building a better bay area moving forward finding solutions. this is abc 7 news. travel restrictions in effect for people heading overseas the lunar new here and the winter olympics. they usually bring tours to china, but now officials issuing lockdowns to try and stop the spread of covid. good morning and thanks so much for being with us. it's saturday january. 15th you're watching abc 7 mornings dark and early here at 5 am live on abc 7 hulu live and wherever you stream. i'm julian glover in for liz kreutz this morning. we'll get to that story in just a moment, but first up, let's start with a look at that. yes, we check it now with meteorologist lisa argen. good morning lisa. hi, julian. good morning to you. hi everyone. we are starting the holiday weekend on a pretty mild note. we have a lot of high clouds that have been coming up from the south and with that the cloud cover this morning keeping us with the mild conditions.

we do have some fog though temperatures in the upper 30s for the coolest spots by the delta and up in santa rosa. otherwise, they have moderate air quality contin. the lid of high pressure overhead allowing for our dry spell to take us through the next several days nine degrees warmer and concord and nevada with just a degree cooler, san jose and santa rosa. that's where the fog is up in the north bay over towards the delta. otherwise you can see the visibility good here from our suture tower camera. so we have cloudy skies with patchy fog through nine o'clock. noontime moderate air quality near 60 inland low to mid 60s for most today with mix of high clouds and some sun. we'll talk about how long this dry spell lasts when we see you in a few minutes, julian. okay. thank you now to some developing news. are tsunami has hit tonga's largest island reportedly sending waves flooding into the capitol after an underwater volcano in the south pacific exploded into a violent eruption satellite images here share with the volcanic eruption and the

massive ash cloud and shock waves spreading from that eruption a tsunami warning has been issued for the islands of tonga tsunami advisories were also issued as far away as new zealand's north island the pacific tsunami warning center said tsunami waves of 2.7 feet high. on tonga's largest island local media reports residents headed friar ground, no word yet on any injuries there. in happening now you can get a at-home covid-19 test at no cost through your private insurance. all you need to do is buy the test online or in stores and if you can find them and have them paid for at the same time of purchase or get reimbursed by submitting a claim insurers must pay for up to eight tests per covered in individual per month and there is no limit if a doctor orders more of those tests, it's a part of president biden's plan to increase access to at-home. across the country the white house is launched its website to distribute free.

at-home rapid test every household can order up to four starting wednesday, but it'll take 7 to 12 days for their government to ship those tests to you overwhelming demand is prompting santa cruz county to open a new testing site in watsonville. it opens today at the county fairgrounds registration is required there and for the second straight day california's test positivity rate declined, although it's still near a record high at 22.9. the state reported more than 100,000 new cases for the fourth straight day. we're taking a live look at sfo this morning where flights to china have been few and far between lately in the coming weeks traveling from the us to china could become nearly impossible. the chinese government is blocking flights to try and limit the spread of covid out of the lunar new year. and winter olympics abc 7 news reporter ryan curry explains the impact as being felt by bay area businesses. february 1st is the chinese new year, which traditionally brings

many to the homeland to celebrate. the new year is happening the same week as the start of the winter olympics. however, what was supposed to be a popular month for tourism has changed into a series of lockdowns and travel restrictions to help limit the spread of the omicron variant in china. it's really serious about the omicants and also they have olympic games going on. i believe they thought that's why they have been, you know blocked up on it and not allow the flight going in edward sue runs a travel company in san francisco. he says right now traveling to china from the united states is nearly impossible. normally. he says there are eight commercial flights leaving sfo to china. every day he says now there is only one and that may soon change to zero only one airline united airline. only one route is going to shanghai besides that you have go the different city like on seattle or la on it. sue says travelers have to request special visas to visit china is only letting people for business reasons or to see loved

ones in serious health conditions. it's at the point where sue says his business is now losing money no business we have to pay utility rent everything it's a negative income. he says anyone traveling to china also has to quarantine for 21 days and no spectators are allowed at the olympic events. it's why he is telling people to delay planning trips to china for a few. months i would tell them wait what the other three months. that is the best. okay, see what happens on it in san francisco ryan curry abc 7 news the cdc updated its mask guidance officially saying cloth masks are not as protective against covid-19 as other masks. your health is a key part of building a better bay area abc 7 news reporter luz pena spoke to a stanford medical professor who has been researching which masks are best. the cdc is changing its mass mas guidelines recommending n95s and

kn95s instead of a cloth mask. there are two problems with cloth mask. s they have much worse filtration efficiency. the second problem cloth masks. don't fit as tight stanford university professor of medicine, dr. steven luby studied the effectiveness of masks during the pandemic the issue about a nice kn95 mask or an m95 mask. is it seals? well around the face so that you don't have like with a cloth mask and easy way in around that can then get into your respiratory system and 95's are designed to filter out 95% of small particles now according to stanford. diversity medical experts one test said cloth masks only show 18 to 25% efficiency regardless of this new announcement. truth is two years of the pandemic have created new habits. well, i just chose the mask. that was the most breathable for me if you see i have two layers inside dr. luby recommends increasing the protection of a

cloth mask if you still want to wear one if you start with a surgical mask and then you add a cloth mask on top of it and that is tight fitting it will bring the surgical mask in and give you better fitting there there there. you'll gain some people are opting to switch masks depending on the setting in the shopping mall or in a grocery store. for example, like i prefer n95 masks dr. lub. days in san francisco, luz pena. news alright, so there are a few things you can look for on an n95 mask to be sure what you're buying is the real thing the name or logo of the company should be on the front along with the model number. you also want to look for the filter series that notes the efficiency like n95 or higher. we've posted a full list of tips on our website go check them out. c7news.com in the east bay

hayward unified students and staff are due to return for in-person classes next week. it follows a week of distance learning the school board made that decision late last night abc 7 news reporter amanda del castillo explains the new covid safety measures. they also agreed on the hayward unified community expect a so-calledan c soft entry as the district ends its week of distance learning due to covid-19 district leaders were warned against going virtual an option that could have cost them millions daily when students get back on the 18th new safety measures will include shortened school days. this will allow students and staff to access covid-19 testing offered by the district after school. we're doing grabbing go meals just to minimize the lunch interactions and we've moved staff meetings virtually the district's board of education. friday to decide whether it would extend remote learning and continue risking a potential daily funding loss of 2.5 million dollars each day campuses stayed closed. they were already dealing with some difficult fiscal decisions that certainly doesn't make this

easier if it comes to pass michelle smith macdonald with the alameda county office of education says nearly all other districts in the county have continued to offer person instruction the state is given schools two pathways in-person instruction or the parental choice of independent study independent study is meant for parents reluctant to send their kids back to school for in-person learning. the option requires parents to sign a contract with the district allowing the student to complete school work with little supervision. this is different from remote learning where school campuses were shut down and teachers taught a class online. that is no longer an option for districts in california. friday's meeting brought mix reaction about tuesday's return what you're talking about is not enough. it's not help us out with the kids and online. it's not good for our kids the board voted three to two in favor of returning in person. it's not perfect. but right now we are also trying to do everything we can to. cooperate with the state and our and our count. i'm a medical studio abc 7 news.

of course if you want to stay up to date on the very latest covid headlines, we have more information on our website. just head to abc 7 news.com slash coronavirus and here brighton early on this saturday morning still dark and early i should say. let's check back in with lisa for look at that forecast. all right, julian nice to have you with us. it is 52 degrees here downtown san francisco a you're thinking that's mild and you're right. we have 40 elsewhere cloud cover insulating us for now how son, can you ■count ontoday? and how mild i have the answers and look at the extended outlook when we come back. all right. thank you. lisa. also had the fallout after an item investigation pallets of ppe found sitting out the rain the inspections now underway and where the equipment will be donated. plus a sea of red in dallas. that's what 49ers fans are hoping for tomorrow's big wild card game against the cowboys the group that snagging those coveted tickets.

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monday is martin luther king jr. day. and the bay area leaders are finding a way to honor dr. king's legacy. despite the omicron variant san francisco mayor. linda breed hosted the virtual 38th. annual martin luther king day celebration dr. king once said our lives and t urged san francisco to do their best to promote racial equity inclusion and fairness. she said d that's been made. it's important not to be complacent across the bay in oakland the anti-police terror project associating virtual events all weekend long after canceling its in-person plans for the second year. we just realized what the surge of omicron it just wasn't responsible or safe. the series of events will culminate in a car caravan on mlk day on monday. or caltrained has canceled this

year's celebration train that usually runs on martin luther king jr. day because of the surgeon covid cases officials say those interested in celebrating should instead participate in virtual events organize by the northern, california, dr. martin luther king jr. community foundation caltrain hopes to hold the event next year. let abc 7 news item reporter dan noyes to pallets and pallets of personal protective equipment. just sitting out in the rain at san mateo county event center dan shows you what happened since his exclusive report first air thursday night right here on abc 7. more than 20,000 square feet of boxes soaking in the rain personal protective equipment worth more than 10 million dollars. this is your federal tax dollars hospital gowns face shields goggles and much more outside at the san mateo county event center since last september that story i broke is getting reaction across the country. it has to be investigated congresswoman.

jackie speier came to san mateo to talk transportation, but we asked about the major ppe mistake we uncovered. she called a troubling but said to remember the county has been a leader in drive-through testing vaccinations and boosters. we need to keep in mind that san mateo county has really been at the forefront and we have one of the highest levels of vaccination rates in the country. and that's all good news for all of us our story about the ppe was something the event center's ceo. dana store did not want you to see why is all the stuff going to waste here. so can you stop filming? no? i work at channel 7. i need to ask questions. the county manager told me he didn't know all that ppe was sitting out exposed to the elements for months. it clears a mistake by the county. and ultimately i'm responsible for the county. so, you know, i take full responsibility for it. he has learned that events center staffed moved all that.

ppe outside to accommodate the software as a service annual conference september 27th through the 29th. he doesn't know why the supplies were not moved back inside but he is hiring an independent investigator to look into it and calling in the marines and so every single piece is being inspected and right now we're running over 90% that we're finding is still in good perfect condition james brown of the wine country marines is organizing a distribution of the ppe that can be salvaged he says the rain damaged the exterior boxes, but the plastic bags inside saved many of the items. the veterans advocacy group will be giving it all away to qualify groups on january 25th by appointment only we don't want anybody to take this and put on ebay because that's in essence money laundering. you're taking federal taxpayer dollar purchase products and your turn it into into cash for you. we're not going to allow that at all. but what we do want to do is get to some hands of any organization that serves the community and you know, like i

said, if you're if you're out there serving the homeless or if you're doing a food kitchen or a culture if you're treating patients any of that groups with a legitimate mission can find more details on the wine country marine website for the i-team dan noyes abc 7 news. and a reminder this story started with a tip and you can contact dan noyes in the i-team if you'd like to see a story investigated go to abc 7 news com slash item or pick up the phone and call 1-88-40. i team. san francisco's will start receiving ball. male next week for february special election voters will decide on a new assessor recorder and whether to recall three school board members. some residents will vote in the primary to phil david choose district 17 assembly seat early voting starts tuesday or voters can return their ballots by mail election day is february the 15th. but same san francisco 49ers, i kind of view dallas his enemy

territory. the 49ers faithful are ready too take over dallas for tomorrow's wild card matchup against the cowboys. in fact, there's a group of fans who bleed red and gold in north texas the dfw nighter empire says their members are snatched up those tickets. we're like, well, it's time to get tickets. it's time to start planning for a party. i and a sweet talk to my wife and to letting me buy tickets. it'll just be a few dollars, right the faithful say they're ready. dallas feel like a home game and speaking of home several bay area landmarks will be illuminated in red and gold tonight at head of tomorrow's game those include sfo and san francisco and san jose city halls. meteorologist lisa argen tracking the forecast for us on this saturday morning the stretch of sun that we've seen and lack of rain. it's been nice, but unusual for january. well, actually we have what we call a winter dry spell midwinter. velve, it's not really unusual.

we are dry for a couple weeks and then hopefully getting back into a rainy regime so we will enjoy it while we have it. it's not totally out of the question, but we always want that rain to return right we always kind of get us that this may be the end but it looks like the end of the month. i know i said the end of the month we could see return to some wet weather. so as we look at live doppler 7 right now just a lot of cloud cover. we're talking high clouds and this is all coming up from the south. there's a system offshore and showing you an area of very light orange here highlighted all along the coast for a tsunami advisory. we had an earthquake out towards tonga yesterday, and so now tsunami warning center has put us in an advisory all the way up to the coast for some usual wave action throughout the area throughout the next couple of days. this is what the advisory says. so any boating and hanging out towards the shoreline not advised as the waves are

supposed to get a little bit more churned up and be little higher looking at the fog here out towards the delta. otherwise with the cloud cover and dryer air in place. it's all about the clouds to start out this morning and with that the warmer numbers 45 in sunnyvale looking at 47 in mountain view further down into the south bay upper 30s. so some cooler air 37 fairfield 41 in sebastopol. we do a fog up towards the north bay and over towards the delta and as we look outside nice view here with moderate air quality taking us through today tomorrow into the holiday on monday, so that lid of high pressure allowing for more atmosphere to be stacked up on top of and that is allowed for a little mixing, although yesterday. we had some upper level offshore winds and that allowed for somewhat better air quality. so starting out with the milder conditions eight to nine degrees milder from oakland to concord this morning good visibility here over towards emeryville.

so cloudy skies areas of fog mild start to the long weekend and that drive pattern continues well into next week. here's a look at you can see the cloud cover spinning up from the south. maybe a few showers along coastal monterey. wise through sunday and monday will be in and out of the high clouds partly to mostly cloudy at times and another look at the storm track continues well to the north everyone everything missing us through next weekend. so we'll be watching for any changes. but as of now we're looking at the mild conditions today a few more 50s arrive for martin luther king day and on tuesday so hice today underneath some high cloud 62 in oakland 65 in san jose. and the accuweather 74 casts mild conditions with high clouds and sun above average through tomorrow and then slightly cooler the holiday tuesday, and then we're warming up again could even see some record highs julian into next weekend. all right. gotta make sure we get out and enjoy it while we can.

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every fall monarch butterfly start making to monterey county to ride out the colder months before moving on to mating season and now you just have a few more weeks to see them before they fly away abc 7 news reporter. dustin dorsey has the story from pacific grove. nestled along the monterey coast a natural beauty that you can only see for a few more weeks this year to witness it you have to look up every fall monarch butterflies make pacific grove their winter home some years. we have thousands and other years, you know, last year was zero the year before that was about 650 in the year before that was about 800 every year is different this year. we've been blessed to have you know at peak 14,000 last count

9,511 around september monarchs make their annual trip to monterey county because of the perfect conditions for these butterflies. they cluster together through the winter. but today we had some incredible views, so i encourage people to come visit it is a beautiful time to come. oh, sorry. there was a burst this time. year, yeah, we get sometimes hundreds of monarchs that suddenly just leave a tree and are flying. oh my goodness. so yes if you come you might be able to witness something like that. it's pretty magical people come from across the globe to visit the monarchs in pacific grove. i've never been before and i wasn't the only one taking in the beauty for the first time. i'm very impressed. it's it's a beautiful place just to walk through but to see the butterflies here makes it very special spectacular. totally unique. it's not like anything i've ever