Costa, pmarin, San Francisco, sn mateo and santa clara counties along with the city of berkeley jointly issuing a legal order to shelter in homes the next three weeks. Sheltering in place is a core strategy. By staying home you reduce your risk of becoming exposed, which means that we reduce the risk of transmission. Reporter essential businesses will still be allowed to operate with public and personal travel to and from these services permitted under the order. Businesses that provide food, shelter and social services can remain open, including Grocery Stores, convenience stores, pharmacies, gas stations, banks, plumbing and laundry. Restaurants can offer takeout. Fire, police, medical and essential government functions will continue. Our goal right now is to make sure we have as few people as possible straining our medical resources so were only using those for people who are most in need. Reporter san jose mayor sam liccardo said city staff are already working with nonprofit and private sector partners to make food deliveries available to Senior Citizens and others who are considered vulnerable. Our principles are very simple. Were going to move fast. Were going to act comprehensively county wide, and were going to act as one team. Reporter Law Enforcement agencies are asking the public to not call dispatch centers to find out if they are defined as an essential worker. However, we put that Information Online at our website, abc7news. Com. Were live in san jose tonight. Im chris nguyen, abc7 news. Okay, chris, thank you. And continuing our team coverage, lets go live to abc7 News Reporter cornell barnard. Hes in San Francisco. Cornell. Reporter yeah, guys, lots of changes are coming. That shelter at home order takes effect just hours from now. The mayor of San Francisco urging everyone to be ready. Ill probably stay home and ill just meditate at home. Its one thing you can do anywhere. Reporter folks reacting to news that millions of bay area residents must soon shelter at home for the next three weekends to slow the spread of the coronavirus. So whatever we need to do to stay alive, then thats what we need to do. This is not the time to panic. Reporter San Francisco mayor london breed says the order which goes into effect at midnight will mean bars and gyms must close. Restaurants will be reduced to takeout only, but essential businesses will stay open. The Grocery Stores will remain open. The gas stations will remain open. The banks will remain open. The pharmacies will remain open. Theres no need to rush out to do things at these particular locations because they will be available to you. Reporter police chief William Scott says his department doesnt plan to issue fines or make arrests. Hes looking for voluntary compliance during the order. Yes, by Law Enforcement is an option, but that is not our desire. That is not what we intend to do. We intend to adhere to the spirit of what this is about in keeping people safe and keeping this virus from spreading. Reporter tenderloin bar owner kevin knows hell lose business by closing, but protecting customers is the right move. Just happy there is an official edict and well comply with it and hunker down. Were one of those businesses, we paid all our bills on time. Were in Good Standing so i think well weather the storm. Reporter were told nonessential city workers will still be paid during the shelterinplace order, and the mayor wants to make it perfectly clear, yes, you can still go out, get what you need at the store, the bank, the pharmacy. Just make sure its an essential trip, absolutely necessary. And dont forget were all in this together. Were live in San Francisco. Cornell barnard, abc7 news. Yes, remember that. Thank you, cornell. In the east bay this afternoon oakland mayor libby schaffe outlined much of what were used to relying on will be available. Any business where people are relying on your product or service as an essential part of daily living, we want you to stay open, but in a safe way. We know you have so many questions about sheltering in place, whats included, whats exempt. You can find answers on our website, abc7news. Com coronavirus. We have so much information on our site for you. Since late last week weve seen people panic buying and leaving store shelves empties. Even with the shelterinplace stores will be open along with convenience stores, farmers market, food banks, pharmacies, gas stations and the like. There is no reason to panic, authorities say. Abc7 News Reporter kris reyes is live in foster city. Chris, what have you seen at the stores today . Reporter its such an important message. Good evening, dan. Weve been here all afternoon at the safeway in foster city. It has been nonstop busy for five hours. But next time you go into your Grocery Store and you see empty shelves, remember this. The Food Distribution center in this state is packed and ready for disaster. First i heard it was going to be toilet paper and paper towels. But like the things that are gone from there now are incredible. People are just buying panic buying is what it amounts to. Reporter empty shelves, long lines all of it unnecessary according to California Grocers Association the group that represents hundreds of Stores Across the state. The main message is there is plenty of food, there is plenty of supplies. But delivering it to our stores and trying to keep up with the buying patterns of hoarding and over buying is an impossibility at this point. Reporter to meet demand, safeway announced they are hiring immediately 2000 openings for stores in northern california, western nevada and hawaii including delivery drivers. He wants to make it clear to customers california food disasers are ready. We are set up in such a way where there is an abundance of freight and supplies in in rdc. Reporter still to help shoppers out, this store in edmonton canada implemented hours just for senior shopping in a cleaner quieter environment. Same for this chain in australia. When i posted it on twitter, it was retweeted hundreds of times. Stores to do the same. Al grocery i think that would be wonderful. It would be extremely nice. It would give us a chance because all the younger people are there knocking me out of the way. Reporter so even though Grocery Stores are open, something to keep in mind is that their hours have likely changed. For example, this safeway is normally open 24 hours a day. Their hours have been reduced to 6 00 a. M. To 10 00 p. M. , and that allows the staff a chance to clean and restock. Live in foster city, kris reyes, abc7 news. Thank you, chris. Ananos markets posted this on facebook. Beginning tomorrow the store will have senior hour for the first hour its open. Clever idea. It says, quote, if you are 60 or older from 8 00 a. M. Until 9 00 a. M. , the stores will be opened exclusively for you. Everything will have just been cleaned. Stores will be less crowded. This hour is for you. The familyowned market has five locations in the south bay. Seniors, of course, at greater risk for serious complications for coronavirus so this may help them in the south bay. A bakery in oakland, meantime, is shutting down despite not being ordered to. Batch pastries in the montclair neighborhood decided to close after hearing about the shelterinplace. The owner says it makes more sense to close her Small Business than to stay open. Its very scary and i dont know whats going to happen. I know a lot of businesses are worried if they can come back after this. But my staff is super understanding. Everyone is willing to file for unemployment for the layoff, and then hopefully well be back up. The bakery has cut its prices today to help people get what they need for the shelterinplace. As for their perishable items, they will be given to the staff and donated. Starbucks is turning most of its cafes into togo only stores. This starbucks in San Francisco was open today. Business was slow this morning. You see chairs stacked on top of tables, eliminating places for people to sit and stay and congregate. Starbucks locations will remain open during the shelterinplace order. It was another ugly day for u. S. Stocks with the dow experiencing its largest point drop in history. Instead of soothing the markets, another emergency Interest Rate cut from the Federal Reserve had the opposite effect. The dow closed down nearly 3,000 points. The nasdaq and s p closed 12 down. The president said today we may be headed into a recession, but that the economy will recover. Best thing i can do for the stock market is we have to get through this crisis. Thats what i can do. Thats the best thing i can do. Thats what i think about. Once, once this virus is gone, i think youre going to have a stock market like nobodys ever seen before. The president predicted that the outbreak could end by july or august. There are 3,487 cases currently in the united states. And as we said at the top, we just learned about two more coronavirus deaths in Santa Clara County, a total of four people have now died from the coronavirus there. That county saw the largest increase in reported cases, 24 new cases in the past 24 hours for a total of 138. San mateo has the second highest number in the area at 42 with one death reported. San franciscos cases are up since yesterday now at 40. Thats the latest information we have. The number of cases in the bay area stands at 288. We have an interactive map of current coronavirus cases in the bay area and across the country, in fact. Its one of many resources that are always available to you on abc7news. Com coronavirus. In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, Health Care Workers are on the front lines. Next youll hear how hospitals are coping. Reporter facilities turned into emergency child care centers. More coming up. High risk, but im not going to worry about it because i have a lot of people around me that are going to help me. Small acts of kindness in the bay area. We are highlighting those lending a helping hand in so many meaningful ways. And im meteorologist drew tuma. Were tracking some scattered showers out there this evening and more rain on the way for your tuesday. Well have the timing and the some breaking news. A Santa Clara CountyPolice Officer has tested positive for coronavirus. The officer has not been at work for a week and is currently selfisolating at home for 14 days. Its not clear how the officer was infected and the person is expected to make a full recovery, so thats good news. The grand princess cruise ship is gone from the port of oakland. Sky 7 captured it moving just after 8 00 this morning. The ship will anchor in the bay for two weeks with 75 medical workers on board to care for the 340 crew members and six foreign passengers. Bart continues to see ridership drop. Yesterday it was down 61 from an average sunday. Transit agencies gave an update on service just about an hour ago, including the head of sfmta which runs muni, the bay areas busiest transit system. At muni, were working to rearrange services, to decrease the amount of financial district express service in order to reallocate service to our neighborhood lines and to lines that serve our Critical Health care facilities so that our passengers can better maintain social distance while on the bus. They are suspending Cable Car Service and parking enforcement. 72 hour time limits and residential parking world news tonight wont be enforced. Campuses are closed for weeks because of the kroecoronas pandemic. Luz pena joins us on how families are dealing with the changes on day one. Luz. Reporter they really have. Here at this Recreation Center theyve been practicing social distancing. An example of that, you can see space between each chair, a model being carried out throughout the day. Its monday and instead of being at school, this is the reality of thousands of kids. They are playing, but further from each other. Are they asking questions about why theyre so far from one another . Not yet. I think this has been a thing for a little while, so it they just kind of, you know, gotten used to it at school. Reporter even though libraries and rec centers are closed to the public, San Francisco based hospital workers and low income families under park and rec scholarship list, there is an exception. This is one of many emergency child care centers. We are providing emergency child care for people on the front lines of responding to covid19. Reporter but for parents who do not fall into that group, this is their reality. Its kind of a mess, but, you know, this is our dining room table and the kids computers are here. Reporter she has four kids and todays assignment was to get used to this new way of learning. We just put up a schedule so that they can feel like theres rules still associated and theres still, you know, theres a desire to learn. Reporter but for now while many started this monday like this, all we can do is cheer them on. Good luck to you. Thank you. Take care. Reporter you got this. Im going to need some wine. Reporter no matter the age, the goal is to keep going. 1 foot in front of the other. At Recreation Centers like this one, city workers are taking care of students kindergarten through 5th grade. At libraries they have 6th graders and up. To give you some perspective, this is one of 37 rec centers in San Francisco open the next three weeks. In San Francisco, luz pena, abc7 news. Luz, thank you so much. Bay area hospitals are trying to stay ahead of coronavirus by staffing up and trying to keep all but the most ill or injured patients away from Medical Centers. There are also now severe limits on visiting at most bay area hospitals. Abc7 News ReporterLaura Anthony is live at Kaiser Medical Center in walnut creek with that part of our coverage tonight. Laura . Reporter well, hi, dan. There has been some concern about what they call worried while those folks are worried about the virus, maybe have minor symptoms, but dont need hospitalization or emergency care. There was a surge of those patients early on, but now it seems people arent getting the message to stay away unless they need critical care. Bay area hospitals on the front lines of the Coronavirus Crisis are holding on. At least for now. Were actually doing well. Reporter while its not business as usual to any bay area hospital, the head of Emergency Services at walnut creeks john muir Medical Center tells abc7 news his team is keeping up with its patient load. Coronavirusrelated or otherwise. We have everything we need in terms of equipment for our staff and we have enough beds for the patients coming in. So were actually in a pretty good spot. Reporter like most hospitals, john muir is cancelling most elective surgeries. So are sutter hospitals and kaiser facilities in northern california. Weve been monitoring the situation since january. Reporter kaiser has 21 Medical Centers in the bay area, each with its own command center. One key objective, keeping patients who dont need emergency or hospital care away from the Medical Centers. Our message to the members is they call before they come in for care and we want to leverage televisits and video visits if we dont need appointments. Reporter some said they dont have enough masks, but most hospital officials we talked with said they are well suplied, at least for now. We have been careful in our use, but we are providing our staff with all the equipment that they need, and we have enough to maintain the current functioning of the system without a problem. Reporter now, this hospital, most others have severely limited patient or visitor visits to patients, except in a couple of cases that is end of life. Partners of those giving birth. And to parents of sick children. In walnut creek, Laura Anthony, abc7 news. Laura, thank you so much. During this time of stress and uncertainty because of the coronavirus pandemic, were highlighting the small acts of kindness happening in our commutes. Abc7 news anchor dion lim found a lot of folks offering up a helping hand in many different ways. Reporter in redwood city. Hi. Im anna. Were seniors in high school. Right now were going on a grocery run for a couple of members in need in our community. Reporter young people documenting their efforts to raise awareness for the Group Project covid19 love peninsula which has gotten more than ot50 volunteer signups in one day. Founder of oakland at risk. Com, connecting healthy young adults with elders or those with compromised immune systems. Even within a day or two, we have had over 250 people that have signed up to help. Its amazing. And it just shows that the bay area is an amazing place full of amazing people. Reporter in walnut creek at blue wave dental, dr. David nisemboyan is offering free video consults. Ive got plenty of time to do consults if necessary, so weve got three weeks of lockdowns. Reporter to marin county and tommy salsa in novato. From the bottom of my heart f somebody needs a burrito, were here to help. Reporter giving kids what they call amigos burritos. Clearly a hit. And in pacifica, we found alice de croce doing her part to help her 86yearold neighbor. We distance visited 78yearold maryann who has asthma and discovered a world of friends and love via next door. Its so wonderful. I cant tell you how grateful i am for that. I never expected so much of that, really. Reporter in San Francisco, dion lim, abc7 news. So nice to see people helping each other. All right. Theres a little bit more rain left in the forecast before we see some dry days. Abc7 news meteorologist drew tuma has the sevenday forecast. Thats i work hard and i want my money to work hard too. So i use my freedom unlimited card. Even when im spending, im earning 1. 5 cash back on everything i buy. Earning on my favorite soup. Got it. Earning on that eclair. Dont touch it. Dont touch it yet. Let me get the big one. Nope. This one . Nope. This one . No. Let me get them all. Im gonna get them all. Its just the basics. Can you double bag this right here . Earn 1. 5 cash back on everything you buy with freedom unlimited. Can you also tell me what it is . Chase. Make more of whats yours. All right. As you shelterinplace, you want to get outside, stretch your legs, get some fresh air which youre totally allowed to do. Just do it with social distancing and safety. The question is what will the weather be like. Drew tuma meteorologist is here with the forecast. Saturday was miserable. I think a lot of people did not like the cold rain that happened over the weekend. Even out there right now were tracking scattered showers. Even a thunderstorm in the north bay. Live doppler 7, get right to it, zoom down to the street level we go. A couple of lightning strikes occurred in a thunderstorm near healdsburg, northwest springs. In santa rosa you probably heard a clap of thunder. Mount hamilton you have light snow falling. Well press on in a little close toers street level. 280, cupertino, palo alto campus drive, some light rain there. Showers very scattered in nature. Its a chilly evening. 55 in oakland, 51 in san jose. 52 in the city. On the storm impact scale, level 1 storm we have tonight and tomorrow. Scattered showers, that chance of thunder is happening now. Snow is happening on our highest peaks. Well into the 30s in our coldest spots. Upper 30s to low 40s in the shoreline. Well track scattered showers first thing. Everybody sees one first thing. Everyone is fair game for shower to pop up tomorrow afternoon. Very similar to whats happening right now. Isolated in nature, but you could find yourself under a downpour. The accuweather sevenday forecast the next seven days, Saint Patricks day, Early Morning, spring arrives dry. Rain returns. Friday night into the weekend, ama. Im sorry. Even into monday, dan, for you guys. Come on, drew. Im trying. We need the rain. It comes when wantutside a little bit. All right. A google project to help people get tested for coronavirus promoted last week by President Trump went live in the bay area. We were there to see how it works. Stay with us. Im dan noyes. Stay with us. I visited a family selfquarantining. They are frustrated over the rate of testing. Well be airing a special on the coronavirus. Pandemic, what you need to know and change the world. Here at abbvie, were inventing medicines of the future to create tomorrows that will be healthier. And happier, while making medicines that help people right now. Because thats the present we wanted to live in. And thats the future we all want to see. Abbvie. Here. Now. Announcer now, your health, your safety. This is abc7 news. And a reminder here at abc7 news, we are no longer sitting together in the studio. We are spread out as an example of social distancing to reduce the spread of coronavirus. Well, lets get you caught up now on the latest. Santa clara county reported two new deaths in just the past hour. One man is in his 80s, the other man is in his 50s. Both passed away yesterday. There are four total deaths in Santa Clara County. At midnight tonight, a shelterinplace order takes effect in six bay area counties. Alameda, contra costa, marin, San Francisco, san mateo and santa clara. The order says you must stay inside and venture out only for necessities. Our medical expert dr. Patel, gave us some perspective via skype when we interviewed him on abc7 news at 4 00. This is an aggression i have measure, but we need to take a very radical step in this way to limit the spread. While we basically wait for time for our Health Care System to not be overwhelmed, we actually have to have a doublepronged approach here and i think this is the right step. Take a look. This graphic shows what hes talking about. The difference it can make to take protective measures, like social distancing to keep the spread of coronavirus within the limits of our Health Care System. So, what exactly compelled county leaders to issue a shelterinplace . San Francisco Chronicle insider and abc7 news contributor phil matier was with me on abc7 news at 4 00 and talks about how it came to be. Over the weekend, mayor london breed and the other officials were actually expecting to make an announcement to close restaurants, much along the lines of what the governor did over the weekend. But then came the word from santa clara of an increase of about 78 cases, and that spike sent a shock wave throughout all six counties and the group of Health Directors decided it was time to order the shelterinplace. Now, phil is also the San Francisco chronicles insider. You can read his column on wednesdays and sundays. A Sonoma County couple is under selfquarantine after returning from italy. The wife is especially sick. She and her doctors believe its from coronavirus, but she has not yet been able to be tested. Our Team Reporter dan noyes spoke with the couple about their growing frustration. Reporter she tells me shes sure she has the coronavirus so im going to take some steps to protect her and me. I delivered a wireless microphone in that bright blue plastic bag to the 69yearold and kept a healthy social distance. She returned from two months in italy. She took her granddaughter to pursue their mutual interest in art. Her husband david joined for the last part of the trip. They both felt coronavirus symptoms, but hers is the worst. I felt really sick, then i started to feel a little better. I said, okay, im getting over this. And a second wave hit and ive been in bed most of the last three days. Reporter she started feeling sick on the flight home march 4th and it got worse as they made their way from italy through germany into s. F. O. Are you sure that you have covid19 . I talked to the Sonoma CountyHealth Department and my doctors at ucsf Medical Center and they both say, boy, those sound like the symptoms, but i couldnt get tested. Ive tried. Nobody has kits to test. Reporter they told her to selfquarantine. She was more frustrated after hearing this from President Trump. If anybody is coming back, were testing. We have a tremendous testing set up where people coming in have to be tested. Well, listen, how many lies has he told now, 17,000 lies . So, hello. Reporter so this isnt true . Absolutely not. Consider the source. Reporter i called and emailed the Sonoma County department of Public Health to find out when she might get a corona test. They are trying to ramp up testing. As far as the testing performed is dynamic always changing. So i cant give you the exact up to date numbers. However, as of friday our Public Health lab has performed over 60 tests. Reporter donny told me she starting to feel better today. She wants to be tested. She doesnt want to infect anyone else. For the iteam, working from home, dan noyes, abc7 news. Well in time provide a better handle on the spread of coronavirus. A much anticipated drivein Testing Program got underway in Sonoma County being tested by a Sister Company from google. David louie is working from home today. David. Reporter hi, ama. Its a procedure similar to what hospitals are doing, but doesnt require patients to go into crowded medical na silts where they might possibly expose other patients. Its free, but you do have to fill out an application. People wearing verily branded clothing were in the parking lot monday morning. Those who came in contact with patients wore face masks. They asked drivers ton lower their windows. To get a free covid19 test they must first go to verilys website and register by answering questions. If qualified based on symptoms, then an appointment is scheduled. President trump and members of the Coronavirus Task force revealed plans for the Testing Program at a white house News Conference friday. But even san mateo didnt know then it would be done in their city. Quote, the city of san mateo was informed on saturday that the event center was going to be utilized as a coronavirus testing location, wrote the city manager. Since that time our police and fire personnel have been coordinating with the testing site organizers to understand the logistics of the operation as they prepare to open. Four san mateo Police Officers were standing by, but with only two vehicles showing up, Traffic Control and security were not issues. 75yearold judy kagan has lived in san mateo for 47 years. I think its a good idea that people have an ability to be tested without going into a clinic or something. I think it would have been better to have notified everyone so that we would be knowledgeable of whats going on. Reporter verily is doing its testing for now only in san mateo and santa clara counties. It lists a whos who in partners including stanford medicine, mayo clinic and the american heart association. A Company Spokesman initially offered to answer questions by email, but after abc7 news submitted questions, there was no response. Verily describes itself as a coalition of researchers, clinicians, engineers, designers, advocates and volunteers with a desire to accelerate health innovation. The testing is done with a nasal swab. The results are emailed to the patient in just a few days. Now, we do not know how many tests the program can handle when its fully operating. Were live, david louie, abc7 news. All right, david, you are working from home today. Thats pretty rare for a journalist. So how is it going . Reporter it is going remarkably well. We always have our phones handy. We can reach people, the news makers and people we need to get our information. Of course, we hav great photographers who are out there as well trying to get information for us as well who are shooting the interviews. So its going very, very smoothly. Thats good to hear. Thank you, david. Well, the coronavirus pandemic affects all of us and our families, including our four legged friends. New at 6 00 tonight, see how an east bay pet store is helping out. Youve been hearing everyone talk about social distance and youre probably practicing yourself. What does it mean exactly and why should you do it . Hear answers from so, i go to floor decor where i find every imaginable tile, wood, laminate or stone without compromising my design. Cause one aisle doesnt cut it. I need an entire store. Explore floor decor in person or online. Like the bay area, the global battle to contain coronavirus and the pandemic is reaching a new level of urgency. Today french president emanuel macron announced a shelterinplace order for the entire country for 15 days starting at noon tomorrow. People will be allowed to leave their homes only for necessary activities, such as shopping for food. Italy reported another jump in infections and deaths today. The number of cases jumped more than 3,000 to just under 28,000 with 349 deaths today alone. Bringing the total nationwide to 2,158 deaths. The situation is bad in spain as well. Its now officially become the fourthmost infected country in the world surpassing south korea. China, italy and iran are the top three. The total cases tops 181,000 with more than 7100 deaths in more than 51 countries. The president announced new federal guidelines to slow the spread of coronavirus in the u. S. , including schooling from home, avoiding gatherings of ten or more, avoiding discretionary travel and avoiding restaurants and food courts. If everyone makes this change or these critical changes and sacrifices now, we will rally together as one nation and we will defeat the virus and were going to have a big celebration all together. This woman was the first of four volunteers to receive an experimental vaccine today. This is at the Kaiser PermanenteResearch Institute in seattle. Even if the vaccine goes well, it wont be available for widespread use for 12 to 18 months a. He he months. Here in the bay area there are 12 to 18 cases. Communities are still coming together in important ways to show support for one another. Abc7 news east Bay Community journalist Melissa Pixcar has one example. Reporter this livermore pet store is helping out their community, especially their four legged family members. In response to the Novel Coronavirus outbreak, murphy paw is offering free deliveries for those who need food for their pets. We would help by making sure people who needed food could get it for their pets and they didnt have to come outside to a store to get it. We would actually take it to them and deliver it. We didnt want people to have to make a decision whether they feed themselves, their children, their pets. We wanted to make it easy for them. Reporter dean mancini, owner of east bay paw, wanted to reward the community for their loyal service. Theyve been very loyal to our store. Its a way of us giving back to them. We will offer free deliveries for people that are dont want to come out of their house or are sick, make a trip out to their home and deliver it to them. Reporter mancini believes we will get through this pandemic through Community Support and serving one another. Well make the best of it and well just try to help out where we can. Well get through it, but, you know, well make sure everyone gets through it together. Reporter in livermore, Melissa Pixcar, abc7 news. We will get through it together. We have a list of resources and information to help others on our website. Go to abc7news. Com coronavirus. Showers and thunderstorms will continue through tomorrow. Drew has the sevend do you recall, not long ago we would walk on the sidewalk all around the wind blows we would only hold on to let go blow a kiss into the sun we need someone to lean on blow a kiss into the sun all we needed somebody to lean on lease the volvo xc40 for 329 per month. At your local volvo retailer. If youre 55 and up, tmobile has a plan designed just for you. And, for a limited time only, were making it an even better deal. Now you can get two lines for only 55. That includes unlimited talk, text and data. With no annual service contracts. It also includes talk, text and data when traveling in mexico and canada. So if youre 55 and up, you can now get two lines for only 55. Because at tmobile, we have a plan designed just for you. We saw the earthquake grace in bold was offering a grant program. I signed up and i was actually selected it leaves the house in tack. You now know that in the next earthquake your house will be standing and we also got a discount on our earthquake insurance. If there is an earthquake. Our house has a better chance of surviving in. As weve been telling you, state and federal Health Officials are recommending that we all practice social distancing to keep each other safe from coronavirus. Abc7 mornings anchor reggie aqui checked in with dr. Patel to explain what social distancing means. Reporter the Novel Coronavirus covid19 has now spread around the world. The World Health Organization has officially declared a pandemic. The coronavirus is transmitted by droplets from coughs. And sneezes. The best way to prevent getting it is by practicing social distancing. But what is social distancing . Social distancing is the term were using right now that is essentially everyone doing their best to stay away from large crowds while were trying to reduce the spread of this disease coronavirus. Reporter imagine a crowded room full of people. Everyone in the room is healthy, except this person. They are infected with the coronavirus, but they dont know it. They shake hands with half the people in the room and lets say half those people get infected. Over the next five days those people go on with their lives. Some develop what seems like the cold, others have no idea theyre sick, but theyre spreading that coronavirus along the way. Infecting friends and family and strangers without ever even knowing it. Thats what Health Experts call an outbreak. Social distancing keeps the number of people in that crowded room from ever being infected by, well, not being crowded. Social distancing is almost like everybodys own responsibility. Its role they play in protecting their community and slowing the spread of coronavirus. Reporter social distancing is not the same as selfquarantine or isolation. Yea reporter thats when Public Health officials order you to stay away from other people because you are infected. Oh, oh. Reporter social distancing means thinking about the impact you might have on others if you do get coronavirus. The cdc recommends keeping 6 to 10 feet away from other people. If you are on an airplane or a bus, for example, are you going to choose a seat thats closer to a group of people . Are you going to try to keep a little bit distance, 6 feet away . If you, for example, go to dinner, are you going to try to go to a table thats in the corner or are you going to go to a bar and sit up at the counter next to a bunch of people . If you wanted to go to the gym, for example, are you going to try to go when its a lot of people because thats convenient or switch it up and go at a less busy hour when you can keep your distance from someone . This is something people are going to go through in their minds for every activity they have, whether it be work, play, meetups, whatever it may be. Reporter stay safe and stay away from each other. Good information. To learn more about social distancing and share the story with your friends so they understand social distancing, go to abc7news. Com coronavirus. Right. You can social distance and still enjoy the great outdoors. In fact, youre encouraged to go out and walk and take a hike. Just steer clear of others. Abc7 news meteorologist drew tuma is here to see if its going to be any better to get outside. It wasnt so great. Its chilly, we have showers out there this evening. Live doppler 7 showing you the action is really focused in the north bay where we have found a thunderstorm continues to roam north and east, east of healdsburg. You put this in the last hour, not moving. It is dropping some hail. Weve seen about five lightning strikes or four in the past 15 minutes or so. So some loud action happening in parts of the north bay. Just in the east bay hills right now, you see the showers popped up right there. Just to the east of san leandro. Showers are hit and miss, but you can see the shower i showed you on doppler 7 from the exploratorium camera in the east. The popup shower will linger the next 15 minutes. Its winding down. Tracking thunder showers, even snow on the highest peak. As you go hour by hour, isolated scattered showers in the Early Morning hours tomorrow. In the afternoon you get that heating of the day. It initiates more showers so it tracks scattered showers 3 00, 4 00, 5 00 on tuesday. Could see as much as a quarter of rain coming our way the next 24 hours. Highs on tuesday, cool below average for this time of year. 56 in the city. 57 in oakland. Same in san jose. About 55 in napa with the showers moving through. Heres the accuweather sevenday forecast. Spotty showers for Saint Patricks day tomorrow. Much of wednesday cloudy. Spring gets here on thursday. Its dry. Rain returns friday night, the weekend, early parts of next monday, rain is in the forecast. Lets bring in Chris Alvarez. He has sports. Hows it going, chris . Business as usual for the nfl. The 49ers very active today. The defense going to look a little different in 2020. Who is staying, who is going . For people with Heart Failure taking entresto, it may lead to a world of possibilities. Entresto is a Heart Failure medicine prescribed by most cardiologists. It was proven superior at helping people stay alive and out of the hospital. Heart failure can change the structure of your heart, so it may not work as well. Entresto helps improve your hearts ability to pump blood to the body. And with a healthier heart, theres no telling where life may take you. Dont take entresto if pregnant; it can cause harm or death to an unborn baby. Dont take entresto with an ace inhibitor or aliskiren, or if youve had angioedema with an ace or arb. The most serious side effects are angioedema, low blood pressure, kidney problems, or high blood potassium. Ask your doctor about entresto for Heart Failure. Entrust your heart to entresto. Announcer now abc7 sports with Chris Alvarez. The nfls new League Year Begins wednesday, but there are some changes. Team personnel and medical staff cannot meet with free agents. O. T. A. S are delayed indefinitely and access to Team Facilities have been restricted. 49ers have traded defensive tackle buckner to the colts for the 14th overall pick in the draft. He agreed to a deal worth 21 million a year, becoming the second highest paid behind the tackle aaron donald. Buckner has 28 1 2 sacks and 3 1 2 forced fumbles now in the season. 49ers agreed to an extension of Erik Armstead through the season. According to espn this deal is worth 85 million. The 2015 first rounder is coming off a career year. Single season highs with ten sacks and 54 tackles. He says he is excited to continue his career in San Francisco. The nfls draft will not be held in Las Vegas Next month. The draft is still scheduled for april 23rd through the 25th. It will still be on tv, but the league is exploring options for how exactly this entire process is going to work out. Major League Baseball has pushed back the opening day until at least mid may. This comes on the heels of new guidelines restricting events with more than 50 people for the next eight weeks. The goal remains to play as many games as possible. Well wait and see. The nhl is looking at a return in may at the earliest. Players are allowed to leave their nhl cities but suggested to selfisolate in the new location until march 27. If the League Returns it will likely be a short Training Camp before games resume. Did you see this, the nba 2020 game is simulating the nba season. If you want hoops, go there. Theyre posting highlights on their twitter page and today the dubs beat the raptors by 18 in toronto. Thats it for sports. Thanks, chris. Im amanda del castillo here at the south bay bureau. Were connecting with people working from home via face time and asking them how they are preparing to now shelterinplace. That story at 11 00. And amid the panic buying at bay area super markets, look at this. One local chain is taking steps to make sure the most vulnerable get what they need. Well have that and more on abc7 news at 11 00. And settle in. Coming up tonight on abc7 at 8 00 catch american idol. Followed a 10 00, pandemic, what you need to know. A special edition of 2020 with the latest on the coronavirus and how you can respond and government and Health Officials are spongd. Then stay with us for abc7 news at 11 00. Stick around, jimmy kimmel comes on at 11 35 live. Night line will air at 11 35 and Jimmy Kimmel Live will air 12 05 after night line. Make that note for you. The latestinformation at 11 35 after our newscast. Look for news any time you wish on the abc7 news app. We appreciate your time. Im dan ashley. Im ama daetz. For drew tuma, Chris Alvarez a so maybe were new but we got an insider tip on the ultimate flooring destination. Were shopping alongside reallife designers and contractors. And, these prices yeah, we found where the pros go. Explore floor and decor in person or online. This is jeopardy please welcome todays contestants a retired School Psychologist from cherry hill, new jersey. A podcaster and stayathome mom from columbus, ohio. And our returning champion, a personal stylist from austin, texas. Whose 3 day cash winnings total 71,598. And now here is the host of jeopardy alex trebek thank you, johnny. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. Jessica, sarah schmitt, and sid. Sibilance Reigns Supreme on jeopardy today. Welcome. Good luck. Lets go to work right now. We waste no time at the beginning of the week. Here are the categories for the three of you, starting off with. Each clue delivered by a personality from one of the affiliates that carries jeopardy . Not talking about. X will come up exactly in the middle of each correct response. Thats followed by. And finally, well become. Jessica. Recent events for 200. Sarah. What is a parrot . No. Jessica. What is a peacock . Peacock. Thats the bird. Recent events for 400