good morning and thank you for joining us during what is an unprecedented morning in the coronavirus crisis right here in the bay area. nearly 7 million people are waking up to a shelter in place order. we have our entire team together and spread out. i'm laura garcia. >> and i'm marcus washington along with kari and mike. we have never faced anything like this before, something that we'll all get through together. we want you to know we are here for you and we want to be your resource to help you and your family make it through. >> that is so true. as you can see we're practicing our own social distancing here at the station just like you are being asked to do in your lives. things on "today in the bay"

will look different from here on out. but we are here for you. we're going to get to weather and traffic in just a moment. first, the latest at this hour. the shelter in place that we're talking about this morning includes alameda, contra costa, marin, san francisco, san mateo and santa clara counties. >> the surreal scenes keep playing out in grocery stores as people prepare for the reality we're in now. many stores are changing their operation hours trying to keep up with demand, and all of this comes as the number of cases spread in the bay area. there are more than 300 infections. santa clara county announcing new deaths. >> more live coverage in just a moment. first, as promised, let's check in with kari. we are still seeing lingering rain in san francisco and right along the coast. we'll see the possibility we'll see scattered showers continuing into the rest of today just off and on, but there will be breaks

in between as we get a closer look at where the rain is falling right now from palo alto up to san francisco right now. we'll see waves of rain coming in. i'll be tracking that for you with more updates coming up throughout the morning and, mike, you heard about a new crash now in the south bay. >> i did, kari. the overnight rains do leave damp pavement, slicker roads. very clear as you would imagine. north 101 at matilda, a new crash. a car went into the center divide. i don't know if it slid or it was an issue of a distracted driver. whatever the case it's on the shoulder. the person is out of their car. folks will be looking to see if they're okay. we are as well. heading to the bay bridge, laura. back to you. >> thank you, mike. we'll check back with you. back to our coverage of the coronavirus pandemic and the shelter in place in the bay area. "today in the bay's" bob redell joins us live this morning with more on overnight patrols just because of the shelter in place.

bob? >> reporter: good morning to you, laura. this shelter in place is asking people to stay at home unless you have essential business. we talk about first responders, doctors and nurses who work in the hospitals, people who work in the grocery stores that provide food or in the hardware stores, gas stations, us in the media so we can be out here and show you and tell you what's going on out here. with the businesses open, you are allowed to go out for essentials like food and gas but generally speaking are supposed to stay home to prevent the spread of the virus. downtown san jose does look like a ghost town because it's 4:30 in the morning. for my point of view having been out here a number of times before it feels the same in that respect. what will be interesting is what it's like when the sun comes up in terms of people. now you probably saw some video and we've seen san jose police cars out here. they're on patrol but still individuals are walking up and down the street, and there are some people we spoke to, and here is one man just right after

that advisory went into effect at 12:01 this morning. >> everything is pretty quiet out here, like a dead zone. i feel there should be more people outside. not showing fear. like us. >> reporter: what's not clear about this shelter in place is how and if it'll be enforced. when i drove into downtown about 30 minutes ago in my perm vehicle, there were two police cars that happened to be behind me. they didn't pull me over. they didn't stop to ask me, what are you doing down here? they went about their business. i see people filling up their cars. there was a man over here doing something -- putting his bicycle away. it will be interesting how this plays out. anecdotally driving in from the east bay this morning there were -- it wasn't night and day in terms of traffic. there were still semis out there, fewer cars, but not a ghost town on the roads. people obviously still going about their business.

bob redell, "today in the bay." >> it's interesting because there are not that many people when we're out going to work. it will be interesting to see as the day progresses, bob. thanks so much. if you plan to try to stock up on supplies today there's a good chance you're going to see this, long, long lines, empty shelves certainly at grocery stores. scenes like these have been really seen across the world since late last week even more so now shoppers are leaving shelves empty as the bay area is being told to shelter in place. some stores admit to trouble to meet that demand, and it's having an impact on customers. >> somebody broke down and cried in the store the other day, but that's pretty rare. most people are just trying to stay in good spirits and doing what they can to prepare. >> and stores say they will try to restock, but some good news for you here, safeway plans to hire 2,000 extra workers. they're going to need them to stock the aisles and deliver food. governor newsom is offering

words of encouragement for californians as he issues two new executive orders. one aims at giving more resources from state health agencies to places and people who are most at risk of contracting the virus. it's not clear what that entails. the second order is to protect homeowners and renters. it authorizes local governments to halt evictions, slow floor closures and protect against utility shutoffs. he also had this to say. >> asking people to shelter in place to isolate at home. we certainly want that for seniors as a top priority, 65 and over. the point of gatherings is lost on all of us from personal safety and health perspective. directing no gatherings be considered advanced in this state. that's the new guideline we are putting out this evening. >> the governor also saying california's ahead of the curve when it comes to testing for the virus but more work needs to be done. across the nation coronavirus testing still in the

process of ramping up but there are strides being made, about a dozen states now some kind of drive-through testing in place. including locations like ones provided by kaiser and stanford health care. in most cases the doctor's referral is needed and we do know labs are now making tests more available. the white house is still claiming there may be 2,000 labs ready to process 2 million tests by the end of the week. >> for many parents day two of having kids at home during the workweek and it's going to be hard for some people to do the work or be without the kids. they have a lot of questions. those kids, especially given the warnings escalating yesterday, "today in the bay's" kris sanchez joining us live from home, is also distancing herself with social distancing. let's talk about it. you have two kids. what were you talking to them about yesterday? >> reporter: the more time you have with your kids, the more questions they're going to have, and a lot of them have to do

with viruses and pandemics. some of them have to do with what does this mean for me personally? i have an eighth grader who is supposed to graduate. do i get to sign the book for having good grades? we're taking that day by day saying we're going to think about what's happening this week, next week, and we'll worry about what's happening in june when june comes up. i did find video and content online that was helpful in explaining what this is for them. you may have seen this by now, it illustrates why social distancing is important. in case you haven't seen it, it shows a line of matches each setting fire to the other until one steps out of line. as the greek doctor who first posted the original idea for this is the one who stayed away that kept the others safe. now, of course, parents, we pride ourselves in our villages and i saw this demonstration from one of my neighbors, took paper, cut it into strips, and asked her kids to catch all of it. the second time she dropped them much more slowly, and so the

kids are the health care system. she has pointed out to the kids that when things come in one batch, you can't catch everybody. and when they come slower they really can be more mindful about catching each and every one of those strips of paper. the strips of paper, of course, the coronavirus patients. i thought that was a pretty powerful visual. i will post her thing online so you can see if you want to do that with your kids. experts do say to be mindful about listening to what the kids are asking. you don't have to be really long explanations. they need a little bit of brief information. keep it age appropriate. there are certain things that are better for your teens or tweens and little ones want to be reassured. use science. that is the best way to explain what's happening. and limit or supervise the media they're taking in. we have a lot of information. it's so critical to get it out right now.

i would argue they don't really need to hear anything and try to keep things as normal as possible. the last thing they said to me last night was not about coronavirus or social isolation or shelter in place. don't forget to wear your green because it's st. patrick's day. so we are really trying to keep things normal at home as well. kris sanchez, "today in the bay." >> great perspective of kids. i was thinking a big part of this, i would imagine, for a lot of parents, and i imagine you're doing it, too, is distancing from all that's going on, maybe doing something fun outside and even in the house. >> reporter: it's really hard, both my husband and i are both journalists so they're getting this content from, you know, news sources, they're getting it from us. we're having conversations with each other trying to figure out our work schedules and what our plan is in the event somebody is exposed in our family. heavy but trying to keep it light, too. >> i love the demonstration. i think adults can learn as well. thanks, kris.

the state capitol takes on the coronavirus. still ahead on "today in the bay," the major funding lawmakers are passing to help with the outbreak and how california's top court is still hearing arguments. and stores across the country changing their hours because of the coronavirus. the way dollar general is making sure older shoppers will be able to get the essentials they need. let's take a live look outside at the bay bridge toll plaza. no surprise here with the shelter in place in place right now. you can see light traffic there. we're going to figure out what it's doing throughout the bay area. mike inouye will look at that. kari will get us through with that forecast coming up in just a bit. you're watching "today in the bay."

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good tuesday morning. right now at 4:44 we have some waves of rain coming through the bay area, especially the peninsula and san francisco. i'll be tracking this and we'll talk about what's coming our way for the rest of the day, that's coming up in a few minutes. traffic and weather together as far as conditions. there is some of the wet drive across the golden gate bridge but very light traffic. we'll show you how things are shaping up. good morning. i'm kate rogers at cnbc headquarters. here are today's top business headlines. wall street looks set to open higher even after the federal reserve cut interest rates and launched a new stimulus program amid the coronavirus outbreak.

the selling picked up in the final hour of trading after president trump said the outbreak could last until july or august and a recession is likely. the dow closing down nearly 3,000 points, the worst points decline ever. it had its worst percentage decline, 12.9%, since the black monday crash in 1987 when it fell 22%. the nasdaq suffering the worst point and percentage loss in its history going back to 1971. amazon plans to hire 100,000 more employees to handle the surge in online orders and deliveries as people stay home and help contain the spread of coronavirus. amazon is raising pay for workers by $2 an hour through april. amazon contracts for about 40% of all online orders in the u.s. and dollar general reducing store hours nationwide. they will now close an hour earlier than usually to allow employees to clean and restock their shelves. the retailer will dedicate the first hour in its more than 16,000 stores to help seniors with busier and more crowded times during the day.

dollar general is encouraging other shoppers to plan trips around this window to allow those who may be more vulnerable to the coronavirus the ability to buy what they need. kari, back over to you. thank you, kate. all right. we're starting out with some chilly temperatures this morning, in the 30s, as you step out the door as well as that rain coming down. i'll be tracking that. we'll talk about what's ahead with a warmer first day of spring forecast coming up. and very light traffic right now. here's palo alto. you see how clear the roads are, how wet they are as well, the sheen and the water on the lens. we'll talk about that coming up. plus, movie theaters are empty as people practice social distancing. the move one movie studio is taking so people can still see new releases. ♪

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♪ the wait is over. try my new tiny tacos. 15 for 3 bucks or loaded for 4 bucks. delivered exclusively with uber eats. a very good tuesday morning to you, taking a peek outside, taking a live look outside this is the bay bridge from a distance there. nice, clear start to our st. patrick's day today. what about you, kari? >> i'm standing in front of a green wall. >> you're lucky there's social distancing. >> no pinching. i did make some green on the radar. we are seeing some showers coming through parts of the bay area. we look at san francisco down to palo alto. the waves of rain coming

through. keep that umbrella handy as we could see a chance of showers moving through even lightning off the coast. that lightning will stay offshore but a small chance of thunderstorms and small hail again today. here is a live look outside in dublin after starting out with mostly clear skies. make sure you have the heater on and you're bundled up. the warm-up will be slow to happen. rain chances the next couple of hours. as we go into the rest of the day we're still looking at the pop-up showers here and there and very hit or miss. they may see nothing, just depends on where that rain sets up. for the sierra we're going to see some additional light snow, just enough to make the roads very slippery.

we had a lot of snow over the weekend. still a chance of showers today. the first day of spring is this thursday and that's when the rain moves out. very nice on friday and saturday and rain returning back on sunday. mike, you were checking out what's happening at the dublin grade. >> i want to show folks still a good amount of traffic out there. do take note there will be slick roadways from overnight rain. lots of flow. westbound with the taillights heading to castro valley. with that said look how much green we have all over the maps. no backup. laura, you asked about green. i have a green jacket i'll wear later. this is why we don't wear green. >> giving away our secrets. good thing it's early. unlike the u.s. supreme court, california supreme court justices will continue hearing

arguments during the public health emergency but all arguments will be made remotely by video or teleconferencing. they voted to reset until april 18th. a decision approving $1 billion in new spend to go fight the virus. governor newsom will have discretion to use the money as needed. the sheriff's department is working to cut down on inmate populations. the sheriff says since the end of february more than 600 inmates have been released early. they all had less than 30 days left on their sentence. bay area prisons and jails have not indicated if they have similar plans. health officials are advising to clean or disinfect common surfaces we touch in our homes or offices. coming up next chris chmura breaks down why that could be the best way to fight the coronavirus in your daily life. but happening now, this year's kentucky derby is being

postponed due to the coronavirus. the 146th run will take place on september 5th, the saturday of labor day weekend. it will be just the third time the world's most famous horse race will take place outside of the month of may. since 1946 the kentucky derby has taken place every year on the first saturday in may. an official announcement is expected for later this morning.

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♪ magnum ice cream double caramel. now in ice cream tubs and bars. if you've been wondering how long the covid-19 virus can live on surfaces we touch every day, you are not alone. researchers have been trying to answer that question, too. scientists from the federal government, ucla, and princeton

just published a preliminary report that begins to tell us how long covid-19 might live on various surfaces. they applied a small amount to various surfaces, copper, cardboard, steal and plastic. they say they kept the air temperature between 69 and 73 degrees fahrenheit, around the typical temperature in your home and office or store. next, the scientists watched it die and it lasted longer than you might expect. up to four hours on copper. 24 hours on cardboard. covid-19 was most stable on plastics and steel. it could be detected up to 72 hours post application. for comparison, the cdc says the flu virus can live on some surfaces up to 48 hours. this covid-19 research is brand-new though it does support cdc recommendations that we routinely clean tables, door knobs, light switches, handles,

desks, toilets, faucets and sinks with household cleaners and epa registered disinfectants. click the menu at the top on nbcbayarea.com, click the menu and then respond. 1-888-996-tips. >> join chris chmura and our nbc bay area responds team for a coronavirus special where we answer more of your questions and concerns. that's this sunday at 6:30 right here on nbc bay area. 4:57. movie theaters across the country empty. comcast, which owns our parent company nbc universal, plans to release new films on line and in theaters simultaneously. the first will be the upcoming trolls world tour. several movies have had their release dates postponed due to the virus. >> our coverage of the new reality in the bay area continues. shelter in place continues at

midnight. we'll show you what happened overnight. this is tough but, you know, i have to be positive. >> next for you we break down exactly what it means for you and your family. there's a lot of questions. we have those answers. what you can do and can't do next.

happening now, the very latest from the pandemic here at home, more than 6 million people in the bay area now under a

shelter in place order which started at midnight. a live look at golden gate, san mateo and bay bridges this morning. traffic is light as people are told to stay home. that also means bars and gyms are closed throughout the bay area and restaurants can only do pick yum aup and delive orders. >> governor newsom is stopping evictions and foreclosures and ordering utilities to keep the power on. another order to protect people 65 and older living in senior facilities. >> dramatic and drastic measures to curb the spread in the bay area where there are now around 300 confirmed cases. nationwide there are more than 4,400 cases with 85 deaths. and a good morning to you. i'm marcus washington on this st. patrick's day. that's a real one for us indeed. >> it is a little strange, a little different.