarter of an inch to three quarters of an inch. this turns to snow until saturday morning expecting another 15 inches. accuweather seven-day forecast st. patrick's day looking good for outdoor plants. spring begins early saturday morning and we have some nice weather for the weekend. >> looks good. thank you so much. stay here with us.

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>> straight answers to your questions about access, risk, and what is happening in your community. >> we want to ensure that those that are at highest risk are able to give access. >> the way to get through it is for us to prioritize the highest risk. >> vaccine watch, a bay area conversation. watch it now wherever you stream. finally, oakland leaders d are celebrating real progress in the efforts to bridge the digital divide once and for all. >> today the mayor announced that 90% of the oakland

students of color are now connected to the internet. that is up from just 12% when the pandemic started and far above the national average of 70%. >> we have taken this moment, found a silver lining in the tragedy of covid to close the digital divide for good, forever . let us get rid of the digital divide in oakland. >> the mayor credits the effort to the team behind oakland undivided which worked to provide free laptops, internet access, and tech support to those that needed it. today they delivered 25,000 laptops. the computers have been on a backlog for months before they are finally here. that is great news. world news tonight is coming up next. thank you for joining us.

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tonight, several developing stories as we come on the air. the first test vaccinations on children. a major first step in vaccinated millions of american children. moderna now testing its vaccine on thousands of children ranging from 6 months to 12 years old, and as authorities caution against crowds in the u.s., the new headline tonight just north of the border. ontario now declaring a third wave of the virus. and overseas tonight, the new wave across several european countries. the growing vaccine concern overseas, as well. more than a dozen countries tonight now suspending use of the astrazeneca vaccine, and we'll tell you why. as millions in this country wait for vaccinations, the stimulus checks now arriving. and president biden's first trip out of the nation's capital to sell his historic covid relief act. and george stephanopoulos

one-on-one with thpr