in developing news, abc news reporter marcus moore has expert advice on how to handle the holidays. marcus: president biden will deliver a speech on tuesday to address the omicron variant as the country faces another unrelenting surge in covid cases. the u.s. now averaging more than 125,000 new cases every single day. at the end of october, the nation was averaging about half that, 64,000 new cases per day. demand for testing is on the rise. long lines outside testing centers across the country. >> as we go into the holiday season, testing is really important so that people can gather safely. marcus: the latest surge is being driven by the omicron variant which seems to be accelerating in its had spread across the country and is said to be the dominant variant in the u.s. >> it's shaping up to be a hard winter. we're going to see huge case numbers that will probably exceed the 250,000 a day that is already the record from a year ago last january. marcus: health officials continue to stress the importance of getting vaccinated and if eligible, boosted. >> it is certainly much more of

marcus moore, abc news, los angeles. dion: in the meantime, another covid cancellation, the mark morse dance group performancings at u.c. berkeley. an undisclosed number of performers tested positive. they announced the cancellation barely an hour before saturday night's performance. today's performance was also cancelled. cal performances say it will issue refunds. to the east bay where people in oakland would need to show proof of covid vaccinations at restaurants, bars, and gyms andd other indoor public places. if passed. it would go into effect february 1. that ordinance would apply to anyone 12 and older. san francisco and contra costa county as well as the city of berkeley recently approved similar measures. a quick reminder, if you have questions about covid-19 vaccines, you can ask our vaccine team. head to abc7news.com/vaccine and click on that big blue box. moving on now to the economy, something we focus on in our ongoing efforts to build a better bay area. today there is a push to get you to shop. cornell joi

marcus moore joining us now. and marcus, back to those new cdc guidelines for isolation and quarantine. there are also different recommendations for boosted americans who are exposed to covid? >> reporter: whit, that's right. those who have boosters do not need to quarantine after exposure, but should wear a mask for ten days and get tested. but health officials stress, if symptoms do occur, they should immediately quarantine until a negative test confirms it is not covid. whit? >> all right, marcus, thank you. so, let's bring in dr. ashish jha, dean of the brown university school of public health. dr. jha, great to have you. and i want to start with that news late today from the cdc, now reducing the isolation period for those who have been infected with covid from ten days down to five, if you're asymptomatic followed by five days of wearing a mask around others. they're also reducing the quarantine time if you're exposed. this is a dramatic shift. is this the right move right now, given what we're seeing with

you. >> so just come in here and kind of like that. >> it's actually not that bad. >> reporter: marcus moore >> marcus and the cows. >> some experimental journalism, but it seems to help people. it's nice. >> we make a lot of jokes about hugging a cow, but honestly any light that we can shine on the mental health and getting the help that you need is all good. >> down and dirty, matt barrie. >> reeve, you missed your opportunity. >> that's all right. now i know where to go. >> get that hug. >>> we'll be right back with "pop news." the debut of one of our friends, one of our favorite people here at abc, will ganss will be leading the way in "pop news." leading the way in "pop news." at abc, will ganss will be leading the way in "pop news." age before beauty? why not both? visibly diminish wrinkled skin in... crepe corrector lotion... only from gold bond. one role of a lifetime...one sore throat. but she had enough. she took new mucinex instasoothe sore throat lozenges. show your sore throat who's boss. new mucinex instasoothe. works in seconds, lasts for hours. i lost 26 pounds and i feel inc

in developing news, abc news reporter marcus moore has expert advice on how to handle the holidays. will deliver a speech on tuesday to address the omicron variant as the country faces another unrelenting surge in covid cases. the u.s. now averaging more than 125,000 new cases every single day. at the end of october, the nation was averaging about half that, 64,000 new cases per day. demand for testing is on the rise. long lines outside testing centers across the country. >> as we go into the holiday season, testing is really important so that people can gather safely. marcus: the latest surge is being driven by the omicron variant which seems to be accelerating in its had spread across the country and is said to be the dominant variant in the u.s. >> it's shaping up to be a hard winter. we're going to see huge case numbers that will probably exceed the 250,000 a day that is already the record from a year ago last january.

they did feel this in homes and businesses there and abc's marcus moore from california with the images coming in tonight. >> reporter: tonight, this northern california main street shattered. a strong 6.2 magnitude earthquake striking this afternoon. >> that was a big one. >> reporter: the force throwing open caroline titus's kitchen cabinets thrown open, canned food scattering across the floor. plaques falling off the walls. >> i talked to my husband, i said, that's quite a wind. he said, that's not wind, that's an earthquake. immediately, everybody was out on the street. >> reporter: angela grimaldo finding a mess in this day spa. >> oh, my god. >> reporter: the quake recorded at 12:10 this afternoon, 24 miles off the coast of petrolia, california. several aftershocks following. seismologist dr. lucy jones, saying earthquakes are common in the area, but this is the largest in quite some time. >> magnitude 6.2 if you're directly on top of it will cause quite a bit of damage. this one is an off shore. so i would expect a small amount of damage mostly confined to the coastal regions rig

abc news reporter marcus moore has the details. than a week before christmas, deja vu in the u.s., facing another unrelenting surge of covid cases. at the end of october, the nation was averaging about 64,000 new cases. soaring demand for testing nationwide. long lines at an at-home test giveaway in philadelphia. some stores nationwide are giving a limit on the amount of tests that can be purchased. >> as we go into the holiday season, testing is really important so people can gather safely. marcus: record-breaking covid numbers reported in new york, the governor's office saying nearly 22,000 positive cases within a 24 period. wisconsin has one of the highest case rates in the country, seeing a testing surge in front of the holidays. >> what is going on in wisconsin, we will get tested now and take a rapid test before we leave monday. marcus: ohio financing it will bring in the national guard, hospital once again feeling the strain as well. doctors at houston methodist hospital say almost half of all patients being treated there are

all of this is leaving so many people with that unpleasant feeling we have been here before, and marcus moorens us from a testing site in los angeles with the latest. marcus, good morning. >> reporter: gio, good morning. there is very much that sense that we have been here before, but health officials say this time we have more tools in the fight to stop the spread of this virus, and their hope is that people will come to testing sites like this one and will also choose to get vaccinated. less than a week before christmas, deja vu in the u.s., facing another unrelenting surge in covid cases. now averaging more than 125,000 new cases every single day. at the end of october, the nation was averaging nearly half that at about 64,000 new cases. soaring demand for testing nationwide. long lines at an at-home test giveaway in philadelphia, and some stores nationwide are putting a limit on the amount of tests that can be purchased. >> as we go into the holiday season, testing is really important so that people can gather safely. >> reporter: record-breaking covid numbers reported in new york. the go

the rising number of cases leading to long lines at testing facilities, and abc's marcus moore is at dodgers stadium in los angeles, one of those testing sites. marcus, good morning. >> reporter: well, gio, good morning. the biden administration's rule requiring large businesses to mandate that their employees get vaccinated or submit to weekly testing goes into effect on january 4th as a surge prompts a new push for people to get tested at sites like this and get a booster shot. this morning the country in the midst of a new surge in covid-19 cases as the omicron variant spreads with millions of americans embarking on holiday travel. health officials say omicron is spreading quickly across the country and is set to overtake delta as the dominant variant. >> we're now facing a very important delta surge, and we are looking over our shoulder at an oncoming omicron surge. >> reporter: the biden administration unveiling its test to stay strategy to keep kids in classrooms this winter, as a rise in school cases prompt concerns over new closures. >> if exposed children meet a certain crite

sorry, baha men. [ laughter ] [ cheers and applause ] >> marcus moore, defensive tackle.y dream is to open the first dave & busters in space. [ laughter ] [ cheers and applause ] >> derek wright, wide receiver. i have no idea what an "aggie" is. nobody does. [ laughter ] [ cheers and applause ] >> jimmy: well done. very well done. i hope this is a fun week. do you guys get to meet mitt romney if you win? [ laughter ] is that how it goes? for those of you who think i'm making this up, i'm not. this is a real college bowl game. somehow, i got the naming rights. never before has a college bowl game been named after a human being. the winner of the game, instead of a trophy,will get a belt. which -- this belt specifically, which i think is pretty great. [ cheers and applause ] you can't wear a trophy. by the way, if you do get one of these, you have to fight john ce cena in april at wrestlemania. [ laughter ] i know you guys are very young, but many years ago, there was a college football player. a great college football player named o.j. simpson. ever heard of him? [ laughte

eva is on maternity leave once again, but we are happy to have stephanie ramos and marcus moore back on the desk with us. we do want to get right to our top story this morning. we are getting a clearer picture of the scope of the tornado disaster that tore through eight states. casualties mounting. more than 100 people feared dead. one tornado reaching 155 miles per hour. that destructive wind moving faster than most passenger trains. in kentucky, one massive twister cut a 200-mile path of devastation. >> the loss of life focused on mayfield, kentucky, including a candle factory there where dozens are believed to have died, amazingly, 40 were rescued from that devastating scene. take a look at the before. tere it is, just incredible, and now the after. a sobering view of just how bad these storms were. six deaths also reported at an amazon warehouse in illinois, and one at a nursing home in arkansas. rescue and recovery efforts continuing throughout the night and into the morning. >>> president biden signing a federal disaster declaration for kentucky, as well as speaking to governor

. >> jeff bezos, marcus moore next in line. >>> all right. coming up here on "good morning america," the excitement for today's major league soccer championship. espn's taylor twellman joins us live. i've lost count of how many asthma attacks i've had. but my nunormal with nucala? fewer asthma attacks. nucala is a once-monthly add-on injection for severe eosinophilic asthma. not for sudden breathing problems. allergic reactions can occur. get help right away for swelling of face, mouth, tongue, or trouble breathing. infections that can cause shingles have occurred. don't stop steroids unless told by your doctor. tell your doctor if you have a parasitic infection. may cause headache, injection-site reactions, back pain, and fatigue. ask your doctor about nucala. find your nunormal with nucala. give your sensitive skin even more. new and improved cetaphil is specially formulated with our dermatologist-backed blend of ingredients to improve your skin's resilience. cetaphil. complete care for your sensitive skin. ♪ why not? y, l'eau de parfum. yv

marcus moore has the latest. good morning, marcus. >> reporter: amy, good morning.ws coming on the two-month anniversary of this brazen kidnapping that had people in haiti and, of course, right here in the u.s. praying for a peaceful ending. this morning, reaction and relief from a pastor in michigan. this morning, the remaining 12 missionaries held hostage in haiti for the last two months are walking free. people seen embracing outside the missionary headquarters near port-au-prince as the news broke. >> god has answered our prayers, rejoicing, a great load is lifted. >> reporter: ron marks said he felt peace finding they had been let go. >> they were treated relatively well. i'm still waiting to hear the rest of their story. i'm sure they weren't treated supremely. life in haiti is hard even at its best. >> reporter: the names and locations of the hostages have not been released. u.s. officials saying they'll be reunited with loved ones soon. the race to rescue the group began on october 16th when members of one of haiti's most notorious gangs, mawozo, kidnapped 1

marcus moore joins us now with the latest. marcus, good morning. >> reporter: t.j., good morning.y claimed so many lives including that of a 9-year-old boy and the family members of the victims have been calling for accountability and this morning, we are hearing from frontman travis scott in his own words. this morning, rapper travis scott in his first interview since the astroworld festival tragedy where ten people died and hundreds were hurt. >> i have a responsibility to figure out what happened here. i have a responsibility to figure out the solution. >> reporter: in an interview with radio personality charlamagne tha god posted to youtube thursday, scott maintains he had no idea people were injured while he performed saying the bright lights made it hard to see and insisting he never heard those desperate cries for help. >> did you hear any of those screams? >> no, man and, you know, it's so crazy because i'm that artist too, like any time you can hear something like that you want to stop the show, you want to make sure fans get the proper attention they need, you know, and

marcus moore has the latest. >> reporter: for the first time, we are seeing the faces of the 16 americans canadian missionary at the center of the international hostage crisis that unfolded in haiti for two months. they are free this morning. ♪ now we're learning details of how the remaining 12 hostages describe an overnight escape from their captors who for weeks threatened to kill them if a $17 million ransom wasn't paid. >> when they sensed the timing was right, they found a way to open the door that was closed and blocked and quickly left the place they were held despite the fact that numerous guards were close by. >> reporter: abc news has not independently confirmed the account but a spokesperson for christian aid ministries say they trekked through difficult terrain in the middle of the night for hours with a 10-month-old baby and a 3-year-old child in tow. >> one of the hostages said and i quote, two hours were through fierce bramells. we were in gang territory the whole hike. they eventually found someone who helped them make a phone call for help. they were finally free. >> repo