reporting live, anser hassan, abc7 news. >>> some travelers are looking for alternatives to flying. one option is taking the train. amtrak is running trains at about 50% capacity. everything from schedules to payments are assessed through an app so it can be a contactless experience. doctors say train travel can be as safe as planes with the right protocols. >> so the upsides are that you don't have to spend time in a crowded airport. the train is probably a little less controlled. people walk up and down the train. >> if you do decide to take the train, sit next to a vent, crack the window if you can and keep your mask on at all times. >>> the bay area is seeing a third surge in coronavirus cases and we're getting a picture of what's behind that. abc7 news reporter kate larsen spoke with local health officers about what is driving the latest spike. >> when san francisco moved into the yellow tier last month health officials knew cases would go up as the city reopened but they've been surprised at how quickly and how high cases surged and in new demographics. >> all across the city

anser hassan is live at sfo with what we're seeing there. good morning. >> reporter: what we're seeing here is more passengers starting to check in. look at the flight board behind me. these are the domestic and international flights departing out of sfo all day today. so definitely not the volume we're used to seeing for this time of year. if you pan over to the security checkpoint, also not too busy. according to abc news, 4 million people have already gone through u.s. airport checkpoints from last friday through sunday. that's the most passengers we've seen since the start of the pandemic back in mid-march. thanksgiving reservations were ticking upward in early october, but dropped with the surge in covid-19 cases. one passenger says his wife is traveling for business and he wanted the family to be together for thanksgiving. >> at some point you have to step out on faith. get into the air. >> where are you heading to? >> portland, oregon. >> family, friends? >> my wife going for work. with everything going on we said we'll go with you. f

anser hassan is live at the church in san francisco with what's changed this thanksgiving.g. >> good morning. thanksgiving starts at 9:00 a.m. here. so volunteers and organizers are busy with the final round of preparations. behind me you can see three large tents set up outside because of covid-19. glide has been serving three meals a day throughout the pandemic. that has not stopped. organizers say there was never a doubt they wouldn't host thanksgiving, the issue was how. so moving the event outdoor s solved that problem and thankfully there's no rain. this is the 51st year they've been serving thanksgiving meals and it requires a lot of coordination. they usually have 300 to 500 volunteers, because of covid-19 and social distancing, this year they only have about 100. that presents some challenges but glide's george gundry says they're making it work. >> we're going to be more strategic with them. we'll have servers. we'll have bussers. we'll have hosts and everybody will be pitching in and, you know, we'll make it happen. >> glide will serve 2,300 meals this morning pl

abc 7 news reporter anser hassan spoke to black business owners to explain the extra significance of doing so during this holiday season. >> here i'll just stamp some edges. this is a traditional arm band. >> reporter: if you stop by amber washington's store free bird of california you can buy customized leather goods that are locally sourced and handmade here in oakland. >> with shopping local you're getting a lot more customization that you don't get elsewhere. >> reporter: what about the price point? >> the price point is pretty fair for what you're getting but it's pricey. >> you want me to pull it and get it shipped out today? >> reporter: the store has been open a year but like many she's relied on online sales due to the pandemic. washington has lived and worked around the world but decided to set up shop in east oakland where she grew up. >> focusing on small local businesses and black-owned businesses is to build generational wealth within your community. those are small bow bracelets. tote bags, passport cases. >> reporter: she's one of the vendors participating in the two-

you can shop local and get the convenience of online shopping. >> reporter: in oakland, anser hassan, abc 7 news. >>> and with the holiday shopping weekend in full swing officials are trying to figure out how to balance people's health with the economy. we're also focused on both those issues as part of our efforts to build a better bay area. santa clara county has lived up to its promise to strictly enforce covid-19 public health guidelines, dozens of violations were handed out to retailers in the last three days. abc 7 news reporter kris reyes found out what rules were being broken. >> reporter: x marks the spot to keep these lines spaced apart for social distancing. plenty of masks in sight. but hard to deny santana row in san jose was by and crowded as ever. we asked the shoppers to rate the stores and restaurants they visited when it comes to following safety guidelines. they told us six out of ten. >> i could still see people a lot without a mask. >> even though they're letting a certain amount of people in it's still cluttered. >> reporter: this mother and son said they had a b