good morning and thanks for joining us. i'm laura garcia. >> and i'm marcus washington. developments in the coronavirus pandemic continues to change by the minute. i'm here in our coronavirus crisis center with the latest for you. first, the number of cases across the country are growing. there are now more than 1,500 cases this morning. two deaths reported in florida. those are the first outside the west coast. in total 40 people have died here in the u.s. on capitol hill congress is expected to make an announcement on a coronavirus aid package. that package will provide funding and resources for workers, families and businesses. in the bay area santa clara

county has by far the highest number and san mateo with 20 cases. meantime the remaining passengers onboard the "grand princess" cruise ship have landed in san diego to begin their quarantine. the "grand princess" cruise ship is staying at the port of oakland until sunday. our live team coverage is coming up. right now we want to take a live look outside in san francisco. and look at that radar as well. rain is set to move into the bay area this weekend. kari hall is timing it all out for us. good morning. we're seeing that storm system to the north of us and that is what will be moving in as we go into today. we'll be tracking another storm system that will be here as we go into the middle of next week. so a couple storms moving our way and we're starting out with a mostly cloudy sky in parts of the bay area, but this is tomorrow morning we start to see the scattered rain moving in and we'll see some off and on showers that gets heavier as we go into late morning into the

afternoon when it becomes a little bit more widespread but we are expecting more waves of rain as we head through the day on sunday as we could really get some significant rain in some spots. so i'll talk more about how much we're expecting and the sierra snow. mike, you're expecting a friday light commute. >> i'm not sure how much lighter we can get because traffic has been so disrupted by telecommuting. no backup to speak of at the bay bridge. right now a few folks in the cash lanes as you saw. there was slowing but that has cleared up and no incidents through the area. i have one on surface streets we'll talk about shortly. i want to show up the bay is showing on the freeways a nice, smooth drive, marcus. >> thanks, mike. schools around the bay area are closing down to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. overnight san mateo foster school district announcing it is shutting down campuses until april. here is a list of some of the districts that are closing recently. san francisco unified and west

contra costa unified shutting down for three weeks starting monday. the ross school district will close starting today and high schools in berkeley unified school district are now closed. parents are trying to figure out what to do with their children as the pandemic grows. >> it's going to be difficult trying to navigate child care. >> both of our jobs told us to start working remotely. we can do that. as soon as you introduce the kids back into the picture, it makes it harder. >> we have a list of the school closures scrolling at the bottom of your screen right now and we're adding them as they come in. you can find the list on our website nbcbayarea.com. we're less than 24 hours away from a 30-day ban on travel in europe. a move made by president trump to slow down the amount of coronavirus cases in the u.s. in the process causing a lot of mass confusion for americans trying to just come home. "today in the bay's" pete suratos joins us live from sfo with a look at some of those details. pete? >> reporter: good morning to you, laura.

that travel ban on some european countries does go into effect tonight. as you mentioned there was some confusion following the president's initial comments on it during the oval office address a couple days ago. let's clarify what we're getting from the white house. now it says this 30-day travel ban will go into effect tonight and applies to 26 countries in europe. i do want to point out that it says the uk and ireland are exempt. there wasn't much reasoning for that, but we know there are cases of the virus in britain. now this does not apply to u.s. citizens or green card holders or families of u.s. citizens, only to foreign nationals. that's where there was some confusion but that was cleared up. also, it does not apply to european trades or goods. as i mentioned president trump's initial comments during that oval office address did cause some confusion for travelers abroad. it didn't say americans were exempt. we do know now that they are exempt from this travel ban.

it did cause a lot of stress for travelers in those areas. >> we have to figure out how to get home. >> i wasn't in the right place in line, i would have been stuck in europe for maybe 30 days. >> reporter: now americans will have to undergo health screenings and could face possible quarantine, but that ban does kick in tonight at 11:59 p.m. reporting live, pete suratos for "today in the bay." all right, pete, thank you. we now know what terminal three tsa agents who have tested positive for coronavirus worked. the city says the workers screened people at terminal "b" between noon and midnight on february 21st, 26th, and march 2nd. 40 other workers are also under quarantine. sjc remains open. and an american airlines pilot based in dallas tests positive for coronavirus. the airline has not said what routes that pilot flies. in the push to be prepared,

some folks are panicking, buying things. you may have seen empty shelves where cleaning supplies and hand sanitizer used to be where you shop. >> "today in the bay's" kris sanchez joins us from milpitas with how stores are trying to make sure they can serve all of their customers. i know i've seen a lot of blank shelves out there. >> reporter: i think we all have at this point. stores now trying to limit the quantity of certain items customers can buy per transaction and try to spread those goods around among people who want them and need them. limiting disinfectants and hand adverti sanitizers. my husband and i both came up empty trying to restock our home goods like toilet paper and cleaning supplies, even dry goods like beans and rice. there are lines like these popping up at costco stores and other stores around the bay area even before they open. we talked with a manager at a

trader joe's store who said it was the busiest day in store history yesterday, and talked with a psychotherapist about the panic hoarding. >> something like a pandemic certainly sets off an alarm bell in all of us because we're human about wanting to survive. >> reporter: now the psychotherapist told us we can try to overcome our anxiety by focusing on very good, solid information on what we need instead of getting caught up in it. one man came in for a few things and ended up panic buying way more than he needed. in milpitas, kris sanchez, "today in the bay." >> thanks so much, kris. making it in the bay even harder with the coronavirus outbreak. next month oakland city leaders will consider a proposal aimed at protecting people from eviction. according to "the east bay times" officials are asking courts to pause current eviction cases until then. in the meantime san francisco assemblyman is proposing his own

plan. it would temporarily ban evictions and foreclosures for residents who just can't pay the bills. pg&e said they will not shut off power due to hardships during the outbreak and can use the flexible pay plan. anyone who relies on b.a.r.t. for their commute can mostly rest assured the trains will keep running. there is a remote possibility the train service could be reduced or even shut down. b.a.r.t. tells "the chronicle" it would only be a last resort or if an order came down from the state. it is an essential service. ridership wednesday was down 48% from a typical wednesday. next on "today in the bay," the big changes internet providers are making as more people are starting to work from home amid the outbreak. plus, as you make your weekend plans, a breakdown of the bay area museums and hot

spots that will be shut down due to the virus. and taking a live look outside the bay bridge toll plaza this morning, mike has his eye on the roads. kari will talk about the rain that's coming our way. when it's going to hit and where.

right now at 4:41 let's take a live look outside in san jose. it's a clear, dry start to the day as we head over to campbell. we'll be in the low 50s this

morning and also still a very nice, warm day, 60 degrees at noon. we'll get a look at the rest of our micro climate to talk about the weekend rain coming up. >> and a clear view of the golden gate bridge today. a couple patches of fog. good morning. i'm frank holland at cnbc headquarters. wall street has pointed to a positive open at least to this point following a historic drop in the markets yesterday sparked by fears of the economic impact of coronavirus. investors may not be convinced a stimulus plan by the government and more funding by the fed will be enough to turn things around. the dow suffering its worst point decline ever down more than 2,300 points and worst percentage drop 9.9% since the black monday crash in 1987. the dow is on pace for the worst week in its 124-year history.

the nasdaq and s&p 500 both joining the dow in bear territory meaning they're down at least 20% from record highs set just last month. amazon is telling employees around the world to work from home if they can through the end of march the company had previously told some workers in some offices including seattle, new york and new jersey to work remotely. unlike employees at the corporate offices many workers at its fulfillment offices just can't do that. amazon created a $25 million relief fund allowing employees to apply for grants for up to two weeks pay if they're diagnosed with the virus. 9 and with more people starting to work from home or even learn on line as offices and schools close in response to the coronavirus crisis, internet provide remembers stepping up. comcast is increasing speeds for low-income users through internet essentials program. new qualified customers can sign up for 60 days at no cost and

boosting speeds for all existing customers. at&t is removing usage caps until further notice. those limits had ranged from 150 gigabytes to one terabyte a month. laura, you're a mom, kids like to stream. those limits can be restrictive. we need to learn and be entertained. >> completely. no, frank, the triplets, they're staying home for two weeks. their school is canceled, so i'm going to be using all that internet service. they have to reach their teachers. >> i heard you're the in-house stock guru. >> no worries at all. glad you're feeling better. >> we have your back, frank. coming up for you this morning "today in the bay's" kari hall tracking that weekend forecast. how is it looking, kari? >> pretty good this weekend with much-needed rain coming in. we're still dry this morning and starting out with mild temperatures. most of us in the low 50s. a look at what's ahead as the rain moves in coming up next. and overall a pretty mild

drive all week. we'll see what friday light means. we d crash just off 580. we'll bring you that coming up. plus, the coronavirus outbreak closing schools. we were just talking about it around the country. the emergency meeting the largest school district in the state is set to have today. this burger's delicious! let's make it more delicious! ♪ menutaur put an extra patty on that! bam! woah! uh-uhhh!

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at the s.a.p. center. all the lights but then there's nobody there. i guess that's what you would get at 4:47 in the morning. >> good point. always a silver lining. >> ding. and a silver lining, too, look, we've been talking about that rain coming this weekend but today we should get some -- still very nice. >> something to smile about. >> we're going to have a nice friday. looking at fog that starts out in parts of the north bay, this is a look at visibility in miles and right now it's down to a half a mile in santa rosa, maybe a little bit thicker as you head south of santa rosa. elsewhere a mostly clear look at your morning drive and then as we check out what's happening here our next storm system set to move in so we still are getting some rain in l.a. due to another storm system that will be moving away but we also have another storm system across the pacific northwest dropping in for the weekend so as that

arrives it will start out with some spotty, light rain early in the morning. we're talking about 2:00 in the morning. we're starting to see some of that rain moving in and then heavier rain going through late tomorrow morning moving from the north bay mostly into the peninsula into the east bay and continuing to work its way south. now we'll see some breaks in the rain. it won't be raining all day long but there will be off and on showers basically happening all throughout the weekend and much cooler temperatures developing especially as we head towards sunday and it's going to be snowing throughout the sierra all weekend long. as we talk about how much rain we're going to see heading into the next week or so this computer model showing we could see up to 3 inches of rain in parts of the peninsula in the east bay and look at another computer model that's showing the same, so it looks certain we are going to get a lot of rain over the next week or so with two storm systems coming in and this weekend this is a look at the forecast for sierra snow.

we are going to see the potential of getting a few feet of snow and even more next week. we're going to hopefully get a little bit more caught up to where we should be in terms of our rainfall, but these temperatures are going to be chilly after today, only staying in the 50s over the next week. mike, you're tracking a few crashes. >> very few crashes. not major but there is one major impact. san mateo bridge, that's not it. the crash should be over to the shoulder. look at this big view, you see the green sensors pretty much all morning commutes. it's 4:50 right now. we are looking at the isabel off ramp, the only effect after a crash there, minor crash that might be affecting one minor lane as you exit but the freeway and the surface streets look great through that portion of the tri-valley. no delays there. jumping over to the major surface street, gilman street, just off the east shore freeway. there was a crash overnight that took over a powerful and gilman will be closed between 2nd and

5th just off the freeway possibly until the end of the mid morning, midday. note that the pg&e will be getting there about 7:00 a.m., avoid the area. just to the south but that will have some traffic and to the north is clear. a smooth drive, a little fog in the north bay and the bay bridge toll plaza does have both sides with cash backup. >> thank you very much, mike. 4:51. governor newsom signs an executive order to use properties as quarantine sites. california is using a hotel for passengers from the "grand princess" cruise ship. they are looking for additional properties that can be used. it limits the number of hours state employees can work during this emergency. provisions for people who could lose their income because of the virus. >> happening today the l.a. unified school district is holding an emergency meeting to

consider closing schools due to the coronavirus. yesterday the superintendent said that it's now appropriate for schools to stay open. a live stream was held rejecting that. the superintendent said there are many factors to consider before closing all the schools. >> we serve a high needs population, 700,000 students spread across 700 square miles. 80% of the families we serve live in poverty and more than a quarter of them do not have access to internet at home. >> the san diego school district says plans are in place for schools if the pandemic gets worse in the county. 4:52. coming up on "today in the bay," nbc bay area responds. >> reporter: his phone rang with a coronavirus sales pitch. so he called us and we called the company back. i'm consumer investigator chris chmura, nbc bay area responds next. first happening now, this year's boston marathon could be postponed due to the

coronavirus. organizers and city leaders are considering now holding it in september. it's scheduled for april 20th. if the change is made it would be the first time in 124 years the marathon would be rescheduled. canceling could mean the city losing $200 million. a lot more news ahead. 4:53.

good morning. a skeptical viewer who answered one of these calls tipped us off. the caller said he worked for a canadian pharmacy, and they had a coronavirus treatment to sell. so we called the number a few times ourselves and listened to the same spiel. an agent who said his name was

ion agreed to be recorded for broadcast. we went back and forth for ten minutes. what is it exactly your company is saying this will do for coronavirus? >> i told you it will reduce the risk. >> it would reduce the risk? >> it will slow down the progress of the coronavirus. >> a couple red flags here. first, the centers for disease control says no medicine to prevent coronavirus is currently available anywhere, they're still under development. canadian pharmacy was using a kansas phone number. and finally thanks to some quick web searches during our call we discovered ion was actually selling a generic malaria treatment, a chemical. follow the federal trade commission's advice, ignore these offers. wait for word from health officials about prevention and treatment. please let us know if you see any suspicious sales pitches, go to nbcbayarea.com. click the main menu and then respond or give us a call

888-996-tips. >> thanks, chris. many popular attractions around the bay area are closed because of coronavirus concerns. the famous winchester mystery house is shutting its doors the children's. are also closed. in san francisco performances of harry potter and the cursed child at the theater are suspended through march and the popular monterey bay aquarium says it is shutting down for at least two weeks. amid the outbreak more bay area school districts also closing. new shutdowns overnight. coming up next on "today in the bay," a live report with a complete list of closures and the impact on some testing for the s.a.t. plus, benched. the growing list of professional sports on hold this morning.

a very good friday morning to you. thanks so much for joining us. i'm laura garcia. >> and i'm marcus washington. developments in the coronavirus pandemic changing by the hour. the latest on what you need to know. the number of confirmed bay area cases is growing. these are the numbers by the county. santa clara county by far has the most with 66. san mateo county now has 20 cases. and there are more bay area school districts shutting down, that includes the berkeley unified and san mateo foster city school districts. most of the schools in each district closures actually began next week and worldwide there

are now more than 120,000 cases and nearly 5,000 deaths. the cdc says europe is the new epicenter of the pandemic with 70% of the cases originating there. and a live look for you at sfo where the new travel ban has people scrambling. president trump announcing the u.s. is suspending travel for europe starting at midnight tonight for some people. first, we want to take a live look outside in san francisco right now. look at that radar. look at what is headed our way. rain is set to hit the bay area. kari hall timing it all out for us. the rain moving in tomorrow. you can see we already have a storm system over southern california. if you're going there this weekend, we're going to see that heavy rain approaching that area. we also have another storm system that will be coming in from the north affecting the bay area and as we check out our hour by hour outlook once again we're dry today. it will be nice and md