kris rey kris reyes has the story. >> it is possible that our county may remain on the watch l list for a long time because we aren't going to be able to change those behaviors adequately to reduce the numbers. >> reporter: stoolano county wa the first on the watch list and every county followed after, meaning each one crossed the line in at least wofrnt sooeeas indicators. but with those metrics, this doctor says getting off the watch list will be very difficult. in the last four weeks, 95% of their new covid-19 cases all happened in private social gatherings. on paper, getting off the list is simple enough. according to the state, after a county is within threshold for all metrics for three days, it is removed from the county monitoring list the following complicated.ly it is possible that the county would have to reply for a new variance which adds new hoops to get through. the supervisor pleaded for different metrics too, but after weeks of being on high alert, the county was put on the watch list wednesday. >> if you look at the other areas, we're doing rather well. and deaths with

kris reyes talked to two bay area doctors who say without a national testing strategy, it will be difficult >> reporter: about an hour after of-ung te for those who got here earlier, a shorter wait. >> we came here about 9:45 and we thought it would be long like a two hour wait. >> but it was only like one hour. >> reporter: and they consider themsz lu themselves lucky, the pop-up location requires no appoint, doctor's note or even symptoms. and results should be available in two to four days. in many other parts of california, it is a different story. >> some of the backlog is not in all of the sites where people get tested. they are mostly in the commercial labs that are being used by the state. >> reporter: the state has now issued guidelines on who should get tested first, prioritizing cases in hospitals and essential workers because of the backlog at labs. in santa clara county, there are pop-up sites in high risk locations but not working in coordination with the state. >> a lot of our response has been really patchwork and i think that it comes from the top. >> we're all competing fo

kris reyes for "abc7 news." >> last week, we dedicated an hour to a live conversation about how to beown halls ranging from topics on race to coronavirus on abc7news.com, on the "abc7 news" app and anywhere you stream. >>> tips are pouring in for a waitress seen depending an asian american family at a restaurant as a man went on a racist rant. >> you piece of [ bleep ]. >> get out of here! you are not allowed here. >> three online fund-raisers for her have raced more than $105,000, and that doesn't include contributions made by venmo. the man seen attacking the family resigned from his position from the company solid eight. w have links on abc7news.com if you want to make a donation. she did the right thing and really stood up. >> she did. let's talk weather and get one last check on the forecast tonight with spencer christian. spencer? >> okay, ama. let me see if i can do the right thing and keep weather in the cool pattern. overnight conditions, we'll start the evening, we already have with mainly clear skies inland. low clouds and fog will develop over the coast and overnight low t

abc 7 news reporter kris reyes explains why county public health officials are behind the move. >> we were very grateful for the approval process. it was something we had hoped would have been put in place earlier. but we're so grateful that the supervises ha supervisors have passed it. >> reporter: the board of supervisors agreed to provide a letter of support to ask the state to provide a variance. without that, the governor would have shut down outdoor activities in the county including dining. alameda is just one of two nonvariance counties in the state, meaning their local officials did not have the power to advance their reopening plans beyond the state's recommended roadmap. supervisor wilma chan 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 that 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: alameda officers who spoke at the meeting

abc 7 news reporter kris reyes was there and tells us why this year's celebration is to important to that community. >> reporter: any other year this annual tradition of lighting up the skirz would have been one of many celebrations all over the bay area but we already know this year is unlike any more. notice the masks, the social distancing in the crowd. >> they're not planning to go there. we're planning to stay there in the car. >> reporter: the city of gilroy went ahead with their fireworks show to boost morale. in addition to dealing with closures and cancellation, it's still healing from the hooting at the gilroy garlic festival last year that killed three people and injured dozens. >> i think it's a great idea. i think morgan hill should have had theirs, too. >> we couldn't do fireworks in our town and this is like not as busy as santa cruz. >> we're trying to stay away from everyone, wearing masks when we're close to people so i think that would be okay. >> reporter: this is literally the only show in town. this year the parade was canceled, the pandemic turning gilroy's cou

kris reyes for "abc7 news." >> neat.eck out the fly bugging spencer in his live weather. >> he's not buzzing right now. maybe because it's cooling down. we'll see widespread areas of fog across the bay and overnight lows mainly in the mid 50s. tomorrow, hook flook for a sunn. highs will range from about 60 at the coast to mid and upper 70s around the bayshorelines and upper 80s to low 90s. much cooler to the start of this week than the finish of last week. near 90 inland and 80 around the bay. low 60s around the coast. a warmup over the weekend, but nothing excessive or extreme like the past weekend. >> all right. thank you, spencer. >>> so a newly discovered comet is streaking past earth providing a stunning show. it was spotted by the nasa space telescope in march. nasa says it's about three miles across and will be visible until mid august when it heads back toward the outer solar system. >>> busier than ever. up next, the bookstore in the east bay that's keeping readers stocked in books. how they're making a differen

abc 7 news reporter kris reyes was there and tells us why this year's celebration is so important to that community. >> reporter: any other year this annual tradition of lighting up the skies would have been one of many celebrations all over the bay area but we already know this year is unlike any other. notice the masks, the social distancing in the crowd. >> >> they're not planning to go there. we're planning to stay there in the car. >> reporter: the city of gilroy went ahead with their fireworks show to boost morale. it's been a tough year for the city. in addition to dealing with covid-19 closures and cancellations, it's also still healing from the hooting at the gilroy garlic festival last year that killed three people and injured dozens. >> i think it's a great idea. i think morgan hill should have had theirs, too. >> we couldn't do fireworks in our town and this is like not as busy as santa cruz. >> we're trying to stay away from everyone, wearing masks when we're close to people so i think that would be okay. >> reporter: this is literally the only show in town. this year th

here's nbc news reporter kris 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 delaran 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 non-verbal cues are what we use to determine credibility, trustworthiness. >> reporter: the judge did not specify what kind of clear face 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 hadar aviram agrees there are no good answers right now. >> on the one hand you have the problem with putting together social

. >>> i'm kris reyes. no masks for witnesses.t they'll be wearing instead according to a new ruling for an upcoming trial in san francisco. abc 7 news starts right now. >> announcer: building a better bay area for a safe and secure future. this is abc 7 news. >>> this recent uptick in cases in california has really been a very sobering experience. we know we're in this through the fall. >> a reality check from california's lieutenant governor possibly foreshadowing a statewide decision on how schools will resume class in the upcoming semester. good evening. thank you for joining us. i'm ama daetz. >> and i'm dan ashley. as coronavirus activity surges throughout the state the reality of resuming in person classes drops with each passing day. california's averaging about 8,000 new cases per day. hospitalizations are near record high levels. nearly 7,000 patients are in the hospital at last check. the state's death rate set another new record with an average of 84 deaths per day over the past two weeks. in the bay more than 38,000 p

. >> in san jose, kris reyes, for abc7 news. >>> new developments number of confirmed cases at a san rafael nursing facility has more than doubled. a total of 49 patients have tested positive. a spokesperson told the san francisco chronicle five residents with covid-19 have died there. a week ago the facility told us 15 residents positive. 17 staff members have also tested positive. new details on out door dining. this morning alameda county health officials announced they are moving towards obtaining a variance from the state so they can once again allow out door dining. last night health officials announced it would need to stop. they say that because they are being monitored by the state that they fall under stricter guidelines. restaurant, wineries and bars can only be open for pick up or delivery. officials say a letter of support for a variance is on the agenda for next tuesday of board of supervisors meeting. >>> and happening today. oakland city officials are asking officials to give lake merritt a break. a new push to avoid overcrowding. today and tomorrow officials will clo

abc7 news reporter kris reyes tells us gilroy remains a community in healing. >> but when gilroy was in crisis, everybody showed up. this gathering here at christmas hill park, home to the gilroy garlic festival, may be limited because of the pandemic but the spirit is strong, the community united. >> this flag represents our collective spirit and desire to rise above senseless acts of violence. >> one year ago just before 6:00 p.m. on the last day of the 41st year of the beloved festival, chaos broke out when 19-year-old santino william opened fire. in a shooting spree, 13-year-ol killed. dozens more injured. the gunman was shot by police before killing himself. >> we continue to pray for the romero and salazar and irby families. and we will not forget the loss. but we will let their memory actually become a resolve for us to be better than we ever were. >> that's how hannah johnson feels, grateful to be alive. one year ago she was a vendor at the festival and ended up hiding for nearly two hours in a trailer waiting for safety.o cfo >> this is the one that was with me last year and