Honestly, its terrible for all the families, but the people on the ship. The emergency unfolding off the coast of florida with local families caught right in the middle. And can hospitals handle the surge . Eyeopening numbers from hardhit Santa Clara County. How many beds are currently available as cases continue to climb in the south bay. Good thursday evening. Thanks for joining us. Im janelle wang in the studios. And im Jessica Aguirre in the newsroom. We begin with a change in direction from Health Officials tonight. Bay area Health Experts now say everyone should use some sort of face cover when you go out in public. A change they say will help prevent Community Spread of the coronavirus. Nbc bay areas jean elle is live in San Francisco with more on this new directive. Jean . Reporter janelle and jessica, Health Officials say there are lots of people who have coronavirus but they dont know it because they dont have symptoms. So now having everyone wear a mask or a face cover will help those carriers will prevent those carriers from spreading the virus. Yeah, ive looked at Different Stores and i just dont see them. They run out. Reporter dawson epps cant find a mask to buy. A new recommendation from Bay Area Health departments to cover your nose and mouth when you go out is going to drive up demand. Every customer who doesnt have one already is looking. Reporter Cliffs Variety in San Francisco is sold out of the handmade mask its selling. Were carrying masks for n knobs, he warranted to kaeep hi seamstresses at work. Weve gone through over 100 in the last week already. Reporter officials dont want you to buy medicalgrade masks that hospital workers need. They say bandannas or cloth masks will do and wearing one should be a reminder to still keep your distance from others. Masks are not a substitute for physical distancing. Thats crystal clear. Reporter Health Departments say using a mask will help slow the Community Spread of coronavirus. I didnt know it was in effect here. Yeah, i guess i will and try to get these guys to do it also. Reporter as word of the new guidance gets out, people say theyre ready to improvise. If i do find myself out and a amongst folks, i definitely want to take that precaution. Probably a handkerchief. Im sure i could find something around my place where i could make some kind of a makeshift mask when i go out. Reporter now, the new guidance comes with some reminders like wash your hands before you put your mask on. Once its on your face, dont touch your face or your mask. And if you do, wash your hands and when youre done with that face cover, wash it every time. Reporting live in San Francisco, jean elle, nbc bay area news. Good advice. Thank you, jean. Here is where things stand. Santa clara county still the bay areas hot zone with more than 1,000 cases and 36 deaths. To give you better perspective on where we are in this pandemic nationwide, this graph shows how the total number of cases progressed since the end of january and then spiked in march. Were now at over 200,000 cases nationwide, and this is far from over. Temporary hospitals are springing up around the country, including california and new york as states report sharp spikes in confirmed cases. This is video from the midwest. Crews in chicago and detroit are transforming Convention Centers into medical facilities. With the National Death toll rising by roughly 1,000 americans a day, fema has made an ominous request. 100,000 body bags fromhe defense department. Its perhaps a chilling indication of whats to come. I know its difficult, but were having a lot of suffering, a lot of death. This is going to get worse before it gets better. In colorado, the governor warns the death rate in his state is now rising faster than any other state, writing to the Vice President the situation is far worse than we imagined. Georgias governor finally issuing a stayathome order today. But there are still five states where no stayathome order has been issued. Those are the states highlighted in white. The states in yellow have some kind of stayathome order in only parts of the state, and those in red have issued statewide orders to shelter at home. New at 11 00, docked at last. Two cruise ships with coronavirus patients on board docked in florida this afternoon. And a third is headed there this weekend. Among those on board that ship, bay area passengers that have been stuck on the ship for a month now. Nbc bay areas Sergio Quintana is live in san mateo tonight. I know, sergio, you spoke to some of those passengers. How are they faring at this point . Reporter well, theyre all concerned about what happens next. It is another princess cruise ship. There are 12 people aboard who have tested positive for covid19. Among them is a bay area father. When the coral princess docks in port everglades, florida, saturday, it will be a welcome moment for fremont resident julie and her husband richard. This is really interesting because when we started this voyage, we left San Francisco on the 29th of february and things were looking very good in south america. Reporter when they flew to south america and boarded the coral princess, the emergency in japan with the diamond princess had just unfolded and the emergency aboard the grand princess, which had to dock here in oakland, was yet to happen. What i dont want to see is that everybody is all commingled together and that theres no consideration for some kind of an organized way to approach this from an Infectious Disease standpoint. Honestly its terrible for all the families, like the people on the ship to have this like uncertainty. Reporter nancy chens father, wilson, is among the passengers who tested positive for covid19, and her mother now has symptoms. She just wants them to dock as soon as possible. What i truly want is for my parents and the passengers that are sick to get adequate medical care. Like i dont like hearing from my mom that, like, she cant get someone on the phone to bring tylenol, to bring food. Reporter now, earlier this week, Florida Governor ron desantis reversed his decision not to allow those ships to dock. But since then there really hasnt been any details about exactly how theyre going to handle all of the passengers aboard those three ships that are docking this weekend. Reporting live in san mateo, im Sergio Quintana, nbc bay area news. What a frightening and just well, a call for action. Comes after one person staying in a shelter tested positive for covid19. That person at the Division Circle navigation center. They have since been moved a hotel and the center has been given extra masks for both staff and residents. Supervisors, though, say keeping the homeless packed into shelters is a recipe for disaster. Now, our Investigative Unit started looking into the problem weeks ago, and were going to show you what they found in a special report coming up in our second half hour. As the south bay topped 1,000 cases today, Santa Clara County launched a new program that gives a real time look at just how many hospital beds are available. And now other cities could be following the same lead. Nbc bay areas ian cull explains. Ian . Reporter weve been asking for these numbers since last week. They are now online and updated daily. County leaders say they believe no matter what the numbers are, people would rather know. Its difficult to see conditions inside hospitals right now unless youre a patient. Weve seen tents outside of medical centers and to get a better overall picture, Santa Clara County is posting a new data dashboard. You can keep an eye on total case numbers, but now also see how many people are being tested by public and private labs. How many were positive and as of tonight, its 11 . And the number of hospital beds being used and still available. If i were at home, id want to know this information, and thats why were making it public. Reporter the site also breaks it down by percentage. Even though 198 covid19 patients are hospitalized, the beds available, 53 in acute care. In many ways it is reassuring that we are in a county with a large number of hospital beds, Critical Care beds, ventilators. Reporter right now its the only bay area county providing this data. We want the public to be confident that we are doing everything we can to be ready. This information should be shared with the public every single day. Reporter San Franciscos supervisor aaron peskin is urging Health Officials and the mayor to release the same stats in the city. I think this will actually build for us reduced fear and theres no reason the government should not be sharing this. Reporter if you want to see that Santa Clara County website, we posted a link in this story on our web page. I also put it out on my twitter time line. Just search nbc ian. In san jose, ian cull, nbc bay area news. A lot of people will want to see it for sure. New at 11 00, the country braces for a massive spike in unemployment, more than we have already. Facebook says it plans to add 10,000 workers by the end of the year. Theyre expected to fill positions on product and engineering teams. The companys coo, Sheryl Sandberg told cnbc that hiring will remain aggressive. Overall the job market is much more bleak tonight after staggering unemployment numbers were announced. More than 1 million californians have applied for Unemployment Benefits within the last two weeks. The Labor Department says last week alone, more than 870,000 people in the state filed for unemployments. Across the u. S. , 6. 6 Million People have filed. So many of them have lost their jobs in recent weeks because of businesses shutting down under the shelter at home order. Many arent sure when they will see another paycheck. The ceo of a restaurant chain has laid off three quarters of its staff. Its heartbreaking. It really is. To see these people that are your family, that are part of your team, that have done everything to support you and your growth. Now youre at a place that you cant afford or be able to provide them the salaries that they were being able to receive. The job losses of the last two weeks have wiped out almost half of the jobs the nation gained since the recession of 2008. Stocks, though, gepting a boost following yesterdays big selloff. The dow gaining 469 points today. The s p up 56. The nasdaq adding 126. Were on till midnight. Ahead, doing whatever it takes. The minorityowned businesses struggling to keep the doors open and the changes theyre making to survive the crisis. Plus feeding the front lines. The new nonprofit delivering free meals to medical teams and giving local restaurants a boost that they desperately need. Im chief meteorologist jeff ranieri. Ill have details on the weekends storm and whats floating around right now that could be bothering your allergies. Thats in about seven minutes. Just in tonight, another option in the east bay. A new Testing Center is set to open in fremont tomorrow. Its located at the fremont fire Tactical Training snecenter. Its hoped to provide faster results for First Responders and Health Care Workers who may have been exposed. Real fire tonight that dozens of minute oority owned businesses wont survive the coronavirus, Small Businesses struggle to stay afloat even during good times. Now is anything but. Nbc bay areas cheryl hurd shows us how a few entrepreneurs are just trying to make by. Reporter tanya hollands brown sugar kitchen in uptown oakland has been well known for over a decade for its Fried Chicken and waffles and gumbo. Being a black woman, owning a business is tough on its own. Getting access to capital investment, you know, real estate. Reporter she says its an uphill battle. She moved into her dream location on broadway just over a year ago. It takes a good year to get your flow, and we were just starting to hit our stride and then this happened. Reporter like all restaurants, covid19 is forcing her to change her business model. She is surviving on takeout. She had to lay off close to 30 employees and shes hoping her loyal following will keep her going. This is already a business with small, small margins. So theres no nest egg or, you know, reserve funds for us to hold on to. Reporter minorityowned restaurants arent the only types of businesses struggling during this pandemic. Small minorityowned Grocery Stores like shoprite are taking a serious hit as well. The prices really went up from the suppliers themselves. But unfortunately we cant raise the prices. Were taking the loss ourselves. Reporter ali is not thinking about turning a profit right now even though he needs to. He is trying to keep his business and his customers afloat. Im losing almost 200, 300 a day just on helping out. Reporter thats the price hes willing to pay during this crisis. In oakland, cheryl hurd, nbc bay area news. San francisco is the latest city taking steps to help Small Businesses during the pandemic. Mayor breed, supervisor normanee announced an Economic Recovery Task force. Its designed to support people and businesses in the city for as long as the shelter at home order stands. It will also come up with a plan for economic recovery once San Francisco gets through this pandemic. Communication is key. A warning tonight about Santa Clara Countys eviction moratorium. During a Virtual Conference today, south bay leaders warned you have to communicate with your landlord about your hardship if you cant pay your rent right now because the virus caused you to lose your job. If you dont, the moratorium will not protect you. Its also probably best to communicate that in writing so theres a record of it. The moratorium lasts through the end of may. After that, all past due rent is due within 120 days. Governor newsom unveiled a new website today called onward ca. Org. It will help people get connected to emergency resources as well as Training Programs for a new career. It will also help connect people with potential new employers. The program was spearheaded by oaklandbased kapur center and more than 100 other tech companies. Governor newsom says the state is working quickly to help people during this uncertain time. We recognize people are feeling deep anxiety about just paying for basic necessities and food and rent and the like and child care for so many. Governor newsom also introduced a Bridge Loan Program for Small Business owners. People can take up to 50,000 in loans and not pay the state sales tax for one year. Now to something good. Feeding the front lines. A new nonprofit created just weeks ago called front line foods. The idea is to help struggling restaurants stay in business by paying for a meal that will then be given to a hospital worker on the job. Every dollar donated goes directly to restaurants to help save Small Businesses and employ more of their workers. And we provide those meals to the people on the front lines who we depend on working at hospitals today. Theyre even busier than families with saving lives, so they dont have time to think about food. Every restaurant in palo alto has partnered with front line foods. This delivery is a going to kaiser in san jose tomorrow. We have put up a link on our website if youd like to help out and donate to front line. Our commitment to looking at the good things that are happening during this pandemic doesnt stop here. On saturday, join us for an nbc bay area news special. Well bring you the best of the best and tell you how you can do something good for your neighbors in need as well and for your community. Watch coronavirus our community responds, this saturday at 7 00 p. M. Were hearing so many wonderful stories, and we love to cover them, so keep them coming. Lets get a check of our forecast with chief meteorologist jeff ranieri. He has your microclimate forecast. All the tools at his home computer. Hi, jeff. Hey, thats exactly right. We have everything transplanted from our Weather Office right here into my living room. So just in case you havent heard, out of an abundance of caution, a lot of nbc bay area employees are working from home just like me as well. Now, i did want to start off with that microclimate forecast tonight with a look at the pollen because your allergies may be bugging you. And with covid19, the symptoms, they may kind of blur together for you. So what i want you to know right now is the highest thing that is floating around that could be irritating you is oak trees. We have a lot of oak trees in the bay area, so that definitely could be causing you some issues. What i want you to do is go to jeff ranieri or nbc bay area and theres a comparison lift. You can compare them and take those proper precautions if needed. As we move into our forecast here, youll see through tomorrow morning, were going to start off cold here with temperatures in the 30s to 40s. So a chilly start. Then as we move through the day, well have mostly sunny skies. I dont see a big difference in loved today, you will like 67 in napa. Palo alto, 6