building a better bay area, moving forward, finding solutions, this is abc7 news. >> hi there, i'm kristen sze. are watching getting answers, live on on on on wherever you stream. we ask experts your questions every day 3:00 to get answers for you in real time kick today, we will talk with san francisco mayor london breed. of course, we will cover the pandemic, but attention also shifting to other issues like l we will cover it all. first time i had the chance to talk one-on-one today with one of the states top health officials big help in human second serves secretary, we asked russians we have seen on social media. we also talked about vaccine proof and why they are doubling down on that june 15th reopening date. >> dr. galli,

announced california will wait until june 15th, to align with the cdc's new guidance, thankfully vaccinated people don't have to wear masks indoors. why wait a whole month to align? >> you know, simply put, i think we wanted to give californians time to prepare for this. i think we have used masks effectively up until now, and people will wonder, is it safe? how do we make sure we are doing it well? without giving ourselves time until i june 15th date, this only californians are already tracking number will allow us to do this responsibly, with integrity and with public health in mind. as well as giving us a chance to let more californians get vaccinated. the june 15th date15th date reopening, moving beyond the blueprint, was always pegged to a chance to get more californians who are eligible to get vaccinated, actually vaccinated with that shot in their arms. >> let's talk about that, getting the vaccination between now and june 15th. where are we now at?

and where do you expect to be, by june 15th? >> we are at 34.5 million given to vaccine eligible californians. 76% of californians over the age of 65 have received at least one shot. we are, you know, getting closer to 50% of all californians who are age eligible, fully vaccinated, and 64% of adults who are eligible to be vaccinatedbe vaccinatedbed and over, have already received one shot. so we are doing tremendous in california. i think we are really pleased how things are going, but over the next month, we hope to be knocking on the door, even moving past 70% of californians having at least some protection on their way to full protection, before we move beyond the bull blueprint and lament the cdc's new thoughtful guidance on masking. there is hope, i know we

are moving away from the herd immunity concept, but by june 15th, a lot more people will be protected and that protects everybody else to who may not be able to get the vaccine and all of that. in part, is is also buying time, on your end, to devise ways to i guess monitor that? right, give businesses some guidance on, how did they go about requiring proof? if that even legal? >> absolutely. i think you have seen that the cdc gave some guidance around what individuals should do, but not necessarily all of the guidance on how you apply this at the community or business level. so giving us some time to work with those industry leaders across the state, to make sure we do it in a way that people understand, they can come to expect, and we really don't have the kind of confusion that we have seen in some other parts of the country. so we are really please with this approach and think it will go a long way to keeping us moving forward, and not taking a step back. >> okay, before june 15th, people can expectn pectcan expet

instructions, i guess i shouldn't say mandate, but certainlance on how businesses should go about it, should they want to try to see t are coming in without masks? >> yeah, we are already working with industry partners, business owners, to determine how we do all of the things that we have been requiring and recommending throughout covid. so this will be no different. we had a number of conversations over the weekend with some leaders around this issue, and we will continue those and be sharing some best practices, some ideas for how to do this well in the coming weeks. >> what might that proof look like? right, we are familiar with the little vaccination cards, but we also know that there are fakes being sold on the market. >> yeah, i think that's exactly why we are getting ourselves some time to work on those details. i think there's lots of different concerns, and ways to do it. we need to make sure that have a way that supports people, the equity principles that we've been driving towards.

making sure people are comfortable, while protecting public health. so that's exactly the kind of conversation we will be having over the course of the next many weeks. >> all right, i know you've already said studentsthe remainder of the school year, should keep their masks on, even in school, even if they are just in the courtyard, but can you talk about whether before june 15th, when you issue more specific directives, there would be specific settings, under which you would recommend hey, check for proof here, let's say it's a big ballpark like at the giant or a school or a concert or restaurant. >> yeah, i mean, in general, we know that high risk activities include those who are indoors, and those who, you know, larger crowded settings. so certainly, withoutainly, wito hey, it's absolutely going to be required or not, certainly i think those operators of venues like that are going to be thinking about, how do we make sure our patrons are protected, so don't be surprised if some folks choose to verify,

validate people vaccine status. we just want to make sure that people have the tools to do that well. in a way that allows them to continue running their business and people and fans and fans you are going, you know, enjoy the experience. so i think there's a lot we are looking forward to getting back to, and we have now a few weeks left to make sure that that is implement it in a great way. >> you say the word choose, that doesn't mean whether it's businesses or people, they will have an option him after june 15th, right? nothing will be a mandate? >> we are working through that right now. without sort of definitively saying, i'm certain we are going to give lots of options, but there could be some settings. i mean, the cdc even said, things like public transit, other settings, where we know different people, different vaccine status will be having requirements that will be kept. we are thinking through what those specific areas will be. but certainly, it won't

it'll be specific to some of those higher risk areas that we've been concerned with all along. >> okay, california, are you working on developing a vaccine passport? >> we are not. and we are really just following the lead of our federal partners on this issue. been talking to them all along the way, and first working on making sure that we have really, the ground rules, the rules of the road, so that people can implement them, if they choose to, in a way that sort of respects all californians as we then tried to do throughout this entire pandemic response. >> all right, you mentioned another reason to align the cdc in california guidelines come june 15th is because that is the earmarked day for california reopening, if you will. but what exactly does that mean? does i mean businesses, everything can reopen without capacity limits? what will be different? >> we are putting that out later this week. maybe early next week, to be

specific with all of our partners in the business community. but, yes, in general, it's going to been capacity limits are no longer. that all of the things that we have been working through and the blueprint for a safer economy, the every tuesday tear up days where counties move between the different tiers, that framework is no longer going to be in play in california, and we will be moving beyond to what, in public, how we've always talked about harm reduction, good guidance on how to keep yourself and your community safe. so really, emphasizing that part of the work, so that californians can continue to return to normal, get back to the things we miss, while also protecting ourselves and our loved ones and our communities at large from the continued threat and concern arouarouarouu >> all right, don't go away.

we will have part two with dr. mark allie coming up, covering schools and also vaccine incentives. dr. galli also said talks of any green tier are all but gone. he said, counties can stay with mask mandate and stricter roles, if they choose to do that, and that

all right, we just heard from a state leader, dr. mark allie, the states hhs secretary. now let's bring in a local leader to talk about the pandemic and beyond . san francisco mayor london breed joining us live today. good afternoon, mayor bree >> good >> look, dr. ghaly just told

us, counties can certainly keep stricter indoor masking rules in place, even after june 15th, when the state relaxes its rules. and follows the cdc, do you expect san francisco will keep its indoor mask requirements, and if so, in what situations? >> well, i think right now, we are following the state guidelines, based on what we see with the data, we, our hospitalizations are low, infection rates are low, about 75% of all san franciscans have been at least vaccinated with their first dose. so we are doing pretty good. and i think that based on where we are now, we will probably fall in line june 15th, when the state provides its guidelines to follow the cdc guidelines, then we will probably follow suit. >> okay, so my most likely, june 15th, no more masking for people fully vaccinated. what about capacity lcapacity l do you expect kind of lifting all restrictions on that too? or do you think in certain places in san francisco, this being an urban city an environment with a lot of people and places, do you think there will still be some capacity limits? >> i think what we will do is,

we will look where we are, in terms of the data. san francisco is a major city, it's an incredibly dense city, and we want to be very careful about our approach. the last thing we want to do is go backwards. with our vaccination rates, or hospitalization rates, it is looking really good, that we could lift a significant number of those restrictions, in terms of large, major gatherings, that's yet to bebe but so far, it is looking good and it's looking like we are moving in the right direction and we will probably be able to fall in line with the state. >> okay, santa clara county public health officer dr. sara cody did say today, they will probably keep some sort of indoor masking rules in place, because the thought of maskless hordes of people's indoors is a concern, especially to people with disabilities. do you share that concern about folks with disabilities or immunocompromised folks? >> well, of course, from our public health experts, that is the advice that we usually take. in order to make those kinds of decisions, i think that some of the practices that have happened as a result of the pandemic are things that we are

going to maybe contmaybe contma if there is a requirement or not. because, when we talk about some of our most vulnerable residents, our elderly and seniors and those with other ailments, it's important that we protect them too in general. so i think that the department of public health will provide the guidelines, will impose wili whatever the restrictions are that they believe are most appropriate. we follow their health and safety protocols throughout this pandemic, and we plan to continue in that direction. but i just think ultimately, because i know there's a lot of confusion and people are wondering, what do i do, how should i do it? use common sense. we have gotten this far. it's just important, you know, wear your masks, look at the environment, and be aware that covid is still out there. it hasn't gone anywhere. we are just in a better place and more people are vaccinated. >> yeah, i mean 17, 75% have got their first shot. that's going to allow for more openings. holly says on facebook, i'm looking forward to going to a

stage play, concert, and entertainment in san francisco. no doubt you are too, mayor. >> i will be right there cheering for whatever it is with you. >> i know you will be. listen though, i want to go back to the masking just a bit. we have heard of harassment going on in the bay area in the past week since the cdc kind of revised things, right? so some people are getting harassed for keeping their masks on with people saying hey, you don't need to do that anymore. than some unmasks people are getting yelled that are getting blurred dirty looks from people wearing their masks outdoors. what do you want to say to people during this time, which is, you know, truly confusing. >> well, you know, what i would say to people is stop worrying about everybody else and worry about yourself. you know, we have had enough, you know, challenges over this past year, we don't need the mask police. if you are not the police, don't act like it. that's what i've said throughout this pandemic. i know that people feel a certain kind of way, but no one's asking you, just allow people to live, imposing whatever appropriate guidelines, he never in order

to get our city back safe. you know, it's been a tough time as is. so let's just have some grace and give people some space, and focus on what we are doing or not doing, not everyo >> okay. the 12 to 15-year-olds, i know they just started last week, in terms of getting their shots, but what percentage of that age group, do you know, in san francisco, has already gotten their shot, the first shot? >> i don't have the specific data, but we have opened it up to those who are 12 years old. i think we are in a really good place to move forward, even with more than that. we know a lot of parents are eager to not only get their kids vaccinated, but of course, get them back into schools, and i'm hoping that we will be able to make some major gains in that area, so we can get these schools opened in the fall especially. >> all the right, by the way, ronnie says i love london breed's attitude and not not wanting the public to be the

mask police. all right, i want to turn our attention to something else, also really important topic. today the national spotlight is on the recent killings of two black men by police, daunte wright in minneapolis and dr. andrew brown in north carolina. i know part of your approach is to try to reduce encounters between police and people. so you announced today, the creation of a wellness response team, tell us about that. >> so in the midmarket area, where we experience a lot of challenges, with people who suffer from mental illness or substance use disorder, often times, you have storeowners or residents who are concerned for their safety or the safety of their children, and because of the certain kind of behavior, they call the police. though situations can escalate to things that are unnecessary. and part of our street crisis response team is the paramedic is a peer support clinician from the private or public health. and today, we also announced that we are going to have a number of ambassadors from a program called urban out for me. this is really about trying to

understand who that person is, usually people on the ground, they may know this person. the police may not know this person and the approach is going to be different. it is a well-rounded way of looking at a challenging situation, to eliminate the police's involvement in cases where it doesn't involve necessarily anything violent related, but there still is trauma or there still is an issue. and in see activation. we want people to feel safe. we want to clean up that area. so, this is a well-rounded approach to do just that. >> okay, how is the wellness response team different in scope and operations than the existing crisis response team, and will it replace that or work in tandem? >> so one of the things we talked about months ago that i announce is, when you call 911, you see like for example, i took a ride along with this team and, you know, the restaurant in the neighborhood

called 911, because this guy was, his behavior was erratic, he was running in and out of the streets. he wasn't a threat necessarily to anyone else, but he could have, it could've been problematic for him. he could've been hit by a car and others were very uncomfortable. so when we got on the scene, the police had already been there, but not engaged with the individual. they contacted us, and we were out on the streets, and that was a different process. the police went about their business to patrol the area and the street crisis response team responded to a 911 call to try to to help that individual. what's different about that response from what we will see is, there will be boots on the ground, there will be people on every block. there will be folks from urban alchemy, the ambassadors, so when you see someone sitting outside sadly with a needle in its arm, what kind of response does that warrant? when someone is out there saying hey, i need help, i need to get into treatment, they are out there to help. if there is a family walking with their kids in a stroller,

making sure they are saying, hey, and providing safe passage. so, it's really to have eyes and ears on the streets of people who are familiar with the surrounding area and the people in that surrounding area people who would know the difference between a crime and a crisis, or someone who needs a different kind of approach, a different kind of assistance. >> okay, we only have about 20 seconds, but i do want to mention, you announced the opening of a new psychiatric respite center and the mission too. >> yes, that place is so when the streets crisis response team, like the guy we encountered, he had a no shoes, no socks, he was in and out of the street, there is a place we need to be able to take them to not only get them, you know, cleaned up and help to understand what the challenges are, but where they are going to sleep at night. and so, this is the place that provides support for people who are struggling with severe mental illness. it's a place for them to lay their head and to get fed, and hopefully get on the right track, because we don't want to continue to see people suffer on the streets of san

francisco, so we had to come up with these sorts of approaches that will meet people where they are. >> mayor london breed, thank you so much for your time, always great talking with you. >> thank you. thank you for coming up next, part two of my conversation today with health and human services director of california, dr. mark li

vaccinated, so we try to socially distance most of the time, but this is okay. see you, spencer, unless you want to do the next segment. >> wear your mask. welcome back, now let's get to part two of my conversation today with the health and human services secretary of california, dr. mark ghaly. this portion, we cover messaging for masks, schools, what they are going to look like in the fall, and vaccine incentives. what is your message to california, when it comes comeso wearing masks after june 15th, right? we have already seen some incidents where people are wearing masks being yelled at saying, you know, take that off, cdc says we don't have to wear that anymore. >> yeah, i mean i think first off, people should continue to be mindful of what's happening in their communities and masks

work, masks help really improve our situation in california, and in many other parts of our nation. so continuing to be thoughtful of the environment that you are in, and when you are in a crowded place especially indoors, where you are not sure what people's vaccine status is, it is still useful to wear a mask. it protects us, it protects others, and it's the important thing to do. so we will continue to encourage people in some settings, to wear a mask, and recommend it, and provide some of the growing evidence, so we will be doing that, but not a requirement. you know, in the same way we have seen it over the past many, many months.many months.m. >> okay, i want to talk about where else we can pick up vaccination, if you will, which pocket, which demographic groups, age groups. we talk about how 12 to 15 has just opened and you are seeing a lot of people signing up for

appointment, my own son, one of them. talk about where you really think the pickups will be the next three weeks, to try to get us to that point i'm aware we are closer to protecting everybody. >> yeah, i mean, we have seen in some of our most hard-hit communities, that vaccine rates continue to lag. some other communities weren't as impacted by covid. so they continue to focus on equity, focus on communities of color, focused on communities where we don't have the same ability to, you know, connect and communicate, using the trusted messengers and language. all of those things that are focuses, so that we can get vaccine levels uplevels uplevelp communities that have been hardest hit. >> some states are offering their own incentives. here we have talked about let's say the 49ers and other private businesses offering incentives to get the vaccine, do you think the state might do something? >> yeah, i mean the governors even alluded to the consideration around doing some incentives, supported by the state, but really done in

partnership of bradley the communities. so, yes, i think that is being considered, and the timing and the exact form of being worked on. >> okay. i want to end on schools. that's a big concern for a lot of parents. come this fall, do you think we should be in a place where california will come out and say, all schools need to be in person, without the remote option? or do you think that, because i'm hearing of even some community colleges that are still considering not going in person until the spring. >> we are certainly working with the vision and the goal to have all young people back in school, full time, in person. whether there is a different option for a component being remote, in zoom learning, my kids had dealt with throughout the year. but we will see. really, from the public health perspective, the covid perspective, getting to a place where californians can send their kids back to school full- time in person is clearly our goal, many steps being taken

along the way, many important messages and conversations, to get us there, because we understand and respect the fears and concerns, and want to work through all of those amma so as many young people can get back to what they expect school to look like and become, come

certain, single certain people out. we will see. the debate continues. joining us ontoday' interactive show, getting answers. today, we were happy to talk with one of the states top doctors, health and human services secretary dr. mark ghaly. recovered a whole lot, and we found out that by next week, he said we will have more details on what reopening the state's economy will really actually look like on june 15th. if it includes lifting

virtually all capacity limits, we also talked live with san francisco mayor london breed. we will be here every weekday tonight, several developing stories as we come on the air. a north carolina prosecutor now says that deadly deputy-involved shooting was justified. the d.a. will not seek charges after the deadly deputy shooting of andrew brown jr. tonight, the d.a. showing body cam video, arguing brown was using his car as a deadly weapon, claiming he was driving at deputies. the d.a. says the entire exchange lasted 44 seconds. tonight, the family outraged. and their reaction late today. 24 hours after president biden expressed his support for a cease-fire, the deadly conflict growing between israel and hamas. conditions for a cea now, but despite growing international pressure, israel vowing to fight on. matt gutman