but is that prioritizing happening in here's abc7 news report he chris reyes. >> reporter: at this newlyed covid-19 testing site, an online screening will get you a. they are getting tested to encourage those who feel they are at risk for the virus to do the same. neither have any symptoms. >> the that we're even being able to test is such a great leem for us. warrior at this pop-up, we met three people waiting for peace of minds. >> sometimes i get allergies from the flowers and plants. >> just to be safe around family members and co-workers. >> reporter: recent developments, a backbacklog. anyone in the hospital with symptoms, those exposed to the virus and essential workers first in line. quest diagnostics, one of the private labs overwhelmed with cases, asked the health care providers limit the number of tests they forward for patients at low risk. here in alameda county, they say they're reviewing the guidelines but they don't want to tell anyone to stay away because asymptomatic people can also spread the virus. >> it is confusing. it was symptomatic only and then everybody get tes

the heroes who showed up through it. >> reporter: in san francisco, chris reyes, abc7 news. >> the question, to cloth face masks really work? they were put to the test by a scientist at fresno state. the samples were put in an incubator for 24 hours and then came the results. from a distance of three feet coughing and talking without a mask spread bacteria with sneezing spreading it the most, if you add a face covering to the test, the results were pretty telling. >> with my mask completely on, there are no colonies that grew on the plate. >> interesting. viruses won't show up in these tests but bacteria act as a proxy. scientists say if you can get rid of bacteria cells, you'll have a really good chance of stopping the virus. this test shows a mask can help get rid of both. >>> the covid-19 pandemic has been devastating for many small businesses and along san francisco's 24th street corridor, the pandemic has the pandemic to drive out latino business that's have been fighting gentrification. >> reporter: this is a somber moment. >> today we're packing. all the pain in the heart. >> reporte

chris reyes. abc news. >>> santa clara county is on the watch list and we're now learning the white house is monitoring san jose as one of a dozen nationwide coronavirus hot spots. local leaders say they were not informed. the federal government needs to do a better job of creating uniformity when it comes to best practices. >> that's been very difficult for us in this second phase of this emerging surge. we haven't even gotten through the first surge yet. >> the county has been working to ramp up testing and to encourage social distancing and proper hijaygiene. this comes as more people between the ages of 18 and 34 are being diagnosed in coronavirus county. with cases still surging in california, there are some lawmakers who would like to see the state lock down again. steve dmaser compared to it fighting another potentially deadly disease. >> we have a cancer in our body. you can't solve it by putting a band aid on paniky finger. you have to take the chemo and the tough medicine. it didn't work

chris reyes found out. >> reporter: at this newly open covid testing site, an online screening will getre getting tested to encourage those who feel they are at risk to do the same. neither have any symptoms. >> the fact that we are able to test is such a great leem for us. warrior we met three people who got tested just for peace of minds. anyone can come. >> sometimes i get allergies from plants and flowers. >> just to be safe with co-workers. >> reporter: a back-up in getting the results, because of that, the state asked public health workers to prioritize testing until the backlog is resolved. anyone in the hospital with symptoms, and essential workers, first in line. quest diagnostics, one of the private labs, asked health care providers limit the number of tests they forward for those most at risk. in alameda county, they say they don't want to be told to stay away because asymptomatic people can also spread the virus. >> it was symptomatic only and then everybody get tested and now they're changing again. >> i would like to see more universal testing. >> reporter: they want to hi

here's abc7 news reporter chris reyes. >> i'm hoping that jurors, witnesses, myself and my client can wear those transparent masks in an effective way. >> reporter: at a pretrial hearing in san francisco's superior court, a judge ruled that witnesses wear clear face masks instead of cloth masks. deputy public defender sierra says she's satisfied with the compromise, even though she originally proposed a face shield. her main point, that faces of witnesses cannot be covered. >> we judge facial expressions and microexpressions in milliseconds, and that's a big part -- these nonverbal cues are what we use to determine credibility, trustworthiness. >> reporter: the judge did not specify what kind of clear masks will be used but this is what's available for purchase online. it's yet another new rule as trials evolve in a coronavirus reality. a long list of other recent considerations include whether witnesses and jurors should appear via zoom. law professor agrees there are no good answers right now. >> on the one hand, you have the problem with putting together social distancing and maski

. >> the first question is from chris reyes, abc7. what can you tell the restaurant business about criteria for reopening and working with a restaurant for a new goal date for reopening? >> the answer is yes. we're working closely with the restaurant community and office and staff are talking daily if not every other hour with industry leaders both in the association perspective of the golden gate restaurant association and others and individual businesses. that's true across industries across sectors to make sure we're up to date on information and needs that people have. as you heard dr. colfax mention, we're not ready to provide a time line on the next steps and this is what the data tells us and connoting gent on wat all of us here in san francisco. we'll know more and we look forward to communicating more by the end of this week. for restaurants and golden gate restaurant association and others, we'll continue to work with you and provide you with up to date information. >> thank you, director torres. the next set of questions fo

abc7 news reporter chris reyes explains why. >> we were very grateful for the approval process. it had been something we had hoped would be in place earlier, but we are so grateful the supervisors pass it had. >> reporter: in a unanimous vote, the board of supervisors agreed to provide a letter of iost of two sk f a non-variance counties in the state, meaning their local officials did not have the power to advance their reopening plans beyond the state's recommended road map. supervisor wilma khan said it was a hard decision for her to vote yes because she's concerned about enforcement of safety guidelines. >> the board letter that we have is saying we're still going to be very cautious, but we're really doing this right now to continue to permit outdoor dining and the opening of outdoor activities at the oakland zoo. >> reporter: the variance comes as alameda county's covid-19 numbers continue to rise, closing in on 8,000. dr. nick moss of alameda public health said there's no immediate explanation for why the county has the highest numbers in the bay area. >> we have a large p

> san mateo county is not on the watch list but it is right on the brink of having to shut down chris reyes on it. >> reporter: businesses like these in burlington game are so nervous. what public health officials in the county are worried about, that these crowds may be causing the uptick in recent cases in the county and that's why they're changing their messaging. stay in your social bubble. meet charlie, vincent and israel. you couldn't find a better group for covid safety. >> the reason we're out here in masks. the same people i see every day. ride with the same people every day. >> reporter: these green bracelets mean they passed their covid-19 screaming

chris reyes tells us what this

chris reyes brings us some of the personal stories. >> reporter: that's a real possible for her.lying on the extra $600 a week unemployment benefit from the federal government. part of the cares action signed by the president in march. that same month, she lost her job as a hotel housekeeper. >> that $600 is for my

so let's go to chris reyes for a story that now goes beyond the numbers. >> it was reasonable to think

chris reyes heard his story. >> i'm running down the hall in a dremplged t-shirt and my patients see it. i'm trying to do the best i can but it's not the standard of care. it is not the best we can do. >> reporter: he works with covid patients. he still has his job but he said since the pandemic hit, that job has gotten harder in ways that are hurting '99 workers and the patients they care for. >> we have staff that doesn't have time to use the bathroom. you're asking us to do the work of three people with only two people. >> we went to ucsf with his claims. while no one has been laid off, emthe management seems to be scheduling less staff for the same. a work pre covid. they semius this statement. ucsf takes staffing in our hospitals seriously and ensure that's the needs of our patients are met amongst the many clinical and nonclinical staff. >> all of our most skilled nurses are saying we need more pcas. we need support. we're getting nothing from management. >> in late june, he protested in front of his own hospital. ucsf has not laid off front line workers but on july 1st, the ce

chris reyes spoke with two doctors who. without a national testing strategy, fixing these problems is not going to be easy. >> about an hour after opening this is the line at one of san jose's pop-up testing sites. for those who got here earlier, a shorter wait. >> we came at 9:45. we thought it would be long. people said it was like a two-hour wait. >> it was only an hour. >> reporter: they consider themselves lucky. this location requires no appointment or doctor's note or even symptoms. and results should be available in two to four days. in many other parts of california, it's a different story. >> certain people have. testing happened fairly promptly and others have said, it's that kind of horror story. where it took many, many days to get tested. >> some of the backlog is not in the sites where people get tested. they're in these commercial labs that are being used by the state. >> reporter: the state has issued guidelines on who should get tested first, essential workers because of the back work in labs. >> a lot of

chris reyes joins us live with their message. >> reporter: people are being encouraged to come out, go shopping but it is this very crowd that could be the reason for the reason uptick you to stay in your social bubble. >> reporter: meet charlie, vincent and israel. you couldn't come to a better group when it comes to covid-19 safety. >> the reason we're out here in masks, we are with the same people every day. >> reporter: these green bracelets mean they've passed their screening. >> we need to work as a team, as one community to make this happen. >> public health officials are worried that guys like them are becoming more the exception than the rule. prompting dr. scott murrow, the public health officer, to release a letter of warning. mny,le of our infections are related to fairly small gatherings of family and friends. birthday parties, picnics, without basic precautions. >> we're trying to bring down the curve and people are going out and not taking this seriously. >> have a virtual birthday party. right? you feel the need to have that sort of social connection, do it virtually. >

chris reyes tells means to those desperately struggling. >> that is a real possibility fo her. she's been relying the o'the extra $600 a week for th president imarch. that same month she lost her job as housekeeper. >> that $600 is for my apt.entm $1,500. we share together with my daughter. but if i not share with my daughter, i cannot pay my apartment. >> reporter: congress has yet to sign a new stimulus bill and some are doubtless thatn be tck month when the cares act expires. in california and even earlier, july 25th, because it is added to the state's ui checks, leaving desperate people in limb beau is something that worries community orgerizan people out things.ho need bssenal if they are not getting it,he t etwill to it survive. >> a new study from zillow predicts that 41% unemployed renters across the country could face eviction without the supplement. >> a tremendous number of rentaler households out there would be in economic painful. >> for her this pain is real. it is unrealistic to live on it alone worth just $167 a week.>>. i thinking about how i my apartment if i

. >> reporter: chris reyes, abc7 news. >> let's dive a little deep entire this. what can you tell us about coronavirus and school age children? this has been. so different information coming out over the last four months. >> a lot of information right now. kids seem less susceptible to coronavirus. they're getting less hospitalizations, less icu stays. cdc reports looking the a all cases in the states from january until the end of may show school age children from age 0-9 are only 1.5%. but this could change as we gather more kids together and we drive up more person to person transmission. we've seen increased reports about multisystem inflammatory system as well. it's not that kids are spared. it's just that all the data looks promising. >> i know this is a little tricky to answer, doctor, but could kids be safe at school? there's a reason that the flu spreads and colds spread in schools so ramp antly. we can't expect kids to follow all the rules all the time and they're in close quarters. can they be safe in a coronavirus environment? >> we definitely can't ex

here's abc7 news report he chris reyes. >> solano county was the first to be put on the list june 29 and every county followed after. san mateo was put on the list. dr. grant cold fafl admitting, they're not getting off the list any time soon. >> san francisco remains on the state watch list. the main reason we joined that watch list was because of the rapidly rising hospitalization rate. we have 15% more covid-19 patients in the hospital than we did just a week ago. >> these check marks next to nearly every county in the state tell you how hard it is to stay off the state's monitoring list. every bay area county is on it, meaning they crossed the line in at least one of the six indicators related to number of new cases, hospitalizations and hospital capacity. >> i think the metrics are very reasonable. within this understanding, we don't really have what we really need which is the number of infections. >> on payment getting off the list is simple enough. after a company is within threshold for all metrics for three days, it is removed from the county monitoring list the following d

chris reyes is live to explain. >> reporter: good evening. at this hour, this place would have been packed by now before the pandemic. nova is one of the more popular restaurants in the city. instead they'll have to rely on the life line for a little longer. what you're looking at is what the dinner hour rush looks like in a covid-19 reality. a bunch of takeout bags. >> we have no choice. we are living in covid. >> reporter: with that, the mayor confirming what everyone in the san francisco restaurant industry already knew. it will continue to look like this. empty. >> it's grim out there. i understand the battle between economics and safety and we are behind that, safety first. >> reporter: he said he's making due with takeout orders about, 100 a day. and servicing organizations like food runners that is allow him to keep about 19 people on taf preparing 1,000 meals a week. still, his business is at 20% of what it was pre covid-19. >> we don't have silly hopes for this coming back to what it was. that illusion is definitely gone. i think wha

chris reyes explains what some parents are so upset about. >> we are here asking the district why the full distance learning option until december 2020. >> reporter: he is the apparently of a grade 9 student. he's protesting in front of the pleasanton unified school district. by this friday he has to make a choice for his child that he doesn't like at all. either sign her up for a hijack rid model where she learns in person part time and at home the rest of the time or a flex academy, a system to carry out the full time distance learning option. but with different teachers and a different critical little. the district says it is the best they can do right now. >> right now we can't responsibly say we can offer every high school course that is offered through our traditional comprehensive high schools, in through the flex academy. >> reporter: essentially what some pleasanton parents want is what elementary schools are getting. full time distance learning with the same class and the same teacher. the district says it is simply too hard and too expensive to speck their teachers to hold

so let's go to chris reyes for a story that now goes beyond the numbers. >> it was reasonable to think of this as a california miracle. unfortunately, over the last two or three weeks, things have gotten out of hand. i think we let our guard down. >> reporter: dr. robert says the period after memorial day weekend was a turning point in that so-called california miracle. these are the charts that worry him. abc7 news analyzed the numbers and found that six cabrera counties saw a spike in covid-19 hospitalizations between may 22nd and june 29th. in the case of marin county, the hospitalization rate went from 1.15%. in san francisco, 4.94% to 7%. >> if we continue to see some of the surges we're seeing, there is no good reason to think we won't be packed with covid patients within two, three, four weeks. >> reporter: here are more troubling numbers. total covid-19 cases in the bay area on june 29th, almost 24,000. that's a 74% increase from may 29th when we were at just over 13,000. at ucsf, there are currently 20 in patients. 11 are in icu. >> we are double where we were two or three wee

. >> reporter: chris reyes, abc7 news. >> the special corn addressed the reopening of schools and whatearning may look like. his response, well, this is no answer. it comes down to location and demographics. >> schools need to take into account their specific county. their transmission rate. their resources. their teacher and faculty population. they need to do everything they can within their limits to create the physical distances. >> we have seen a variety of plans ranging from which students will be in the classroom, who will be learning remotely, and whether some students will be required to wear masks. it is all still up in the air. when it comes to krag coronavirus, what activities put you most at risk? you can may a game to test your knowledge. interesting and informative. guess the answer and then see what the experts including dr. patel have to say. >>> are you ready for the >> the weekend is almost here but i'll be honest, every day feels the sail. >> it is a little ground hogs day after four months of this. at least we'll have 100 degrees to look forward to, to break things

chris reyes brings us some of the personal stories. >> reporter: that's a real possible for her. she's been relying on the extra $600 a week unemployment benefit from the federal government. part of the cares action signed by the president in march. that same month, she lost her job as a hotel housekeeper. >> that $600 is for my apartment. i pay $1,500. and we share together with my daughter. but if i not share with my daughter, i cannot pay my apartment. >> reporter: the maximum unemployment benefit is $450 a week which is why the federal boost was such a big deal. to add salt to the wound, the cares act. it is on a slightly different schedule. you can't even claim unemployment hours after july 26th. >> a lot of desperate people out there who need the basic essential things. if they are not getting it, they're going on find a way to get to it survive. >> reporter: a new study from zillow predicts eviction without the supplement. >> a tremendous number of households would be in economic pain if this and pirates. >> they are stories heard every day. >> we're afraid of being evicte

abc7 news reporter chris reyes explains how they're preparing. >> we need to be prepared to ramp up quicklyere it concer>>ar ravs chief of ucsf's department of emergency immediate single where they are seeing up to 20 people show up daily with covid-19 symptoms. not a surge but an upfick they're watching closely along with these numbers. this chart shows the number of covid-19 patients in the city's hospitals. notice that after a gradual dip from may, the numbers are now rising in june. >> the notion of hospitalization is not quite as scary as it was in march. but we really do not want to have our hospitals overrun with patients with covid. >> reporter: at you were csf, this is how they're preparing. these tents outside the emergency room still ready to go. they were first erected in march. >> as soon as the surge hit, we will most likely convert those structures back into units where we can care for respiratory patients. >> reporter: also ready to use, a 53-bed unit at mt. zion and a 30 plus bed at ucsf. the doctor said it is a situation they're watching closely. especially since what they do

chris reyes has the story. >> reporter: it is possible that our county can remain on the watch list for a very long time because we are not going to be able to change those behaviors adequately to reduce the numbers. >> reporter: solano county was the first to be put on the watch list june 29. every county followed after. meaning each one crossed the line in at least one of the state's six indicators related to new cases, hospitalizations, and hospital capacity. with those metrics, the doctor says getting off the watch list will be very difficult.difficul. in the last four weeks, 95% of the new covid-19 cases happened in social gatherings. >> the cause of the outbreak, what is making it happen, is something we have very little control over. >> reporter: on payment it is simple enough. after a county is within threshold for all metrics for three days, it is removed from the county monitoring list the following day. even that gets complicated. even after meeting all metrics, it is possible they would have to reapply for a new variance which has new hoops to jump through. >> it is up to th

abc7 news report he chris reyes has the details. >> reporter: 11 varsity programs in total on the chopping block at the end of the 2020/21 academic year including fencing, field hockey, squash, swimming, volleyball and wrestling. in a statement stanford university and its athletics department had this to say. this is heart breaking news to share. these 11 programs consist of more than 240 incredible student athletes and 22 dedicated coaches. they were built by more than 4,000 alumni whose contributions led to 20 national championships. 27 olympic medals and an untold number of academic and professional achievements. it goes without saying that sports are a huge part of life on campus. >> i was shocked. stanford, at least when i went there, won a lot of olympic medals in their sports. it is a source of a lot of pride for students and faculty. the most important fact is that stanford has a really huge endowment. >> reporter: it was $28 billion. but the statement outlined financial hardship in supporting one of the largest athletics departments in the country. the university projects a $70 mi

chris reyes with reaction from the college sports community. >> a program of stanford's caliber to cutone day, that's stunning. that hand happened anywhere else in the country. >> 11 varsity programs in total on the chopping block at the end of the academic year including wrestling. >> it's heart breaking for me. i know that i need to be able to finish my career. that wrestling was something that brought me some rt sow of soleas. >> he just graduated from stanford and worries for his friends who are still students there. stanford's head wrestling coach tweeted this. nothing like a little adversity and a good challenge. first we will listen to understand why. then we will strategize and prepare for the battle. a change.org petition is already in the works to help save the program. ? i think it is possible. >> reporter: in 2019, stanford's endowment it was $28 billion. but the statement outlined financial hardship in supporting one of the largest athletics departments in the country. the university projects a $70 million shortfall over the next few years. a number that was already growin

the first question is from chris reyes, abc 7. what can you tell the restaurants about the first goal of reopening? are you working with the restaurants for the first phase of reopening? >> yes. the answer is we are working very closely with the restaurants. our staff are talking daily, if not every other hour, with the industry leaders and also individual businesses to make sure that we're up to date on information and needs that people have. as you heard dr. colfax mention, the realities right now are that we are not ready to provide a timeline in terms of when these next steps can be taken. this is contingent on what the data tells us. we look forward to more and to communicating more by the end of this week, but for the golden gate restaurant association and others, we will continue to work with you and continue to provide you up to date information. >> thank you, dr. torres. the next set of questions are for dr. grant colfax, the director of public health. dr. colfax, your first question is from marco siler gonzalez, kesq new

the first question is from chris reyes, abc 7.hat can you tell the restaurants about the first goal of reopening? are you working with the restaurants for the first phase of reopening? >> yes. the answer is we are working very closely with the restaurants. our staff are talking daily, if not every other hour, with the industry leaders and also individual businesses to make sure that we're up to date on information and needs that people have. as you heard dr. colfax mention, the realities right now are that we are not ready to provide a timeline in terms of when these next steps can be taken. this is contingent on what the data tells us. we look forward to more and to communicating more by the end of this week, but for the golden gate restaurant association and others, we will continue to work with you and continue to provide you up to date information. >> thank you, dr. torres. the next set of questions are for dr. grant colfax, the director of public health. dr. colfax, your first question is from marco siler gonzalez, kesq news.

the first question is from chris reyes, abc 7.tell the restaurants about the first goal of reopening? are you working with the restaurants for the first phase of reopening? >> yes. the answer is we are working very closely with the restaurants. our staff are talking daily, if not every other hour, with the industry leaders and also individual businesses to make sure that we're up to date on information and needs that people have. as you heard dr. colfax mention, the realities right now are that we are not ready to provide a timeline in terms of when these next steps can be taken. this is contingent on what the data tells us. we look forward to more and to communicating more by the end of this week, but for the golden gate restaurant association and others, we will continue to work with you and continue to provide you up to date information. >> thank you, dr. torres. the next set of questions are for dr. grant colfax, the director of public health. dr. colfax, your first question is from marco siler gonzalez, kesq news. do you have

the first question is from chris reyes, abc 7.t can you tell the restaurants about the first goal of reopening? are you working with the restaurants for the first phase of reopening? >> yes. the answer is we are working very closely with the restaurants. our staff are talking daily, if not every other hour, with the industry leaders and also individual businesses to make sure that we're up to date on information and needs that people have. as you heard dr. colfax mention, the realities right now are that we are not ready to provide a timeline in terms of when these next steps can be taken. this is contingent on what the data tells us. we look forward to more and to communicating more by the end of this week, but for the golden gate restaurant association and others, we will continue to work with you and continue to provide you up to date information. >> thank you, dr. torres. the next set of questions are for dr. grant colfax, the director of public health. dr. colfax, your first question is from marco siler gonzalez, kesq news. d

the first question is from chris reyes, abc 7. what can you tell the restaurants about the first goal of reopening? are you working with the restaurants for the first phase of reopening? >> yes. the answer is we are working very closely with the restaurants. our staff are talking daily, if not every other hour, with the industry leaders and also individual businesses to make sure that we're up to date on information and needs that people have. as you heard dr. colfax mention, the realities right now are that we are not ready to provide a timeline in terms of when these next steps can be taken. this is contingent on what the data tells us. we look forward to more and to communicating more by the end of this week, but for the golden gate restaurant association and others, we will continue to work with you and continue to provide you up to date information. >> thank you, dr. torres. the next set of questions are for dr. grant colfax, the director of public health. dr. colfax, your first question is from marco siler gonzalez, kesq new

the first question is from chris reyes, abc 7. what can you tell the restaurants about the first goal of reopening? are you working with the restaurants for the first phase of reopening? >> yes. the answer is we are working very closely with the restaurants. our staff are talking daily, if not every other hour, with the industry leaders and also individual businesses to make sure that we're up to date on information and needs that people have. as you heard dr. colfax mention, the realities right now are that we are not ready to provide a timeline in terms of when these next steps can be taken. this is contingent on what the data tells us. we look forward to more and to communicating more by the end of this week, but for the golden gate restaurant association and others, we will continue to work with you and continue to provide you up to date information. >> thank you, dr. torres. the next set of questions are for dr. grant colfax, the director of public health. dr. colfax, your first question is from marco siler gonzalez, kesq new