Of people across the bay area and how you can help if youre able. Plus bright and blue. The usually red levis stadium changing its colors to Honor Health Care workers. Good thursday evening. Thanks for joining us. Im janelle wang. And im raj mathai. They will call you, text you and track you for good reason. Ucsf is now contract tracing. Nbc bay areas Sergio Quintana is in San Francisco with the details. Sergio . Reporter Contact Tracing is what Public Health officials do to try to gauge just how widespread coronavirus may be within the community. But ucsf researchers are actually working on a few ways of figuring out just how widespread coronavirus is. Ucsf is partnering withople. The plan is to also track down everyone they have come into contact with. The department of Public Health has already been doing this to a certain extent but theyre about to get more help. Because Public Health in general has been defunded in the united states, so to do all these major initiatives, i think the Group Requires manpower. Reporter this weekend, San Francisco city librarians, members of the City Attorneys Office and researchers in other studies that are paused because of the pandemic will be getting trained at ucsf on how to track, interview by phone, and even text people who may have been infected by coronavirus. The idea is to get as much information about the spread of the virus as possible, and that includespeople. Ucsf will also be launching a study similar to what stanford is currently conducting in Santa Clara County. Theyll be looking for people who may have been infected but never got sick. Their immune systems successfully developed antibodies to fight off the virus. I dont just want to know whats going on in the hospital, which is all the news that everyone looks at. I want to know whats happening in the community because i will get a better sense of how were doing with the infection. Reporter with more information, Public Health officials can ease shelter at home restrictions, but Big Questions remain, especially for those most vulnerable. Is there like a limited shelter in place where we might say the most elderly and frail, they should still observe shelter in place while the others in the workforce, the other workforce members go back into the community. Reporter ucsf is working out the details about how theyre going to roll out that antibody study potentially volunteer. Thanks, sergio. A look now at the latest numbers. The bay area has more than 4,400 confirmed cases. Santa clara county continues to be the hot zone with more than 1,400. As for the entire state, Governor Newsom says california now has 18,000 cases. Thats an increase of about 1,300 people within the last 24 hours. The number of people hospitalized is now 2,825. Some promising news, though. The governor pointed out the number of people admitted to intensive care dropped by almost 2 . It is encouraging. It just again reinforces the incredible work that all of you are doing to practice physical distancing. The stay at home is working in the state of california. That curve has been bent in this state, but its also, again, been stretched. In the last 24 hours, 50 people have died in california. The deaths in the state is now at 492. More trouble for our bay area Nursing Homes. Another outbreak, this time in marin county. Health Officials Say several people at drake terrace in san rafael have tested positive. One person has died. In hayward now, the gateway care center, has seven deaths related to covid19. The number of staff and residents who tested positive also rising to 65 people. That facility remains under quarantine. Going blue for Health Care Workers on the front lines. New video of levis stadium, messages on all seven of its video boards. Its one of 130 landmarks around the world giving a very visual shoutout to the men and women saving lives day after day. Health care workers in california can now get discounts at hotels. We all need a little bit of moral support, but we need to do more than that and provide the kind of support that increasingly is needed for a workforce that is deeply stressed out, deeply stretched. Starting tomorrow, vouchers and stipends for rooms will be available. Its for Health Care Workers who wish to isolate, quarantine, or stay closer to tacities where they work. So far,ulk room purchasing program. And beginning sunday, everyone getting Unemployment Benefits will receive an extra 600 on top of their weekly amount. No matter what your faith, more people are praying these days. Prayers for their health and their jobs. Levels with no real fm walnut creek. Cheryl, how are people coping from what youre dealing with, and how can people help . Reporter raj, a lot of people are barely hanging on. And a normally lively downtown walnut creek on a thursday has been looking like this for weeks. And if youre a Small Business owner, all you can do is hope that this pandemic will be over soon. Small businesses are struggling during this covid19 crisis. Thats an understatement for janice lewis, a hairstylist at sola salons in walnut creek. Ive got no income coming in at all, like zero. So im pretty much living on whatever is in my bank account. Reporter lewis now finds herself one of the 16 million americans who have filed new unemployment claims in the past three weeks alone. I dont know whats going on with unemployment. Its really rough to navigate the system. They have not they dont have it set up for us. Reporter according to the former assistant secretary of labor, the system is overwhelmed. Now having gone basically a month without a paycheck and potentially another month or so without it, boy, theres going to be a lot of hurt in this country. Reporter food banks like this one that serves people in contra costa and solano counties are working to keep up with demand. We are seeing people that we have never seen before. Reporter the two counties are feeding 178,000 people a month since the pandemic started. Thats a 50 increase at some food giveawaye having to purcha more food than weve ever had to purchase before. Reporter lewis says she can identify with the need thats out there. Were all on the edge of our seats, hoping something comes through. Reporter in walnut creek, cheryl hurd, nbc bay area news. Take a look at this. This video really shows you how many people are struggling. This is a food giveaway today in san jose. The line stretched for blocks. In fact, 2,000 people show the up at the cathedral of faith church for a box of free food. Our nbc bay area sky ranger was overhead. There were so many people that nearby streets were shut down. They had to bring in San Jose Police officers to help with the traffic. That traffic was backed up to highway 87. Eventually they ran out of food. If youd like more information on how to donate to food drives, look for this story at the top of our home page at nbcbayarea. Com. New at 11 00, the vast majority of covid19 patients survive the illness, including many who are considered vulnerable due to Underlying Health nbc bay areas thom jensen talked to two such covid19 survivors who found their own ways to beat the virus. Freezing cold one minute. Youre hot the next minute. Reporter angela is a covid19 survivor. The concord woman learned she had the virus days after returning home from a cruise to mexico on the grand princess. Just like literally like you got run over by a truck. Its like just to get up to go to the bathroom was a chore. Reporter she has a compromised immune system, and she worried a lot. Its kind of scary. Where is this going . Reporter but angela says the loving support of her family at home and a lot of helped her survive and goiavoid going the hospital. Now meet rico riff air is. He too survived but he was in the c1 was just in there every day that i was going to die in a room by myself. Reporter he doesnt know how he got it but learned in the hospital hes diabetic, and that made him high risk for serious complications. Every day just try to be positive. I broke down a lot. There was just no one there ever. Reporter scared and alone, he wants everyone to listen to the experts. Keep your distance from each other, you know . Wash your hands. Just happy to be alive, you know . I am so grateful for everything. Reporter thom jensen, nbc bay area news. We are on until midnight. Still ahead, infections are spreading through an east bay care facilitythe only problem t that facility are facing. Why the state of california might step in. We investigate. Plus no cars allowed. The reason oakland plans to close 74 miles of city streets. All the purple you see on this map. Im chief meteorologisteff tomorrow, even easter weekend. Thats in about seven minutes. What we do now will forever change our tomorrow. So lets do the right thing, today. Lets stay at home. Lets wash up. Lets always keep our distance please, six feet apart at least. Lets look after ourselves, as well as others. It will all be worth it. We can all do our part. So those on the front line can do their part. And when this is over, we will all, continue, to thrive. The heroic doctors and nurses on the front lines. The 7,000 cigna clinicians beside them. And everyone staying home to protect others. We will get through this together. Sfo is lit in the colors of the pride flag this weekend in memory of pioneering lesbian and civil rights activist phyllis lyon. She died in San Francisco this week of natural causes. She was 95 years old. Perhaps her most iconic image, shes wearing a turquoise jacket for her wedding. In 2008, she married her longtime partner for the second time. In 2004 they were the first couple married when gavin newsom ordered that same sex couples be issued marriage licenses. Before that, they spent decades leading Civil Rights Group efforts and marches. Among the local Nursing Homes facing a deadly surge in infections is the Orinda Care Center. Weve learned Contra Costa County is now asking the state of california to take over. Investigative reporter Jaxon Van Derbeken looked into the facilitys track record and found that has a lot to do with the countys request for outside help. Reporter an outbreak of covid19 at the Orinda Care Center has sickened at least 50 residents and staff. And tonight news that a second resident there has died of the virus. County leaders believe the state needs to step in. How do we keep those patients safe . Thats our underlying major concern that we have right now. How do we best treat them . Reporter Contra Costa County supervisor Candice Anderson has concerns about the regulatory history of the orinda center. State inspection documents indicate the facility was understaffed last summer. Regulators found it fell short on an average of two out of three days they checked. Certainly theres concern, and its not something we regulate. Reporter state inspectors found other problems with sanitation, medication storage, and alleged Improper Administration of antipsychotic drugs. And there was an incident involving a mentally disabled housekeeper accused of sexually abusing a dementia patient. In a statement, orindas owner called those past incidents unacceptable but isolated. But last year, the state sought to revoke her nursing administrators license for submitting fraudulent College Applications on her application. Solorzano is challenging the action and a hearing is set for later this year. She applied to open a facility in san jose as well but the state turned her down citing nine cases where patients were put in immediate jeopardy across her network of 11 Nursing Homes. Solorzano said the state revocation action is unjustified and insists her orinda facility has instituted rigorous Safety Measures to protect residents and staff there. Jaxon van derbeken, nbc bay area news. New at 11 00, he calls it a rapid mobile test team. The mayor of los angeles says his city will begin ramping up testing specifically targeting those who are the most vulnerable. Beginning now until this crisis ends, the city will deploy a rapid mobile test team that will go to these facilities that are housing the elderly, chronically ill, or debilitated, Nursing Homes, Skilled Nursing facilities, assisted living facilities and respiratory hospitals. If one of those facilities have a symptomatic resident or sees the start of an outbreak, the mayor says the team will be sent in asap to stop the spread d hopefully save lives. The Alameda CountySheriffs Office is releasing hundreds of inmates early in an attempt to curb an even bigger outbreak there. At senaanta rita jail, 12 inmat and two Staff Members have tested positive for covid19. Since march, more than 600 inmates have been released to reduce crowding. Now a new wave of releases. Derrick almena may be awarded release as he awaits his retrial for Involuntary Manslaughter in july. His lawyers say his mental and physical health is deteriorating quickly. Hes doing horrible. He looks he only has a couple teeth left on the bottom of his mouth. Should he be exposed to it, he would be in serious trouble. A Video Conference between almenas attorneys and the judge is set for tomorrow morning. Something good for all the people who are keeping things clean and healthy. Today Governor Newsom thanked custodial workers. He tweeted this video at the state operations center. The governor says he used to be a parttime janitor. Thats something that we didnt know about. And when he was, nobody would ever stop to say hello or to sa way. Itally saving lives so thank you. He added the custodial workers are the Unsung Heroes of this moment. As holy week continues for so many people, Public Health officials are reminding everyone to stay vigilant and continue to socially distance yourself. Alameda county reminding you tonight the shelter at home order runs until may 3rd. This impacts religious events like passover, easter, and ramadan. No gatherings of any kind outside of your immediate household and family members. Well, Church Services going viral excuse me, not viral, but virtual. Another example of the new normal that we live in. This is what many churches look like these days, empty church pews but still a lot of action. Tonights holy thursday mass at st. Josephs church in fremont was livestreamed on youtube. The church will be hosting Easter SundayService Online as well. Many churches and synagogues and temples are telling us that their recent online attendance is much higher than their usual inperson attendance. And heres a way you can celebrate easter at home this sunday. You can join pastor foreman from san joses cathedral of faith for an easter service. It airs right here on nbc bay area sunday morning, 9 00. The east Bay Regional Park District is putting even more restrictions in place for easter weekend. Parking lots that have been open at spots like briones, coyote hills, Kennedy Grove will be temporarily closed to discourage crowds during the sunny weekend. Park leaders are urging people to take a walk in their own neighborhoods instead of heading to trails and open spaces. Open spaces and preserves in the south bay and pnleninsula are ao shutting down forur website. Oakland plans to close 74 miles of streets to cars in order to provide more spacers for walkers, runners and bikers to exercise. Thats 10 of the city streets. Streets highlighted in purple on this map will be closed. Mayor libby schaaf says the plan is part of an Emergency Declaration called oakland flow streets. Everyone must still practice social distancing. Wouldnt that be cool in healthier times to do that anyway . That would be really awesome. Lets bring in our chief meteorologist jeff ranieri as we head into this very special weekend for so many families. We do have some sunshine moving in certainly by this easter weekend. We know the celebrations will be a lot smaller, but at least well get some good weather in here as we move into sunday. Right now, we are still tracking a last leg of some showers moving in down across the south bay. Theres some heavier rain associated with it right over patterson. It so far hasnt accumulated to much but could see a tenth to maybe 0. 15 of an inch for morgan hill and gilroy for the next three to four hours. By tomorrow morning, an isolated chance of a spotty shower for the south bay and a few areas of drizzle with that cloud cover to start. Not the sunniest of mornings. Then as we hit 9 00, that chance decreases and then once we roll into the afternoon, youll notice we have a slight chance of over Mount Hamilton and the santa cruz mountains. Sunshine building through parts of the south bay, the east bay, and the north bay with that filtered sunshine returning. Temperatures will also start to warm up a couple of degrees. Were expecting 70 here in antioch. Thats my forecast tomorrow. 69 in napa. Down to san jose, 68 coastline, those numbers will definitely stik this . I got better news. As we hit this weekend, while were all under this shelter in place across california, we are going to have some milder 70s on sunday. So that will at least make it better for any kind of gatherings you have outside. Coming up in 25 iminutes, ill have a look at my longrange forecast and what im expecting for the rest of april and may with our rain chances. Ill see you in about 25 minutes. Thanks so much, jeff. Well see you soon. The nba has a new idea. Actually its a new idea but an oldschool game now being made new again. Well explain. And happening now, 65 motel rooms are now available in concord for homeless that need to shelter in place during this pandemic. They will be available for four months. Advocacy groups say the Homeless Population is particularly at risk during this crisis. Many live inqut hand washing or social distancing. L the best way to predict the future is to create it 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. If you want to go watch an as game, a giants game or even a niners teams to return action, it might only be on tv. This is going to be really eerie. A Santa Clara County executive officer, dr. Jeffrey smith, says he doesnt expect fans back in the seats until at least november. Keep in mind levis stadium in Santa Clara County. The 49ers tell us they plan to follow league recommendations along with those from all levels of government. But to be clear here, janelle, the nfl, as does major league baseball, they plan to kick off baseball as soon as possible. The nfl in september. But it might be in empty stadiums. Wouldnt that be strange to watch the 49ers or raiders or any other team with no fans and no crowd noise in those stadiums. Well, remember the game horse . Yeah, horse. The nba is planning to use it to put basketball back on tv. Anything for us to watch, right . It will feature allstars trey young and chris paul and other basketball greats. Each player will shoot from isolated home courts. The first round starts this sunday, and a champion will be crowned by next thursday. Coming up in our second half hour, elective surgeries are supposed to be on hold for the pandemic, but some doctors are doing them anyway. We investigate why these operations are being done even when theyre not essential. Cash payments are on the way from the government, and crooks are lining up to get their hands on yours. Im consumer investigator chris chmura. Were show you how theyre going to try next. 58 million latinos live in the united states. If we all participate in the 2020 census, we can ensure fair funding for our schools, libraries, hospitals, and other public services. The census is safe, its confidential, and our community is counting on us to do our part. We know who we are and how vibrant our community is. Lets make sure our nation knows it too. For more information, visit getcounted. Com, and to participate, go to census. Gov. Right now at 11 30, light it blue. Take a look. Tonight landmarks across the nation are showing support for Health Care Workers on the front lines. That is levis stadium right there. Not just levis, the superdome in new orleans also shining bright in blue as well as the mighty lights on the big River Crossing the memphis. Its a way to express gratitude for the exhausting and risky work that medical professionals are doing. If youre just now joining us, this is our special 11 30 newscast as we near the end of week four of our lockdown. The Financial Impact is being felt by millions of people. More people being laid off. Americans are filing for Unemployment Benefits more than ever. As they do, congress is trying to hammer out a new rescue package to help Small Businesses so they can keep paying their employees. Nbcs Susan Mcginnis has the latest from washington, d. C. Reporter as the coronavirus ravages the nation, the economic devastation mounts. In the past week, more than 6. 5 million americans filed for jobless benefits, bringing the threeweek total to more than 16 million. The dire numbers revealed as the white house tries to secure an additional 250 billion to help Small Businesses