several stop signs until the bus eventually stopped near santa clara university due to a mechanical problem. officials at the scene say clemson ran, but was arrested shortly thereafter. right now at 6:00, the day has arrived for bay area's largest counties to reopen indoor dining, gyms and even movie theaters. and it's a lifeline for many struggling small businesses and their workers, the easing of restrictions comes as states like texas are ending covid restrictions, including the mask mandate. this morning, how much is too much reopening? what the cdc is saying, coming up. so what about travel? will you still need to quarantine? up next we have the latest on travel rules in case you're and of course everything now k depends on when you can even get vaccinated. president biden making a lot of buzz, saying all americans will get their shot by the end of may.

the third hour of "today in the bay" continues right now. it's wednesday morning. thanks so much for joining us. i'm laura garcia. >> and i'm marcus washington. a check of your forecast and commute coming up in a bit. first our team of reporters from the bay area to washington and all things covid including today's reopening. the business news out of texas and vaccines, tracie potts is tracking that for us this morning. tracie? >> marcus, good morning. the big news out of washington is that you might be able to get that vaccine sooner than july, which is when the biden administration promised, but now they're early-ing up that deadline after speeding up production. >> based on the news that you announced -- >> president biden announce the

u.s. will have enough vaccine for every adult two months ahead of schedule. >> by the end of may, that's progress. morning important. >> reporter: he's using the defense production act to get johnson & johnson to produce more vaccine and asking states to guarantee at least one shot to every educator by the end of this month. >> the more people who get vaccinated, the faster we're going to overcome this virus. >> reporter: today, congress begins debating $1,400 direct payments and other parts of the president's $1.9 trillion relief plan. >> there are those who will continue to say that what we're doing now is too big and too bold, i would remind them that our nation is at its best when we do big things. >> democrats have taken the framework of the covid relief bill and added a range of liberal priorities that have absolutely nothing to do with covid-19. >> reporter: an initial vote is scheduled for later today. and also the cdc this week in

fact tomorrow is sending out new guidelines for the 25 million people who have already been fully vaccinated. >> as well, tracie, president biden is holding a meeting today on another topic, that is very near and dear to his family, tell us about this legislation. >> he wants a cure for cancer. remember the moon shot when he was vice president, he's trying it again and even that still has hundreds of research projects with it, but now he's remembering of course his son beau biden who died of brain cancer. vice president kamala harris in this bipartisan meeting today about legislation, her mother was a cancer researcher, and also died of colon cancer. they're trying to make some serious headway with the research and what this bipartisan meeting is about today. >> all right,too, so very timely.

everyone should get screened. thanks, tracie. 6:03. we have breaking news from overseas to tell you about this morning. nbc news confirming ten rockets were fired at an iraqi military base that holds u.s.-led coalition troops. it all happened about 8:20 pacific time last night. no deaths or damage is being reported. the violence comes as pope francis is set to visit the country on friday in the first ever papal visit to iraq. san francisco, napa and santa clara counties are moving from the purple tier to that less restrictive red tier and that means many among them things back to indoor dining. "today in the bay's" cierra johnson is live in san francisco to explain what changes you can actually see to those businesses in your own neighborhoods. cierra? >> reporter: yes, good morning, marcus. it's really been a roller coast of a ride over the last 11 months with openings and closings and changing of restrictions but today is the

day when those business owners wake up, they'll be able to open their business with fewer restrictions, one of those plow here won't have to rely on outdoor dining. they can welcome diners inside this after many months. what else can you expect to see when you visit your favorite neighborhood business? as i mentioned, restaurants, 25% or 100 people, whichever is fewer, in terms of capacity. gyms and fitness centers can welcome folks at 10% capacity. movie theaters 25% or 100 people, whichever is fewer and the museums, zoos and aquariums can welcome back visitors at 25%. mayor london breed held a prose conference tuesday revealing the reopening of a few other attractions, including outdoor recreation items that we haven't previously seen, including ferris wheels, carousels and amusement stark style trains. a dozen more counties are expected to move into that less

restrictive tier next week as well. we had a chance to catch up with some restaurant owners and restaurant employees here in san francisco, who say this move of tiers is a huge step, with one employee saying the reopening process under way as well as that vaccine availability things are really looking up for the restaurant industry. >> we're really optimistic, because all the signs are pointing in a good direction. >> reporter: it is important to note that that move from the purple tier, the less restrictive red tier is a big deal for schools as well. legally five days after a county moves to the red tier, schools are allowed to resume that in-person learning so that's another facet of the story we'll be following in the coming days, on air and online for you. businesses like this one, plow here in san francisco will be able to have guests inside and outside, a big move forward financially for some of the business owner. we're live in san francisco, cierra johnson for "today in the bay." >> that's one of my favorite

places to get brunch and small place, i can imagine the line will be extra long for those trying to get inside. thanks, cierra. along with indoor reopening, santa clara county also lifting its mandatory travel quarantine effective today. people who live and work can travel anywhere in the state and won't have to stay at home for ten days upon return. state guidelines recommend quarantining if you do travel. california allows counties to slowly reopen, you heard what is going on in texas? some going full throttle ditching mask mandates and guidelines for businesses. really opening things up. "today in the bay's" kris sanchez joins us live from san jose with a look at the big contrast. kris? >> reporter: it is a very big contrast. five bay area counties eased slowly into the less restrictive red tier in the last week and

santa clara county eased the mask mandate only outdoors and keeping social distance, a complete contrast of what's happening in texas and three other states. eliminated restrictions on indoor dining and bars saying they could open 100%, counter to what the head of the cdc is saying we should be doing right now new more contagious covid variants circulating. the texas governor taking it a step further eliminating that mask mandate for all entiies which believe it or not includes schools. my sister is a teacher in austin and it will be up to her district, not the public health officer, whether she and her students wear masks. >> personal vigilance, to follow the safe standards, is still needed to contain covid. it's just that now state mandates are no longer needed. >> now is not the time to relax the critical safeguards that can

stop the spread of covid-19 in our communities. >> reporter: new covid cases in the u.s. dropped 70% over the past two months from an average of nearly a quarter million new infections a day. average deaths per day dropped about 40% since the start of the year, but in the last few days both declines leveled out abruptly and started to tick up. even with the progress on the vaccine front the cdc says that we are very far away from that herd immunity that would protect us all even if we're not vaccinated. the advice is still to double mask against those covid variants that are more contagious if you cannot keep your social distance. in san jose, kris sanchez, "today in the bay." >> good advice. have to keep up the habits. thanks so much, kris. staying with reopenings as well the towering ferris wheel

is scheduled to open this week. it was only open for a couple of weeks before the shutdown brought it all to a stop. it will reopen at noon tomorrow, thanks to san francisco's new red tier status that we've been telling but. san francisco's historic preservation commission they're talking today whether to allow the wheel to continue operating in the park until march of 2025. a lot of people didn't get to enjoy it so they want to extend it. staying with san francisco this morning a live look at the golden gate bridge so iconic. i've been on this newscast for 21 years and i still never get tired of that shot. some beautiful ones, and beautiful days in the bay area that we've been having, but some rain off in the forecast, kari? >> >> starting this weekend we'll get a chance of showers but in the near term we had clouds. no rain just yet but we'll see sunshine return for this afternoon. let's go through this forecast,

for home school recess in antioch, getting out in the backyard we start out this morning with temperatures in the 50s, at 9:00 we're at 55 and the trend is going up back into the mid to upper 60s today, reaching 68 degrees at 2:00, and across the bay area, still very comfortable, some slightly warmer than normal temperatures, but we've seen these nice and warm days from the past few days, but once again, we have some changes ahead. we'll talk more about that, when you could see some rain coming up, in a few minutes. mike, what's going on right now the commute? >> kari, more breaking news but the kind we like to hear, we have a clearing for westbound 80 over here at cherry glen, the last of the big rigs that were wedged together has been cleared. big backup on cherry glen and peabody to or from i-80. i-80 is open through vacaville. we saw the sensors change live on the air. that means traffic is let loose toward highway 37. the carquinez bridge eventually

headed toward the bay bridge there's another crash on highway 4 i will check out and let you know if it's a big deal. peninsula great recovery from earlier crash in san carlos and a typical build on this map. back to you. >> thank you, mike. 6:11. this is interesting, more women are losing their jobs than men during the pandemic. up next, how women in one of the hardest-hit industries are actually banning together to just make it all work. we've got wednesday morning inspiration for you next. plus -- >> the director of the fbi says the terror is moving at the speed of the social network. let's take you out to the futures this morning, a slight rise but not much as bonds continue to look more attractive. vaccine, vaccine, vaccine ♪ >> we need a dose of dolly this morning. she gets a dose of covid vaccine, yes, and that is not the only dolly news we have for you this morning, as she sings

"vaccine" i'm going to sing -- ♪ jolene, jolene ♪ i'm just going to stop.

good wednesday morning. right now at 6:15, let's get a live look outside in the tri-valley, as you head out the door, a lot of cars out there on 580, and we're waking up to some clouds gradually the clouds will

clear out, and temperatures will warm up today. we are getting ready for some rain in the forecast, details on that coming up in a few minutes. >> kari, could you say a lot of cars? bay bridge toll plaza we have a lot of wait. metering lights turned on as they cleared that crash, the alert in vacaville, expecting all these folks on west 80, through berkeley, richmond. we'll track up. good morning. very good wednesday to you as well. the head of the fbi says social networking definitely contributed to the violence at the nation's capitol two months ago. fbi director christopher wray told the senate judiciary committee "terrorism moves at the speed of the social network." but warned as more companies move towards encrypted messaging the fbi is going to have more trouble tracking extremists and terrorists.

>> if we don't come up collectively with a solution it's not going to matter how bullet proof the legal process or how horrific the crime is or how heartbreaking the victims are, we will not be able to get access to the content and evidence we need to protect the american people. other news the stock market may not have many gains today. we got information on private payrolls, they were not good numbers. lyft seeing early returns to normal. it gave rides to more people ever last week since the pandemic began. rocket mortgagest the latest stock to get the reddit estimate. it's been shorted by a lot of investors, expecting interest rates to rise so other investors notably those on reddit's wall street bets are bidding that company higher. rocket mortgage in fact, it had its best day yesterday since its ipo. and the consulting firm pwc,

used to be known as price waterhouse cooper says the pandemic has set women back in the workforce more than any other group. the study is part of women's history week says companies have to work twice as hard to hire women after the pandemic is over in order to close that employment gap. now as marcus and laura we've seen with our own family and friends, women tend to be the ones who take over home schooling and also much more likely sto statistically in the service industry which was hardest hit by the pandemic. >> thank you, scott. competitors turned in to collaborators, a group of women restauranteures becoming a powerful force during the pandemic. >> this started with one chicago woman reaching out to other restaurant owners to find creative ways to keep others afloat during the pandemic. they created a group, it's

called let's talk network which has more than 350 members from all across the nation. you can watch them on the "today" show to hear about the group and how you can help female-owned businesses and restaurants right after "today in the bay." trending this morning dolly parton taking her first step in getting vaccinated against covid-19. yesterday she got the first dose of moderna's vaccine and being dolly, she has some advice for anyone who might still be on the fence about getting injected. ♪ vaccine, vaccine, vaccine, vaccine ♪ ♪ i'm begging of you, please don't hesitate ♪ >> dolly of course parroting her iconic song, "jolene." last year the talentedent taper donated $1 million to coronavirus research for the development of the moderna vaccine. she says the injection is like "getting a taste of her own

medicine." we can't help but play a little 9:00 to 5:00 pop for you this morning. ♪ it's enough to drive you crazy if you let it ♪ ♪ 9:00 to 5:00 ♪ >> just doesn't get old. her song "9:00 to 5:00" on the billboard charts number one 40 years ago last week. it gets you going still. >> yes, that beat? >> yes. i'm going to do my hair like that bass player. mice feathered look there for my hair. >> that's right. the bigger the hair. >> that's what they say. >> let's check the forecast with kari this morning. how are we looking? >> it looks great for today. although we are seeing some clouds rolling in, and it's all thanks to some rain headed toward southern california and nice to see that rain heading there, but we're going to miss

out on this chance, starting out with clouds from that system and then as we go into today making plans to head out to the park, let's check out american canyon's forecast starting out in the low 50s and then seeing those temperatures go up for today. we'll reach up to about 65 degrees at 2:00, and notice it won't be all clear and sunny all day. we will see some clouds at times, but we are awaiting some much needed rain. it starts on saturday. most likely very early in the morning, in fact in parts of the north bay, it may be more like friday night into early saturday morning, and this shouldn't really affect too many of your outdoor plans for saturday afternoon. by then it's clearing out. sunday is dry and we'll see a couple more storm systems behind that to bring us some more rain for the first part of next week. looking at how much rain some of our computer models are putting down now, the highest rainfall totals in the north bay about three-quarters of an inch, first round san francisco to the east

bay on southward, about a half inch of rain or less and then when we get the second and third rounds of rain in all we could see over an inch of rain across the bay area. so that is definitely a plus, and a little bit higher than what some are showing, so hopefully it continues to go up. of course we don't want it all at once. and then looking at the sierra and how much snow we could see over the next week, also great to see some snow in the forecast, most spots getting about a foot or more possibly reaching 19 inches of snow at a lot of our resorts over the next week. we do still have some dry weather for the next couple of days, but once again, that rain gets going on saturday, and we could see some more chances into early next week. mike, you've been watching some breaking news this morning. how is it going right now? >> still positive change, overall kari. the traffic alert cleared from the peninsula in san carlos and looking at the live shot the bay

bridge toll plaza west 80 in vacaville, the crash cleared and quickly moving better toward fair sxwrn field and eventually i-80 will reach here. the bay bridge toll plaza where the metering lights are on. as we look at the live shot over on the right there's flashing lights off to the shoulder, not affecting folks leaving the bay bridge and still just about 20 minutes from the carquinez bridge down to the scene we just showed you. highway 4 that crash did clear on port chicago highway, better news and on the map the only other incident is over there in hayward, just south of where it says oakland. the crash south 880 at "a" street should be on the shoulder. i'll monitor that. back to you. >> thanks, mike. coming up next, "nbc bay area responds." tax errors are not the end of the world. i'm consumer investigator chris chmura. we'll show you how to manage mistakes and ideally avoid them. next.

okay, stay with us here. all this week we're talking about taxes. the do's the don'ts and things that could slow down your refund. >> today consumer investigator chris chmura shows us how to steer clear of the common road block, tax return errors. >> we the taxpayers make lots of goofs on the 1040 form. the irs says it sent people 2,184,366 notices about math errors in 2019 alone. on top of that, gobs of people

slow down their refund botching their social security number, bank account number or forgetting to sign their return. >> the bottom line is errors do happen. it's no reason for panic. >> reporter: generally you get a letter requesting a correction. respond and you're good to go. turbo tax cpa lisa greene-lewis says two factors increase the likelihood you'll make a mistake, procrastinating and filing on paper. to avoid errors, first -- >> get started as soon as possible. >> use electronic filing or efile which many families can do for free. >> it's great to e-file with direct deposit. it's the quickest way to get your tax refund. >> if you spot an error after you filed it, download form 1040x it has three columns for your dollar figures, the original amount you sent in, the amount you're changing and the new hopefully correct total amount. >> thanks, chris. 6:27.

coming up next, the covid variant from the uk reported in another bay area county. we'll tell you where, next. and is it catching on? another local city now considering requiring large grocery stores to pay their workers more during the pandemic. you don't have to go far to see the struggles in spreading the covid-19 vaccine equally. up next, the peninsula city falling way behind its wealthy neighbors in vaccinations. you're watching "today in the bay." this is a no-nonsense message from three.

small business insurance is usually so complicated, you need to be a lawyer to understand it. that's why three was created. it's a better kind of business insurance. it's only three pages. straightforward. if you own it, three covers it. got a cheese slice for "spokesperson?" that's me. i don't even need to see what's happening behind me to know it's covered. (screaming) this commercial is now over. logo. three. no nonsense. just common sense. three.♪ ♪ ♪onsense. just common sense. easy tools on the chase mobile app. simplicity feels good. chase. make more of what's yours.

four, five, turn, kick. we got chased by these wild coyotes! they were following her because she had beef jerky in her pocket. (laughing) (trumpet playing) someone behind me, come on. pick that up, pick that up, right there, right there. as long as you keep making the internet an amazing place to be, we'll keep bringing you a faster, more secure, and more amazing internet. xfinity. the future of awesome.

right now at 6:30, vaccine shortages continue, this morning, one of the largest health care providers in california is canceling thousands of appointments and that may be just the beginning. "today in the bay" continues right now. good morning. thanks for joining us. ment i'm laura garcia. >> and i'm marcus washington. new overnight trying to figure out what led up to a death investigation in north bear oaks. this happened on fifth avenue near lefield road. pretty active scene there this morning. we did see our crews a body kafred tarp spoted along the street overnight. rereached out to san mateo county sheriffs office and questioning them at the scene. no confirmed details of what happened but we are continuing to ask the questions and we'll pass those along to you once we get them. thousands of people waking up to the news that their

covid-19 vaccination appointments were canceled. "today in the bay's" bob redell joins us live this morning. one major bay area health adviser is canceling tens of thousands of appointments. this is pretty concerning. >> good morning to you, laura. talking about sutter health says it's frankly running out of doses so as a result it's having to cancel 40,000 appointments over the next week across the system, and it may have to cancel 50,000 more due to an inconsistent supply from the state. all those appointments by the way are for the second round of shots for patients. we spoke with dave johnson, he got his first shot february 6th but his second dose this friday is canceled. sutter health said it will be rescheduled in seven to ten days. >> it's a real sorward to get over with. i understand we can wait a

while. no information, they had to cancel it, don't have the vaccines, they'll get in touch with us. >> sutter health a spokesperson points to the cdc's updated guidance which says the second shot may be extended up to six weeks after the initial dose but for many patients we're hoping to get the second shot. >> that is tough. so many people get excited, built up to finally get their appointment and it's canceled. thank you, bob. a more contagious strain of covid-19 detected in sonoma county. the infected person and their roommate are in isolation. the variant has been detected in

two uc berkeley students. leaders in san mateo county are commanding east palo alto have more access to covid-19 vaccines. state senator josh becker says only about 10% of the city has actually gotten the covid-19 vaccine where surrounding cities have about 20% of its residents vaccinated. there are no daily injection sites in east palo alto and that's what san mateo county board of supervisors president tells palo alto online. leaders are eyeing a new johnson & johnson vaccine to help vaccinate efforts. officials plan to hold a news conference on the vaccine disparity later today. happening today, farm workers will continue to roll up their sleeves and get a covid shot. the monterey mushrooms facility in morgan hill is open on wednesdays and sundays for workers to get that vaccine. the site opens between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. health leaders hope to vaccinate 1,000 farm workers today. buster farms in fresno plans on financishing vaccinating a thousand workers today. it started vakts nating at its facility south of me des toe.

san francisco may soon require large stores and pharmacies to give workers hazard pay. supervisors are considering a proposal that would pay those employees $5 more an hour. those workers would only qualify if they make under $35 an hour. this week, san mateo approved a similar ordinance. similar proposals have been adopted in oakland, berkeley and santa clara county. the ntsb is investigating the southern california crash that killed at least 13 people. the cause of this crash is still unknown. it happened early yesterday morning, near the california/mexico border in imperial county. a semitruck hauling gravel collided with a ford explorer. there were 25 people crammed inside that ford explorer when the crash happened, ages range from 15 to 53. officials say that is concerning. >> the vehicle is not meant for that many people. it's unfortunate that that number of people were put into that vehicle. >> investigators said that there

were no rear seats in that ford explorer. investigation of tiger woods rollover crash. the los angeles county sheriff's department executed a search warrant for the car's black box. sheriff deputies say it's part of their investigation and they do not consider it part of a criminal investigation. the department added there was no probable cause for woods to have his blood tested to see if he was under the influence at the time of that crash. a powerful new tribute to black women in the bay area fighting for social justice is expected to be completed today. it's a 2,000 square foot mural on the side of a home in west oakland showing women of the black panner it party. it's taken the artist nearly a month to finish. the homeowner says she wanted to create something that was permanent and celebrated black joy. speaking of oakland, let's stay there this morning and we take a live look outside, the sun arriving over the bay area, making way for another nice day, no doubt.

kari hall has been keeping track of that department for us. how are we looking? >> we are starting out with some clouds this morning and cool temperatures but we are in for some sunshine later today and some big changes ahead in our forecast especially for this weekend. so make sure you stick around for that. let's just get you ready for the morning. if you're about to head out for a walk or run, get in for the morning exercise in san rafael. temperatures in mid-40s over the next hour and warming up today with peeks of sunshine coming out from behind the clouds and getting ready for some rain this weekend. we'll talk more about that in a few minutes. mike issues for the morning commute? >> smaller issues. the bay bridge. toll plaza metering lights were turned on after the traffic accident was cleared in west 80. it's building and moving here as we look at the map, traffic

still moves pretty smoothly but a little more slowing down the east shore freeway, under 25 minutes from the carquinez bridge the backup, most of the slowing at the berkeley curve. at the top of the screen two more crashes in the backup that is clearing through vacaville in toward fairfield with more traffic expected down i-80 westbound, we'll monitor that. sbd 880 at "a" street a crash blocks one lane and over to the shoulder now and slowing through hayward and other side of the bay over here, just off the dumbarton bridge, west 84 right around facebook there's a crash reported near the signal so just a note for folks that can get congested starting about now as well. back to you. >> thank you very much. this is the question a lot of people are asking, when can children get a covid-19 vaccine? up next, we'll talk about vaccine trials that are going on in young people right now. plus -- biden white house its first major defeat inress.

let's take you out to the big news on private payrolls ahead of friday's jobs numbers. and let's take a trip to the moon. yes, a trip planned for 2023, and you, yes, you at home right now, you have a chance to get a ride. we're going to explain. it's not going to cost you anything. we'll be right back.

good wednesday morning. at 6:41, home school recess forecast in antioch great day for getting out in the backyard and getting some fresh air but we will have a cool start, feeling much milder this afternoon, even with peeks of sunshine. we'll talk about when clouds will bring some rain coming up in the forecast in a few minutes. >> and a reassuring look at palo alto. here's highway 101 on the peninsula. yesterday about 8:00 a.m. lasting all day, we had a shutdown in mountain view that did clear late last night so again highway 101 looks normal for your morning commute, now san jose to san francisco. we do have some breaking news that we are following from overseas at 6:42. nbc news confirming ten rockets were fired at an iraqi military base that holds u.s.-led coalition troops. it happened around 8:20 our time

last night. no deaths or damage is being reported. the violence comes as pope francis is set to visit the country on friday in the first ever papal visit to iraq. president biden's picked to run the office of management and budget is out. >> scott mcgrew you said it here on "today in the bay" that neera tanden would probably not make it through the nomination process. >> well, i thought, marcus, this was going to happen a lot faster than it ended up happening. tanden couldn't get enough democrats to support her. she didn't have the 50% she needed even with her own party controlling 50% of the senate. tanden as you may recall is well qualified for the job, but has a history of calling senators names on twitter. last night she told president biden she was a distraction and withdrew her name from consideration. i've shown you these op-ed headlines before. they do a good job showing the two schools of thought among democrats. some like the columnist karen tumulty writing "those concerned about tanden's incivility sure

didn't seem to mind the trump era's." others like matt lewis pointing out "if you want civility, you got to be civil. neera tanden's nomination has to do we fight for what we want being civil and following long-established rules or do what the other side did? in the case of the $15 an hour minimum wage, the senate parliamentarian says it cannot be passed under reconciliation but the democrats could break the rule, do it to them what they did to us they might say. here's congressman khanna talking to raj mathai. >> if you get the aca appeal as part of reconciliation, drilling is reconciliation, the minimum wage increase should be part of reconciliation. president biden announced there will be a vaccine available for every adult by the end of may. our kris sanchez has been

telling us about texas, how it's already pretending like the pandemic is over, despite the fact that 1,500 americans died just tuesday. that's like eight bowing 737s crashing in a single day, but texas and that idea that the pandemic is over may convince some people to doubt the need for a massive, new stimulus. >> the bottom line is, we need the american rescue plan now. now. there is light at the end of the tunnel. but we cannot let our guard down now or assure that victory is inevitable. we can't assume that. >> the head of the d.c. national guard will testify about at tack on the capitol today. we'll talk about that on twitter. find me there, i'm @scottmcgrew. >> thank you. as california allows counties to slowly open, texas and other states are going full throttle, ditching the mask mandates and guidelines for businesses. the governor of texas saying that the state is now open 100%.

>> texas isn't alone in ending those restrictions. "today in the bay's" kris sanchez joins us live this morning from san jose with a look at the big contrast from california. >> reporter: here in santa clara county only in the last couple of days did the public health officer ease the mask restrictions but only for outside and only when you can keep your social distance, which is that marked contrast you're talking about with what's happening in texas and three other states. they yesterday eliminated restrictions on all indoor dining, bars, all businesses, all entities they say. this is counter to the head of the cdc who is saying we should be now doing more to contain those more contagious covid variants that are circulating. here is the texas governor on why texans don't need that mask mandate. >> personal vigilance to follow the safe standards is still

needed to contain covid. it's now state mandates nor longer needed. >> now is not the time to relax the critical safeguards that we know can stop the spread of covid-19 in our communities. that we still double mas when mask when we can't social distance and with the progress on the vaccine front we are far away from the herd immunity that might protect us from other diseases. kris sanchez, "today in the bay." >> we're far away from where this all started as well, getting ready to mark this one-year anniversary so to speak into the pandemic lockdown. so much we covered in the past year. isn't it amazing? thanks, kris. 6:47, vaccinating teens before the new school year could be a big possibility. so there are trials under way right now by pfizer and moderna to see if people ages 12 to 17

respond to the vaccines as adults do and develop those antibodies. there are isolated reports of covid outbreaks in high schools. ucsf's dr. rutherford says he hears results of testing that could be available as soon as may. >> we know that transmission can occur in adolescents. they don't seem to have the same kind of protective benefit that younger children have. >> on nbc's "meet the press" with chuck todd over the weekend, dr. anthony fauci speculated the vaccines could be available before the fall semester for teens, but children younger than 12 will have to wait until early next year. new this morning, a strong earthquake rattled central greece overnight. this one was a 6.3 magnitude earthquake. happened about 13 miles away from the town of larissa around 2:15 in the morning pacific time. numerous aftershocks were reported overnight as well.

experts say damage is likely. no word, however, on any injuries. that's a strong one. a trip that's out of this world, you could be a part of it. >> yes, so a japanese billionaire searching for eight people to join him as the private first passengers on a trip around the moon with elon musk's spacex. this is set to depart in 2023. people will be able to pre-register in two weeks, then applicants need to pass medical checks and of course the interview with the billionaire. so if you'd like to take a trip around the world, i nominate meteorologist kari hall. that would just be amazing to do the forecast from space. >> yes, i guess you know, we'll have to ask our bosses about that and see if they'll give me that time to get out there in space and then just give you the view from what i'm seeing looking at the bay area. that might be pretty cool. what's going on from here on the ground as we are looking up and not able to see the sunrise as

we look outside in the tri-valley and our east bay commute starts out with some clouds, temperatures in the mid-40s but we will be warming up as we go into today, and we'll see the sun just kind of peeking out from behind those clouds, as we go into today. here's what's going on. there is actually a storm system that's heading toward southern california. did you know that last month, they didn't even get a drop of rain? so it is good to see that they are getting this rain moving closer to l.a. right now, but we could see the clouds that are kind of extending up from that system, we're not going to get any rain today, but there will be some changes ahead. and that's what we need to wash some of this pollen out of the air. it gives us some temporary relief, but we do have a moderate amount of tree pollen from cedar, ash, juniper and pine to a moderate amount of some grass pollen. let's get to when we'll see some rain because the whole weather setup changed. high pressure has moved out of the way and that's the reason why l.a. is getting that storm today. we'll see a chance of some rain

headed into saturday and it may even be friday night for the north bay, and then clearing by saturday afternoon. sunday is dry, and then we'll see another chance of rain from monday, again on tuesday, and we'll see what else develops behind that. so the first round of rain brings us light amounts but take a look at how much rain we could see between saturday and wednesday. we may be measuring over an inch of rain across the bay area. that would be really great to see, and also it's really good that it comes over the span of a few days, and it has a chance to soak in. so we don't have any major concerns at this point. we'll continue to watch for that time line as well as how much and see how the computer models evolve over the next few days but we are staying dry for today, even though we have some clouds. tomorrow a little bit more sunshine, highs in the upper 60s and friday is also looking dry for the most part. we could see that rain once again in the north bay friday night, and then early saturday morning is when we all get some

much needed rain. mike, you've been watching the roads. how is it looking now? >> first of all, i'm glad to hear the rain is going to drop perhaps more gradually throughout the bay. we don't want it all at once but we want it. this unfortunately as we look at the map is dropping slower. the backup here, speeds are staying lower so they would be rising. we want that for vacaville. two crashes in the backup that recovers after the earlier traffic incident at cherry glen. it's just taken a while. that's slow through vacaville but the traffic feeds through fairfield down toward -- for the east shore freeway, half who you are from the carquinez bridge to the backup at the bay bridge toll plaza where the metering lights are on. mountain view is clear and san jose shows a little build here 101 at 680 and starting to move a little better now. back to you. >> thanks, mike. happening now, a north bay

city making history. petaluma city officials voting unanimous toy to bar construction of any new gas stations, according to "sf gate." the first city in the nation to put a ban in place and petaluma is aim willing for zero emissions by the year 2030. coming up next, a quick look at top stories, finally moving into the red tier. the bay area counties now easing restrictions and what it means for businesses trying to reopen to a broader base now. you're watching "today in the bay."

when you've got a business, you don't want to worry about slow internet or confusing cybersecurity. so get comcast business internet on the network that can deliver gig speeds to the most businesses, and add the advanced security of comcast business securityedge. it's the speed you need with threat protection, plus 24/7 support. get fast internet and advanced security—made simple. and bounce forward— with comcast business. get started with a great offer, and ask how you can add comcast business securityedge. plus, for a limited time, ask how to get a $500 prepaid card when you upgrade. call today.

all right that's a fifth-floor problem... ok. not in my house! ha ha ha! ha ha ha! no no no! not today! ha ha ha! ha ha ha! jimmy how happy are folks who save hundreds of dollars switching to geico? happier than dikembe mutumbo blocking a shot. get happy. get geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more.

welcome back. here's a quick look at the top stories we're following for you, including san francisco, napa, and santa clara county, moving from the purple tier to the less restrictive red tier, that means among many things some indoor dining is back. >> "today in the bay's" cierra johnson is live in san francisco to explain what changes you could see at the businesses in your neighborhood. cierra? >> reporter: good morning. when the business owners wake up today, they will have some extra customers to deal with, because they're allowed to have indoor dining, one of the businesses, plow, we spoke with them in the past and not having the indoor has really impacted their business so when that i open their doors this morning it will be a brand new start. let's break down exactly what you will see at some of the other businesses in your community if you live in one of the three counties. gym and fitness centers are

allowed to open their indoors at 10% capacity. restaurants 25% or 100 people, whichever is fewer, same goes for movie theaters, 25% or 100 people, whichservice fewer and museums and theaters and zoos 25% capacity. mayor london wreed held a prose conference to reveal opening of other attractions in past months, ferris wheels, carousels and some of at musement park style trains. according to governor gavin newsom at least a dozen more counties are expected to move to that red tier next week as well. we have had a chance to speak wi that work in the restaurant industry, they say opening, this reopening process is huge, combined with the vaccine availability, things are really going to look up for some of those folks working in the hospitality industry. it is also important to note that transitioning from that purple tier to the red tier is a big deal for school districts,

legally after five days of entering that red tier, schools are able to resume that in-person learning, so another story we'll be following along with how the restaurants are fairing, now that they're able to welcome their guests back indoors, after months of not being able to do so. we're live in san francisco, cierra johnson for "today in the bay." >> all right. to help you keep the county reopenings straight, alameda and contra costa counties are still in the most restricted purple tier. a live look at oakland and walnut creek. public health officials say both are expected to transition into the red tier in the next few weeks as both try to meet the state guidance for reopening that we've seen these other counties now meet today. a live look at north fair oaks neighborhood where a death investigation still is under way on fifth avenue near middlefield. a body covered with a tarp was spotted along the street overnight and we reached out to san mateo county sheriff's

office, as well as questioning them on the scene, and so far no confirmation on details of what happened. we are continuing to ask those questions and will pass those along to you online as well as on our twitt a live look in san francisco skyline for you this morning, and let's look, ahh, a start to the morning there. oh, wow. meteorologist kari hall has been tracking the temperatures for us. you say the sun is going to come out and shine upon us all. >> it's not the clearest sunrise that we like to see to start out today, but we'll get some sunshine later on and especially tomorrow and have updates on the rain this weekend. mike, what is going on with the commute? >> we have the bay bridge toll plaza, everything else calmed down nicely. the backup here sees movement and that's great. comes back to us, also let you know we're celebrating girl's day at our house, japanese-american festival. check my facebook page. i posted more. >> that does it for us on this hump day.

>> the fog crawling into the bay area. overlooking the beautiful iconic golden gate bridge. the "today" show is coming up next. we'll be back with a local news update for new half an hour. see you then and have a great wednesday. good morning breaking n we're live with the latest overnight. shots for all? president biden with a surprise announcement, now saying there will be enough vaccine for every american by the end of may, months earlier than expected