they'll never get it. >> reporter: jodi hernandez, nbc bay area news. >>> new details this morning.ars on the streets of san francisco this morning. kind of funny saying that, right? okay. there's even no driver as a backup driver in that car. let me tell you about what is happening. the car company potentitesting its autonomous vehicles. this is from general motors subsidiary and other companies testing driverless vehicles but cruise the first to have no backup driver behind the wheel. they received that testing permit back in october. >>> so, listen to this, we're just 15 days away from christmas and that means new year's eve just around the corner. have you even thought about your resolution? maybe giving up smoking, lose that quarantine 15. what a new study says you have to do in order to be successful in what you resolve to do in 2021. >>> first happening now for you, walmart makes a big commitment to india. the giant retailer announcing it will buy $10 billion worth of india-made goods by the year 2027. that is triple the amount of goods walmart is already buying. last week wa

as nbc bay area's jodi hernandez reports, california is now considering whether to institute new travel restrictions to keep the mutant strain out. >> there's no evidence of this strain yet into the state of california. >> reporter: and governor gavin newsom wants to keep it that way. a more infectious mutant strain of covid-19 has state officials worried. so far it's shown up primarily in the uk prompting a last-minute christmas lockdown there. while it doesn't appear to make people sicker, it spreads 70 times faster. what dr. ghaly calls its sticky nature allowing it to latch on quicker. >> the new mutated covid virus seems to bind a little tighter, a little more easily and enter the cell of the human body easier than our current covid virus that we have here primarily in california and the united states. >> reporter: state officials are looking at potential new travel restrictions for those coming from the impacted areas. more than half a dozen european and african countries have already banned travel from the uk, but so far, the u.s. hasn't. >> the last thing we want to do is let a

jodi hernandez has the details. >> reporter: as the bay area deals with the surge in covid-19 cases, hospitals are scrambling to create more room. this medical center is getting ready to open up this, a portable unit designed to deal with the overflow. >> we've never had to even consider moving outside of our department walls to care for patients. >> reporter: but with the current covid-19 surge, that's about to change. for the first time, john durham medical center in concord will soon be opening a mobile care unit to handle er patients. >> we're prepared to deal with this next increase in patient volume. >> reporter: as hospitals gear up to accommodate more patients, health care workers are getting much-needed protection. marin health medical center became one of the first to get the moderna vaccine. 300 frontline health care workers got vaccinated today. >> it's been very scary. i mean, can you imagine? i mean, i've had, like, seven or eight covid patients at one time. and you know, giving them the proper care and in and out those rooms, it's been scary. so, to receive this vaccin

as nbc's jodi hernandez shows us, state wildlife officials are taking a bold step to try to protect people. a warning, some of the photos are a little graphic. >> reporter: this is where the latest attack happened, right here on the track of camp olin doe high school. state wildlife officials have been working nonstop to identify and capture the coyote. you're looking at the bite winds this man suffered during a coyote attack. he was doing pushups as part of his morning exercise routine on the track ten days ago when a coyote bit him unprovoked. >> there was a coyote latched onto to my left calf. i tried to shake him off. he didn't free up, so i had to punch him in the nose. >> reporter: california fish and wildlife officials collected saliva samples from sytz's pants and found a link to a july coyote attack on a boy at a nearby park. >> doing a little bit more dna work, we managed to identify that one coyote was responsible for both attacks. >> reporter: for the past four nights, wildlife officials have been out trapping coyotes. while the first three weren't the one they were looking for

nbc bay area's jodi hernandez has more on what got local firefighters so concerned. >> reporter: who would have thought we'd be talking about potential red flag fire weather in december? well, take a look at how dry the grasses are. that combined with little rain and possible wind on the way has firefighters worried. debbie and her little dog ginger have been out enjoying the clear, sunny weather every day. >> but always in the back of my mind is i wish it would rain. we need the rain. >> reporter: lack of rain, low humidity,nd a now possible windy weather in the forecast spell a potential disaster in the making. >> with these current conditions, if we figure in high winds, especially winds out of the north, we then will have a dangerous situation. >> reporter: red flag conditions have already led to two destructive fires in southern california. firefighters there are battling to try to get those fires under control. >> we want to avoid that happening here, but the conditions look like at this point that they will be ripe for heightened fire danger beginning on sunday. >> reporter: c

in marin county, jodi hernandez, nbc bay area news. >> a lot of cheers there for them. our race for a vaccine series continues now. on the priority list to get injected is president-elect joe biden. he plans on getting the shot in public next week to show everyone that it's safe. biden's aides say it's been a matter of logistics, of getting that vaccine in a public setting that has delayed him from already receiving a shot. mr. biden also said he didn't want to get ahead of the line. vice president pence will get the vaccine tomorrow as also in public to help build confidence among americans. he reportedly will get the shot at the white house. it is unknown if and when president trump will get the vaccine. >>> a new round of bay area frontline workers got covid vaccines today, and the hope is that with the icu beds quickly filling up, that vaccine will keep doctors and nurses at work during what's developing to a crushing winter for hospitals. nbc bay area's melissa colorado is in contra costa county where nurses and doctored rolled up their sleeves to take that shot. >

jodi hernandez joins us in danville this evening. maybe businesses are just trying to stay afloat. >> reporter: right now businesses that defy the order face fines that range from 250 to $1,000. some businesses like kicking mule here in downtown danville say opening up to outdoor dining is worth the risk. people are once again going out to eat in danville. more restaurants here have reopened outdoor dining despite the county health order. >> we have not had any cases of covid. none of the restaurants that i know have had any cases of covid. >> reporter: the owner of the peasant and the pear says he'll open up his outdoor dining soon. he said he already lost five more bay area restaurants during the pandemic. his house is in foreclosure and he's on the brink of bankruptcy. >> i'm physically, mentally, emotionally broke down. this is way too long. i've lost everything. >> we have a great deal of understanding for the position that they're in. >> reporter: while he understands their struggle, the danville police chief is urging business

nbc bay area's jodi hernandez spent the day in san rafael where they lined up to roll up their sleeves. >> it can be pretty stressful when we respond to people who have covid. >> reporter: now they're getting much-needed protection. marin county is among the first in the area to offer vaccinations to firefighters, sheriff's deputies, police officers, and others who answer the public's calls for help every day. >> it's imperative that we get vaccinated as soon as we can so it provides protection for ourselves and the people we serve. >> our crews are out there every day, putting their lives on the line. >> reporter: the fire chief rolled up his sleeve and got his dose of the pfizer vaccine this afternoon. he says two-thirds of his department have done the same. >> it's long-awaited. i'm trying to do my part to be part of the solution to help control this pandemic. >> reporter: chp's captain got his vaccination too. he says chp officers haven't slowed down when it comes to keep drivers safe on our highways and is glad the vaccine is finally an option. >> we're absolutely on the front lin

nbc bay area's jodi hernandez has the story from danville where the outbreak is raising eyebrows as the district plans to open even more classes after christmas. >> reporter: this high school in danville is all set up to keep kids safe. they've got plexiglass and hand sanitizer, but when they reopened their classrooms last month, a handful of teachers and developmentally disabled students tested positive for covid-19. >> the sad part for me is my class and myself, we were all guinea pigs. guinea pigs on a system that did not work. in our special ed classroom. >> reporter: autism specialist jan jimenez says she's disappointed and upset. jimenez returned to her classroom on november 17th as part of her school district's phase ii reopening only to get covid-19 along with nearly all of her students and fellow classroom staff. eight people in all. she ended up giving it to her husband. they're still recovering. >> my husband and i are both miserable with the symptoms, which has ranged from fever, shortness of breath, body ache, terrible, terrible headache, fatigue. >> reporter: jimenez says

in marin county, i'm jodi hernandez, nbc bay area news. >> thank you, jodi. >>> happening now for youanager square in bethlehem festivities are mostly virtual this year and plan to go ahead with celebrations but reduced events. we'll be right back. we're the croods. -we are the bettermens. welcome to a better way to live. ♪ welcome to my house the croods are coming home. kinda big, isn't it? that's the mirror. -sorry. and the world will never be the same. what is this? uh, we call that a window. window. dun, dun, dun. make it a croods family movie night with "the croods: a new age". go to watchcroods.com. >>> right now at 6:00, it is christmas eve. we have a live look outside in san francisco. a cold, depending on where you are, clear morning. nice-looking san francisco at all the lights. let's get started with our third hour of "today in the bay" right now. good thursday morning to you, i'm kira klapper. laura garcia is enjoying some much deserved time off. >> i'm marcus washington. mike, an eye on that commute probably not a lot for you this morning but we'll get to in a sec. foreca

nbc bay area's jodi hernandez has more. >> reporter: this is where the outbreak took place, where a class of developmentally disable students unable to wear masks tested positive, but the district says they plan to move forward with their next phase of re-opening. >> my husband and i are both miserable with the symptoms, which has ranged from fever, shortness of breath, body aches, terrible, terrible headache. fatigue. >> reporter: autism specialist jan jimenez says the last few weeks have been a nightmare. she returned to her classroom on november 17th as pat of her school district's phases two re-opening, only to get covid-19 along with almost all of her students and fellow classroom staff, eight people in all. >> the sad part for me is my class and myself, we were all guinea pigs. guinea pigs on a system that did not work in our special ed classroom. >> reporter: she says her special ed students are unable to keep their masks on. she says some seemed visibly sick, and sure enough, those suspicions were confirmed. >> if we're masked properly, distanced proper will i and sanitize and don