on nbc bay area. right now at 6:00 breaking news overnight. the united kingdom, the first nation to approve pfizer's covid-19 vaccine. up next how quickly the uk plans to get that vaccine to its frontline workers. what that means for us here in the u.s. our complete coverage of the surge and the race to a vaccine as the third hour of "today in the bay" continues right now. good wednesday morning. i'm laura garcia. >> and i'm marcus washington. mike always keeping an eye on the commute. we'll get to that in a bit. first the forecast for you. meteorologist kari hall, it looks like the sun is starting to come up just a bit. it is very cold across the bay area. a cold start and then some sunshine helping to warm things up.

as we look at more of the same, the cold mornings and mild afternoons and still no rain in the forecast. even into the week as we continue to see the dry weather pattern sticking around temperature wise this is what you're feeling as you're heading out the door, grab an extra layer. we're dipping below freezing and most of us in the upper 30s to lower 40s on this wednesday morning. how is the commute looking right now, mike? kari, up until about ten minutes ago everything was clear at the bay bridge toll plaza, but now you see the camera shot it filled in. it took nine, ten minutes for the lanes to fill in after the metering lights were turned on. at the toll plaza there's volume. the maze, the east shore freeway, the arrow shows you a little slowing on the incline which will often trigger the metering lights. no other major problems from major freeways. a closure on the peninsula coming up. marcus, back to you. the uk approving a covid-19

vaccine and it's ready to be put into action. we have live team coverage. "today in the bay's" bob redell is looking into dozens of bay area businesses in trouble for breaking covid rules. first let's begin with kris sanchez on that breaking vaccine news from overseas. kris? >> reporter: well, hi there, marcus and laura. it looks like those health care workers in the uk could start getting those covid vaccines starting on monday. this is moving very fast. now that first batch of 800,000 pfizer vaccines will first cover health care workers but those over the age of 80. we know folks over 80 have that highest mortality rate. the pfizer vaccine is 95% effective with mild side effects, about equivalent to what we see when we get flu shots sometimes. this is one of the fastest vaccine approvals in u.s. history but uk reck lators say

that does not mean they skipped in safety steps. >> using a process known as a rolling review. a rolling review can be used to complete the assessment of a promising medicine or a vaccine in a situation where time is of the essence. in the shortest time possible. but, and this is a very important point indeed, that doesn't mean that any corners have been cut. none at all. >> reporter: so here inhe u.s. the fda will meet on december 10th, next thursday, to consider emergency approval of the same pfizer vaccine along with one by moderna, both require two doses. also coming down the pike vaccines by astrazeneca. we know now who is at the front of the frontline here in the

u.s. the cdc made that decision yesterday. i'll tell you where you fall in that continuum coming up. 6:03. a live look at san francisco and san jose this wednesday morning. san jose already has some of the tightest covid restrictions anywhere. more restrictions may be coming to san francisco as soon as today. now this news comes as mayor london breed under fire for attending a lavish dinner at the french laundry and sam liccardo apologizing for breaking covid guidelines on thanksgiving, gathering with people outside of his household. "today in the bay's" bob redell joins us live in san jose this morning. bob, while mayor sam liccardo has been apologizing, really there's no need for santa clara county to apologize. they're really cracking down on dozens of south bay businesses.

>> reporter: they fined 181 stores and restaurants over the thanksgiving weekend. the top violation not having signs explaining their capacity and social distancing protocols. many of the businesses located in malls in the south bay like santana road behind me, santana road but valley fair, east ridge mall, the stanford shopping center, gilroy. each violation ranges from 250 to nearly $4,000. many businesses said they fixed the problem within minutes but were out the hundreds if not thousands of dollars in fines. businesses were alerted that because of surging covid cases they would be skipping the warnings they've handed out the past eight months and instead finding them on sight. they said they were confused because the county approved their plans six months ago. over the weekend they were fined

$5,000 without warning. shoppers had mixed opinions. >> the fact of the matter is that i believe they should have had those signs to begin with. >> they're already taking precautions to stop the spread and the government knows about it, there's no point finding them. >> reporter: mayor sam liccardo is apologizing for breaking covid guidelines. he admits he spent thanksgiving with seven other family members from five different households. the mayor had warned the public not to gather. it reads in part i apologize for my decision by attending a thanksgiving meal with my family. reporting live here in san jose, bob redell, "today in the bay." >> bob, thank you. a leiv look for you on capitol hill where many long months congress edging closer to a deal.

as "today in the bay's" tracie potts reports from washington, a growing urgency ahead of a major deadline. >> reporter: president-elect biden speaks to small businesses today. he's pushing congress to act quickly on coronavirus relief. >> as we battle the covid-19 disease we have to make sure that business and workers have the tools, resources and guidance and the health and safety to move ahead safely. >> reporter: urgency is building on capitol hill. >> because the needs of people are desperate, desperate, desperate. >> reporter: house speaker nancy pelosi and treasury secretary steven mnuchin are talking again. >> these small businesses can't wait two or three months. >> reporter: democrats and republicans are pitching a $908 billion compromise. >> this is not a $1.8 trillion stimulus bill this is a relief measure, half that amount.

>> reporter: mitch mcconnell is focusing on what he thinks president trump will support. >> the way to make a law for sure is to know you have a presidential signature. >> reporter: the federal reserve chair telling congress businesses need more than loans. >> what they need is fiscal policy, a grant to get them through the last bit of the pandemic rather than borrowing more. >> reporter: complicating things, talk of attaching covid relief to a funding bill due in just over a week. attorney general william barr tells the associated press he saw no evidence of widespread election fraud, this amid reports that president trump is considering a 2024 presidential election kickoff rally instead of attending inauguration. tracie potts, nbc news. switching gears, smoke may

fill the skies in the north bay, but in this case it's meant to reduce fire danger. they are work to go do seven control burns between novato and mill valley. the first control burn will happen today. no sign of precipitation, kari? >> no sign of it anywhere. our chances are lowered of seeing a wildfire danger where visibility is down to a quarter of a mile. some dense fog moving through there. just chilly temperatures and we're starting out with some 30s here in the tri-valley. we'll see our high temperatures for today reaching into the mid-60s. mike, how is it looking for the

commute around the bay? kari, the speeds are just fine. you talk about a little fog in the north bay. just that note again. we'll look at the map. overall looking on the left-hand side. we do have that closure of skyline boulevard. highway 35 just south of 92 all the way down to quail court and for those of how have to access you'll use woodside road. the reason it's closed, there was a body found on the roadside. the distraction slowing west 92 for the time being. the backup that formed after the metering lights were turned on 20 minutes ago. back to you. thank you, mike. sad news coming out of the happiest place on earth. next, just how many californians disneyland will furlough over the next few months as the pandemic closure continues. plus -- a major stock market considers requiring companies that list women on its board.

out to the futures, the stock market set records yesterday. a bit of money coming off the table on this wednesday morning. you're watching "today in the bay."

right now at 6:13 as we look at the sun rising in the south bay, starting out cold and no fog. we're starting out at 39 degrees

and a slow warm-up through late morning. we'll take a look at more dry weather in our forecast and what other concerns we have coming up in a few minutes. cool, cold, but not windy right here. the flag is still but the traffic is moving. this is 880 around the warren exit, just a bit to the south around dixon landing. i'm checking out an incident that may affect folks driving into the area. lots of commuters may be heading to work at des la. that coming up. good morning. a very happy wednesday to you as well. the nasdaq stock market is planning a major rule change that would force companies who want to list on the nasdaq to put women and minorities on their boards of directors. the state of california already requires this for companies based in california. the stock market would have to get permission from the securities and exchange commission first. speaking of stocks, new records as the s&p 500 hit all-time

highs. futures call for money to come off the table this morning. salesforce is buying the business communications company slack for nearly $28 billion. some trivia for you though i guess not so trivial for a guy who made billions, stewart butterfield, the creator of slack, is also the co-creator of the photo website flickr. as a young boy he lived in a log cabin in canada without electricity or running water. there are all kinds of things coming out of washington including a bribery investigation and even death threats. we'll talk more about that as we talk politics in half an hour. startling news out of white house this morning, the president says he'll photo the national defense authorization act unless the rules are changed for twitter and facebook and youtube. the rule is known as section 230. the president says he'll veto the defense bill unless congress removes the legal protections

from the websites that give them immunity for what people post. he posted that to twitter last night. the defense authorization act sets funding for army, navy, air force and marines. funding levels. a different bill actually provides the actual money. now section 230 protects companies like twitter if you say something, for instance, slanderous about somebody else. they can sue you because you said it but not twitter. the president believes it allows companies to censure his posts. speaking of shopping, the numbers coming in from black friday disappointing to retailers who say consumers spent less money than last year. it could be good news. low-cost tvs are great but

bringing coronavirus back to your family not so great. johns hopkins publishes daily death rates. 6,394 americans have died since the stores opened their doors black friday. stores aren't necessarily to blame. >> i'll just wait for the tv. disneyland still stuck in limbo. over the next few months disney planned to furlough an additional 1,800 more of its employees. this is after laying off more than 20,000 in september. the theme park rides are still closed for the foreseeable future. the salesforce ceo expected to deliver the keynote address as part of the dreamforce event.

this is video, of course, of last year's event when they could gather together. this year all virtual. among those joining ceo mark benoff today, rhode island governor and the ceo of at&t and bentley motors as well. salesforce is also trying to give back to the community donating $5 million to various causes including $2 million to help small san francisco businesses that just won't see the foot traction that the sales force conference always gets when it visits san francisco. >> absolutely. trending for you this morning the queen of christmas is sucking up to santa with some new sweet treats coming just in time for the holidays. ♪ all i want for christmas is you ♪ well, there you have it, mariah carey is getting into the cookie business partnering with dining concept to sell mariah's cookies.

flavors will include chocolate chunk, lemon cooler and spice oatmeal raisin. it will launch on friday which is also national cookie day just in case you didn't know. >> yay. >> saturday needs to be national workout day. because i can't eat just one. i'm telling you now. >> who can? these days it brings some comfort especially on these cold mornings having a nice cup of something warm. very comforting. >> i wonder if those cookies would go well with some coffee because that's definitely what you need this morning to help warm you up. we're not seeing any fog right now but i've been watching the fog drifting around parts of the north bay. if you're in the east bay check out pittsburg if you're going out to the park for an early morning walk or the playground. expect it to be cool. then it starts to feel a little bit better as we head to the

upper 50s and low 60s for today. hiking starting out with low temperatures. 40s at 8:00. notice how much we warm up by noon. we're at 59 degrees and eventually will make it into the mid-60s again today. we will see some more clouds in the mix. looking at temperatures that will reach into the mid-60s for today. santa rosa 67 degrees and 63 today in palo alto. along the coastline half moon bay in the upper 50s. we're also watching half moon bay, ocean beach, all of us especially west/northwest facing beaches because there will be high breakers and winds gusting off the coast. we could see some of those breakers up to about 18 feet. so never turn your back to the water. watch everyone around you along the coastline. we've seen the systems weakening

as they approach in terms of rain. winds out of that so that, of course, raises the concern that we could see wildfire conditions. temperatures reaching into the 60s for the bay area as well as san francisco. low 60s into at least early next week. mike, you've been watching the commute. any new problems popping up? >> i found details on what was going on off the nimitz into the milpitas area. it's fremont. let's look at the map. there's an issue for a signal on dixon landing road. it's not far from our camera. that will affect surface street traffic. keep that in mind. you may be in a rush for the morning. you can keep to your schedule just fine. a smooth drive, the continued closure for highway 35.

let's show you traffic volume. a half hour now. back to you. >> thanks, mike. 6:21 this morning for you. up next, when the 49ers plan to hit the road and whether they'll even be back in santa clara at all this season. and another metal monolith found after one was discovered in utah. the story behind the latest finding and where. you're watching "today in the bay." for this multitasking, number-cruncher, time is money.

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pretty sure all the bags are packed this morning and we're guessing it's a lot of bags. the 49ers leave town for what may be a season ending stay in arizona. this much we know, the niners will play their next two home games there as well as practice due to the ban on contact sports. as for the last game of the season against seattle, it is still scheduled for levi's. we're guessing even that may change. we'll of course keep you posted. no sign of a letup just yet for the baltimore ravens. a league source tells mike florio yet another player tested positive yesterday. it's a rookie reserve geno stone. the game has been rescheduled three times since thanksgiving. today's scheduled game airs at

12:30 here on nbc bay area. it's a mystery spreading all over social media. another monolith popped up in romania. investigators have no idea how it got there. it appeared first on friday. police officers say that investigators are looking into this because that metal pillar was illegally installed at a protected archaeological site. many on social media are wondering if the monolith could have other connections. back to our breaking news. the uk approving a covid-19 vaccine overnight. all the details coming up. plus, butt out. san francisco is going more smoke free than ever before. we'll talk about the new restrictions for smokers that may have them rethinking where they live. and back ontr k, when muni

says light rail trains will start running through the streets of san francisco again after months of sitting idle. you're watching "today in the bay."

breaking right now at 6:30. the united kingdom taking a giant leap forward and getting its people vaccinated. the first western country to approve covid-19 vaccine. how soon people will get

vaccinated plus new for you the cdc is cutting down its quarantine requirements. and a good wednesday morning. i'm marcus washington. >> and i'm laura garcia. mike and a look at that morning commute in a moment. first kari with a look at our forecast for today. >> as the sun rises we're starting out cold again this morning. and compare this to yesterday and the scenes in the south bay where it was so foggy. this morning it's clear and we're going to warm up as we look at tomorrow and staying dry into the weekend. these cold mornings and mild afternoons. this is what you'll feel as you head out the door, freezing in napa and i'm watching some fog. we may see that depositing ice on the roadways. mike, how is it looking for the

commute? we have all these cameras in the bay and lots of cars. on the map the red and metering lights and smaller crash through contra costa county moves smoothly. lighter volume overall getting in towards the bay. talk about why the sheriff's department there from the south. the rest of the bay moves relatively smoothly. back to you. breaking news, the pfizer vaccine got approval. in about five days health care workers will be the first in the world to get vaccinated against coronavirus. >> live at how close the u.s. is to getting an approved vaccination, kris? >> reporter: hi there, laura,

this is all happening fast and while we were sleeping we know that health care workers in the uk may get their vaccinations against covid-19 as early as monday and a week from tomorrow the fda will consider granting the same sort of emergency approval to that same pfizer vaccine here in the u.s. there are 800,000 to provide health care workers and staff and residents over the age of 80 who have the highest mortality rate. the clinical trials were 95% effective and safe across all age groups in those trials. >> the safety of the vaccine is similar to other vaccines. and usualthe side effects last about a day or so.

>> reporter: health care workers including the ones who work in long-term care facilities along with residents of those facilities, too. there are about 24 million of those folks here in the u.s. between the health care workers and the residents. the estimate is that we'll get about 20 million doses of the vaccine by the end of the year which will cover half of those folks because they require two separate doses. health care workers with direct patient contact will be at the very front. while the fda considers emergency approval for the pfizer and moderna vaccine, some exciting news out of johnson and johnson and also the astrazeneca vaccine because they don't require the special refrigeration and only take one dose for maximum effectiveness. so that could be the one that the masses get. so the cdc has new

quarantine guidelines out. talk about that. >> reporter: this is really exciting news for essential workers, for people who have to work outside of their home. the cdc may shorten the quarantine time from 14 days to 10 days. they're not saying the coronavirus isn't still contagious but that most people seem to get sick within four or five days of exposure. right now people need to get to work. >> thanks so much, kris. infections explode across the state with an additional 12,000-plus new cases just yesterday bringing our total to more than 1.2 million confirmed cases. right now the positivity rate stands at 6.5%, up from 4.8% just two weeks ago. take a look at the number of

patients that's steadily increasing. you take a look over at november 30th, 288 patients and the number has tripled this month in san francisco. on november 3rd and then on the 29th, 91. from vaccine news to covid restrictions you can head over to our website to get the very latest. click on the coronavirus updates towards the top of our page. developing now in son mateo. possible foul play in death of a man in redwood city. authorities found the man's body along the side of the road. it may have been there for some

time. as mike inouye tells us skyline should be closed through at least noon today. a man recovering from burns after a fire ripped through his home last night. about two blocks from stony point road. firefighters arrived to find a man outside. sadly a small dog trapped inside the home didn't make it. time is running out for smokers who live in san francisco in apartment buildings. a ban on all indoor tobacco smoking. cannabis, however, will still be april loud. the ordinance should be city law after the second vote and a signature from mayor london breed. san francisco becomes the largest of several dozen cities with similar covid -- or similar second-hand smoke bans. san francisco's muni is about to get some of its light rail service back on track.

aboveground trains will gradually restart later this month after being halted nine months ago. jay church service to balboa park will restart december 19th. the t third line will return and the line will return aboveground in february. 6:37. top bay area mayors under fire. coming up for you the fallout continues from mayors london breed and sam liccardo's questionable dining out during the pandemic. more of that plus -- >> reporter: and as cases continue to rise in san francisco, could tighter restrictions be on the way? we hear from mayor london breed up next. president trump says a story that claims he's looking for pardons for his family are not true. let's take you out to the big board this morning. money coming off the table as the senate says no to the latest

coronavirus stimulus bill. you're watching "today in the bay."

right now at 6:40 as we start out this morning, we've seen some light, patchy fog. right now visibility lowering around santa rosa. we are seeing some fog moving by there but mostly clear elsewhere. we'll talk about what's ahead in the forecast coming up. and we just have reports of a disabled big rig right around

the toll plaza for the metering lights. i just saw things move better here. let's look at the incline. if it's on the incline things will be really backed up but moving very smoothly here. looks like things got to the shoulder but we'll track it. it's 6:41. a live look at san francisco. it may be poised to become the latest bay area city to tighten its covid restrictions like santa clara county recently did. "today in the bay's" cierra johnson live in san francisco with a look at that. >> mayor london breed attended a dinner which is raising a lot of eyebrows, cierra? >> reporter: yes, exactly. mayor london breed has made it clear that cases in san francisco are rising. but that comes after she made some headlines after being seen at that restaurant. the mention of tighter restrictions comes after being

seen at the french laundry restaurant just days after governor gavin newsom was seen there. what restrictions could look like, not specifically but the mayor mentioned l.a. county and their decision to shut down outdoor dining explaining that move is not completely off the table. take a listen. >> many restaurants who, of course, are naturally concerned as we see a spike and places like l.a. county close outdoor dining entirely. so i want to be clear that, unfortunately, we can't rule it out. >> reporter: and mayor breed's statement comes days after santa clara county announced they would enforce a quarantine for those traveling more than 150 miles. we have sought clarification into the specifics of that decision, but we have not received any word back from the santa clara county health department.

right now it's unclear what the tighter restrictions could look like here in san francisco or specifically how we're going to enforce some of those restrictions in santa clara county. the cases are continuing to rise so it's best to stay where you are and protect yourself and your family. cierra johnson for "today in the bay." >> i know you just talked about santa clara county. we have been asking them to explain this travel quarantine requirement. where do we actually stand with that this morning? >> reporter: some of the confusion comes in when we're talking about how we're getting around to these destinations. the marker is 150 miles so 150 miles would be a drive to tahoe, it would be a little further, from santa clara airport. but a flight would be less than 140 miles. we've been reaching out. haven't heard back. this does not include government

workers and essential health care workers. there's still gray area. >> we'll be waiting for an answer. thank you, cierra. at 6:43 the mayor of the bay area's largest city is apologizing for breaking covid guidelines. san jose mayor sam liccardo admits he spent thanksgiving with seven other family members from five different households. the mayor warned the public not to gather. the mayor's apology comes after first reported on the mayor's family get-together that appeared to break protocol. he and his extended family did get together outdoors in his parents' ks when they weren't eating. "the new york times" says president trump is considering blanket pardons for his family. >> scott mcgrew, a lot going on

there at the white house. i cannot recall the last time there was so much stunning news. you have the pardons, an investigation into bribery. republicans are warning the president his claims of fraud could get someone killed, and the president says he may not sign the defense authorization act unless congress changes the rules for facebook and twitter. a lot to get to. "the new york times" reports president trump talked to h advisers about blanket pardons for his children and for jared kushner and rudy giuliani. president trump says that report is false. we do know donald trump jr. was named in robert mueller's investigation. you remember the younger trump met with russians who promised dirt on hillary clinton. mueller did not list any crimes. jared kushner failed to disclose

contact with foreigners including russians on his security clearance forms, not once but several times to the point where intelligence agencies say he should not have top secret clearance but the president overrode them. for the president recall robert mueller said more than once prosecutors could not prosecute a sitting president. ken buck asked mueller twice in these hearings could you charge the president after he leaves office? yes, mueller answered, twice he said yes. the president said so many times the mueller investigation cleared him, exonerated him, that mueller had to come back and hold a special press conference and say no it didn't. a bribery for pardon scheme involving a person who made an offer of a political donation in exchange for a presidential pardon. the names of the individuals are

not apparent and president trump is not named. christopher krebs was on the "today" show yesterday morning, a day after a member of president trump's legal team and said krebs should be taken out and shot. he was fired after he said the 2020 election was the most secure in american history. he told the "today" show he may take legal action. officials in georgia say they're getting death threats after certifying the vote for joe biden. a trump supporter appealed to the president to put a stop to it. >> you need to stop inspiring people to commit potential acts of violence. someone can get hurt, shot, someone is going to get killed, and it's not right. >> president trump said he would veto the defense authorization act unless congress changed the rule for internet companies 230,

part of the communications decency act. we're talking about that on twitter and i welcome you to join us there. you'll find me on twitter and other social media @scottmcgrew. a bay area family will be on "the kelly clarkson show." >> they built a scaled down version matter horn. >> that's real. it looks like so much fun. it even has the yeti monster. that's part of the ride. what's up, guys? >> talk about time on your hands. they live in napa valley and now have a taste of disney in their own backyard. they built this during the pandemic and even got kelly attention. her show today is preempted by a football game.

hopefully you'll be able to see it air soon. now that would be the neighbors i needed growing up. >> no kidding. you always want the neighbors with the pool. that's pretty cool, too. maybe the hot tub. that might be better for us, right, kari? >> i think so. something that will help keep us warm. a live look outside in the tri-valley. starting out with some sunshine. we've had some spots starting out below freezing and we will see mostly 30s as you get ready to head out the door. after the chilly start we'll make it into the 60s for today. reaching up to 64 degrees in martinez as well as napa and san jose looking at a high of 64 and oakland today reaching 63

degrees. nice to get milder weather after a cold start. as they move in the rain once again still drying out. lookingality higher winds but we haven't seen any rain and none headed our way through the beginning or end of next week. how are the reservoirs doing at this point? we've seen them dipping. we're seeing them at about 82% of capacity based on the historical average. we've seen our reservoirs in the 20% to 30% range. overall we're looking good and we need the rain as we are looking at extreme drought conditions. we're not going to see any of that as we go into the weekend as well as early next week.

we'll still have these cold mornings dipping into the 30s in the inland valleys. mike, you've been watching the commute. anything new popping up? >> a nice look at that scene. you can see the track moving better over the last ten minutes. things stopped for just a couple. they did clear from the incline and may have slowed the metering lights down for a couple of minutes to help the bridge clear and now a smooth drive to and from the toll plaza. watch b.a.r.t. there may be a delay there. i'll track it and let you know if there's anything big.

the volume of traffic despite a little slowing to foster city no problems. oakland is the latest to ban natural gas and all new construction. mayor libby schaaf tweeted the news. oakland is the 40th city in the state to do so. san jose widens its natural gas ban to include all new construction not just low-rise buildings. up next a quick look at our top stories including breaking vaccine news. up next a report from london as the uk becomes the first western nation to approve a covid vaccine. how soon people there can get it all coming up. you're watching "today in the bay." in a land not so far away. people are saving hundreds

on the most reliable network with xfinity mobile. they can choose from the latest phones or bring their own. and choose the data option that's right for them. they even get nationwide 5g at no extra cost. and since they are on the carrier rated #1 in customer satisfation, they live happily ever after. again, again! xfinity mobile. your wireless. your rules. your way to stay closer together. click, call, or visit an xfinity store today. welcome back. here's a quick look at our top stories this morning. >> we begin with the united kingdom approving a covid-19 vaccine overnight. here is richard engel from

london. >> reporter: this is a momentous day here in the uk and for many around the world. the british government announced that it is going to allow the pfizer vaccine to be given on a massive scale to the general public starting with elderly homes and people who care for them, the most vulnerable. this rollout will be extended to millions of people here in the uk could start as soon as next week. i spoke to the inventor of the pfizer vaccine and he says, and he was being cautious, he believes this is the start of the end of the pandemic. that it's going to take months before the numbers really start to go down, and we put this pandemic behind us, but it starts with today, the first western country allowing the general public to get a coronavirus vaccine and get it soon. we'll have that story coming up on the "today" show. back to you in the bay area. >> thanks so much. a live look at san francisco and san jose.

san jose already has some of the tightest covid restrictions anywhere. and more restrictions may be coming to san francisco as soon as today. as we've been reporting the news comes as the mayors of both cities face questions over attending recent gatherings. "today in the bay's" bob redell joins us where questions are also being asked by businesses that were recently fined by the county. bob? >> reporter: good morning to you, laura. over the thanksgiving holiday weekend santa clara county fined 181 stores and restaurants for violations of the covid-19 rules. the top violation not having signs up explaining protocols for capacity and social distancing. many of the businesses located in malls here in the south bay like santana row behind me. take a look at your tv screen. other businesses were located valley fair, oakridge and eastridge malls. many businesses told our own ian cull they fixed their problems

within minutes but were out the hundreds if not thousands of dollars in fines. santa clara county alerted businesses last week that because of the surge in cases they would be skipping the warnings they've handed out the past eight months and finding them on sight. bob redell, "today in the bay." the 49ers officially leave town today for what may even become a season-ending stay in arizona. we know the niners will play their next two games, home games, there and practice as well. this is all due to covid restrictions from santa clara county and no contact sports. the last home game against seattle is still up in the air and despite at least a dozen recent covid tests and the game rescheduled three times since thanksgiving today's scheduled game between baltimore and pittsburg is still a go. it airs at 12:30 here on nbc bay area. this is following a special midday newscast.

all right. time to get one last check of traffic and weather together. let's start out with kari. yeah, we're starting out with some mostly clear skies, some light, patchy fog in the north bay but clearing out for sunshine for most of the day. temperatures in the mid-60s and our weather stays on repeat into early next week. mike, how is it looking right now for the commute? kari, we have two big backups. one is the bay bridge toll plaza and here at the san rafael bridge. this just started building over the last 15 minutes. no surprises as we get back to the shot in the traffic center, we do have traffic but really just focused on those two toll plazas. thank you very much. that's going to do it for us. >> thanks so much for making us a part of your morning with "today in the bay." the "today" show is next for you. and we're taking a live look out into san francisco. a foggy start to the morning but, hey, don't let that stop your vision of excellence today.

it's wednesday. go out there and make the best of it. we'll see you back here tomorrow morning. good morning. breaking overnight, first to the finish. the united kingdom grants emergency approval to the pfizer vaccine overnight that is set to begin next week. approval for the vaccine here in the u.s. as the cdc issues its data for who should get immunized first as cases soar and hospitalizations hit never-before-seen highs.