here is the new health order here in sonoma county. it says indoor activities or gatherings can have a maximum of 50 people. anything larger needs to be canceled. outdoor events can have no more than 100 people. those who are at high risk of covid are saying they should not be in crowds that have more than 12 people unless it is a family gathering. health departments is case rates have never been higher in sonoma county, so they are taking this step. >> this will be in effect as of 12:01 a.m. on wednesday, january 12. it is scheduled to remain in effect until february 11. follow these steps to reduce the likeness that many individuals will be exposed to covid-19 at a single event and will verify the slow spread of omicron variant. amy: it is not just g is not jug the theater. the county is also recommending all residents shelter-in-place starting tomorrow. this is not in order, recommendation. they want residents to avoid people from other households for 30 days. the recommendation is to not leave the house except for essential busines

in sonoma county. justin andrews. >>> the cdc may start recommending people wear n95 or kn95 marks instead of other types. the washington post sites an unnailed official who said that the agency is considering the change. he said omicron spreads so easy that's cdc is looking at mask was better filters. some find that k95 and kn95 masks uncomfortable. the need to wear facial coverings consistently and correctly is also a consideration. >>> starting weekend insurance company also cover over-the-counter covid19 tests. private insurance will be required to pay for eight tests per month per individual. either by covering the coast up front or through a claim reimbursement. >>> happening today chicago's teacher also be back in the classroom preparing their lesson plans after a four day walk out. students set to return tomorrow. >> i'm glad we are hopefully putting behind us and looking forward. >> the teachers union and city reached andreiment over safety precautions around covid it. includes new metrics for

in sonoma county. we have seen a widespread in our skilled nursing facilities. we have seen more hospitalizations and deaths. homeless population. and events. all that is concerning. i think we are still on the upward trend. >> tells about the metrics the counties are using to determine when the pandemic is no warmer a pandemic? when covid-19 is not a major threat to public health any longer. >> there is a multiple manufacturers are coming to this. let me say in sonoma county one of our most concerning metrics is our hospital capacity. or hospitals have all reached out and said, they have staffing shortages, there are seeing more people in the hospital with covid-19 but also with other illnesses. emergency department are packed. it's really hard for hospitals to get people out. to skilled nursing facilities. or to homeless shelters. or even alternate care sites. where people with covid-19 positive are quarantining. all these things are important because they can impact the care for the community. the hospitals can provide. people who need to go to the hospital w

poor sonoma county you know this because this location, wildfires have spread through sonoma county and the north bay. and this time it's not flames. a crime, but they're trying to make sure that they have enough staff members at the hospital. maybe it's not so much the bed amount, but the staff member so they can take care of people who are coming in for omicron. not everybody is so say generous are willing to adjust as far as enthusiastically. i can tell you that a lot of gym owners, they are very mad about this because january, they say one, they don't think on the kron is coming from their gyms and 2, they say january is a very busy month for them. they make a lot of money because let's face it. reyna new year. new resolution in a lot of people coming to the gym's to try to lose weight. they say the only thing that they're losing now, as far as the gyms are concerned, is money. to will. hopefully these changes are going to make leverage in all of this. thank you for that. >> another big story, san francisco has issued a new health order on mega events and vaccination requirements. k

in the north bay doesn't sonoma county inmates and at least 7 workers have tested positive for covid amid a new outbreak there in the county's main jail. the sonoma county sheriff's office confirming that the outbreak in the main adult detention facility in santa rosa is the 3rd rash of covid cases. now that jail since the pandemic began in response, the jail has lockdown. it's not allowing anyone coming in from the outside. officials have ordered additional testing to determine the extent of that outbreak. sonoma county is now reporting more daily covid infections than any other point during this pandemic, officials held a briefing to inform residents about testing kits that all are that are on the way now. and some changes to its health orders with crawford's taylor's sacking with a closer look at what they're doing. >> our cases sonoma county have nearly tripled in the past few weeks. and as has our positivity rate and early december, we were averaging less than 40 cases a now we're seeing 200 to 300, coronavirus cases continue to rise in sonoma county. >> reaching peaks higher th

dan: in covered restrictions go into affect in sonoma county. they are limiting credit defense and residents are being asked to stay home for 30 days. in effort to stop the rapid spread of omicron. ama: abc 7 news reported was in sonoma tonight and explains even for businesses allowed to stay open, this could impact their bottom line. reporter: it's almost like march 2020 all over again. on wednesday, sonoma county residents will be asked to stay home for 30 days unless going to essential places. right now they are the only bay area county to issue a help order this severe. >> if you are sick, don't go out. i don't like the idea that restrictions keep coming and going. reporter: under the new order, the shelter-in-place for residents is voluntary. outdoor gatherings have to be capped at 100 people and 50 for indoor gatherings. >> this is about politics, not science. reporter: the owner of sonoma fit says the last two years have been the worst for his business. he can't believe he and his staff have to go through another set of restrictions. he s

ktvu is tom vacar has reaction now from sonoma county. sonoma county's health officers says she's tired of dealing with covid to dr sundar e. mays. did the math been at this for nearly two years now, and it's frustrating to still be dealing with all the masking social distancing and other safety measures. i get it . oh macron patients are less likely to need hospitalization. there are so many cases, hospitals still could be overwhelmed.

dan: in covered restrictions go into affect in sonoma county. they are limiting credit defense and residents are being asked to stay home for 30 days. in effort to stop the rapid spread of omicron. ama: abc 7 news reported was in sonoma tonight and explains even for businesses allowed to stay open, this could impact their bottom line. reporter: it's almost like march 2020 all over again. on wednesday, sonoma county residents will be asked to stay home for 30 days unless going to essential places. right now they are the only bay area county to issue a help order this severe. >> if you are sick, don't go out. i don't like the idea that restrictions keep comi and report: under the new order, resintisoluntary. outdoor gatherings have to be capped at 100 people and 50 for indoor gatherings. >> this is about politics, not science. reporter: the owner of sonoma fit says the last two years have been the worst for his business. he can't believe he and his staff have to go through another set of restrictions. he says january is his busiest month because p

informal reaction to the sonoma county band. we're joined this afternoon by heidi, who get of the california events coalition and ceo of coast side couture and event planning and design company. heidi. thank you so much for being here this afternoon. of course, this is another major setback for the wedding and live event industry your take on this band. well you know, we're disappointed. um, we have been already through a 15 month shutdown as an industry. we just all got back to work in mid april and spent eight months proving that safe events are possible. um this came very sudden, with no warning. we spend a lot of time trying to keep in touch with cd ph and know if these things are coming, and so people who had social events planned for the next month are now scrambling to postpone. okay talk about what that is like. i mean, i can only imagine, you know, having a wedding. let's say there was planned for earlier last year. looking forward to a new date. here it is. and then now you get word that sorry you can't have an event f

in sonoma county. justin andrews. kpix five. >> students in the west account for custody unified district are back in class today. the schools closed friday, monday, to ease the impact of covid outbreaks on students and staff. the district deep cleaned the classrooms during that closure. they will provide testing throughout the week. however, families still need to make appointment. schools around the bay area, facing staffing challenges as covid cases continue to rise. one school district is counting on help from parents to bridge that gap. kpix five, without palo alto unified is hoping to stay open. >> palo alto unified launched one palo alto. it is a call to action to parents so that schools can stay open. they are asking for volunteers. since they want the superintendent said, they have gotten a pretty good response for parents. >> in 20 minutes, we had 50 volunteers. by the next morning, we had 350. today, really, just barely, and datwo, have0. >>pa superident, don, s one of their biggest challenges now is staffi

dan: as sonoma county increases restrictions, other counties are holding off, at least for now. our reporter has the story. >> underway in sonoma county as the fight against the omicron variant continues. >> everything we have done since the onset of this pandemic has been to protect the health and safety of our residents in sonoma county. >> the move is aimed at preventing hospitals from becoming overwhelmed. sonoma county is recommending residents shelter-in-place and only leave their homes for essential business for 30 days, but other counties are not amending their health orders. oakland mayor says she -- the oakland mayor says she is personally limiting her out of house appointments. >> it is sad for me. it's going to be my last annual meeting in d.c. as the mayor, but i don't think it is prudent to travel and to be around a lot of people you don't know. >> contra costa county tells us it is carefully monitoring case rates and hospitalizations, but has no plan to change house or there's -- change health orders at this time. they are restricting school sporting event spectat

we asked an expert will sonoma county's current health order be a model for other counties. >> i think there are multiple options to take to hit the pause button. i think what sonoma is doing is just one of these strategies. >> we checked in with other bay area counties. napa county said its looking at it's local numbers and not considering an order like sonoma right now. alameda said a similar order would be disruptive to its county. also during a covid update in san francisco doctor phillips said this. >> we are not considering it at this time additional restrictions on activities or sectors or recommending that people entirely shelter in place in san francisco. >> if they aren't being considered by other counties, what else could health leaders be looking at? counties could be adding horrifiedance to the kinds of masks to wear. they could be limiting only boosted people into certain businesses and they may be canceling big events among others. >> no matter what is done, i no for sure that there is no intention to go into lockdown any more like someplaces in europe because we want to

in sonoma county, cornell bernard. larry: more covert headlines -- the cdc officially updated its mask recommendations. it warns that loosely woven cloth masks provide the least amount of protection. you might want to upgrade to an n95 mask, but any mask is better than none at all. the white house is launching a website to distribute free at-home tests starting on wednesday. and for the second day, california's test positivity has decreased, but we are talking ever so slightly. it was 23% and now 22.9%. ama: santa clara county officials say the demand for covid tests exceeds supplies by a lot. they released new guidelines today. both pcr tests and at home antigen test can determine whether someone has contracted the virus. >> if you have symptoms of covid, isolate yourself right away. that is the most important step you can take. you can use either test to figure out if you have covid. please do not use emergency rooms as testing centers. ama: they cannot stress that enough. the county's new guidelines follow new frame

sonoma county medication. receive 67,000 boxes of test. >> to test each. and today they're going out to schools and school districts. i'm taylor bisacky reporting kron 4 news. >> a new study suggests that hispanic women who are pregnant are twice as likely to get sick from covid researchers was center. health's sent out that warning today saying it's important for the expectant mothers to get a vaccine to protect themselves from the virus if not doctors say in the worst case scenario, mom and baby are at a higher risk of dying. the mother can also develop high blood pressure, which can stop a fetus from growing or damage. internal organs. >> the message to all are expecting. mom, this is especially the ones that are high risk infections to really nation against covid early as possible. pregnancy. this will reduce the chances of developing a serious infection that we know. and certainly be or aggravated by the few cells, your pregnancy, which makes more susceptible to go up each covid testing of the 2 per year. >> researchers couldn't say why, but they did

in sonoma county. justin andrews. >>> schools throughout the bay area are facing staffing challenges as covid cases continue to rise. what one school district is counting on help from parents to bridge that gap.. how palo alto is hoping to stay open. >> they launched a call to action. they are asking for volunteers and since they launched they said they have gotten a pretty great response from parents. >> in 20 minutes we had 50 volunteers. by the next morning we had 350. today really just barely into day 2, we have 670. >> the superintendent said that one of their biggest challenges now is staffing. they are committed to staying open with the help of parents. austin said parents can choose to do light work like emptying trash cans and wiping desks. they can monitor lunch lines and they can help teachers in classrooms. >> while volunteer cannot serve in the substitute role, they can allow us to combine classes and have enough adults in there to supervise. >> they will need to show proof of vaccination

now the search prompted the sonoma county health officer to issue a ban on all large gatherings. and as kron four's, dan thorn reports, everyone is being urged to stay home. limit your travel to just necessary trips again. >> stay home as much as possible for the next 30 days. that's the request from sonoma county's public health officer of the omicron variant. >> our case rates have never been higher a shunt begin to decline. >> doctor, some during mace says sonoma county is dealing with a rapid rise in covid-19 cases and is expecting the surge will get worse in an appeal to the community. doctor mace is asking people to limit their travel outside of their home to just going to work or school or taking trips to the doctor or the grocery store. beginning wednesday, large gatherings of more than 50 people indoors or more than 100 people outdoors are also banned in the county just by pure volume. we're seeing increases in our hospitalizations. and, you know, we're really concerned about the county leaders are hoping these steps will help prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed ove

. >> nbc bay area's cierra johnson live in sonoma county. and these new rules are really giving us -- a lot of people a sense of deja vu. >> deja vu is exactly right. the mood really feels like something we've experienced this time last year during the pandemic. but here in sonoma county, some big changes coming when it deals with the occupancy rate for both indoor and outdoor gatherings. take a look at your screen. we break it down for you. the order bans anything more than 50 people indoors and more than 100 people outdoors. now gatherings are not allowed if there's more than 12 people at high risk for severe chance of developing an infection from covid. and it's important to note it does not apply to school classrooms or recess activities. this order went into effect midnight last night. the person we spoke to here in sonoma county is hoping the order will slow the spread while others are concerned at this point in the pandemic many are simply going to behave how they want. >> personally, i would not go to any place where there's large ga

well, here in sonoma county covid cases are surging like so many other places. on monday >> said they are asking folks to avoid public gatherings. they are also canceling all indoor gatherings of 50 people or more and outdoor gatherings of 100 people or more. and that decision is already having an impact. >> she lynn pretty frustrated. shannon o'donnell is the owner of the mystic theater in downtown petaluma after being closed for a year and a half. the theater just reopened this past fall. shannon says she and her staff are fully vaccinated and boosted and that they have done everything they can to follow the rules and keep the doors open news that sonoma county is once again canceling large gatherings for at least a month. it's devastating. >> it's obviously be on financially straining scary. and we just got to reopen in september. and then i got the news last night that her forced to close down for another month. it's not possibly longer fits. it's been a rough time. >> shannon says the theater employs about 25 people in the attached restaurant bucaneers has

in sonoma county, the case rate has jumped nearly 400% over 14 days. and if this trend continues sonoma counties daily hospitalizations could reach nearly 400 a day. that would be a huge jump from last winter surge. when there were 104 people hospitalized on average. the new health order prohibits large public gatherings indoors and more than 50 people as well as outdoor gatherings of more than 100 people. while we may all be done with covid covid is not done with us. due to the omicron variants are case rates have never been hired, and our hospitalizations are beginning decline. the ban is now in effect until february. 11th sonoma county residents are also being asked to stay home as much as possible. health officials say trips should be limited to school, the office, the doctor's office and the grocery store, and that surge in cases as being felt that covid testing sites in the labs that process those pcr tests. okay to be used jana katsuyama going to tour but covid testing lab in berkeley today to see how they process thousands of tests every day. j

county tourism optimistic. >> after sonoma county health officials clarified a health order thursday due to declining covid cases. earlier this month, a surge in cases prompted the county to issue an order that limits indoor events to a maximum of 50 people. >> outdoor events to no more than 100 now, indoor events can include 50 spectators that helps performing arts centers. >> who wanted to certainly get people into the theaters to see their plays a musical performance is also in schools to get parents and to be able to kids play those those who are playing sports are included in the numbers. it's a boost to performing arts and school events. but for the larger tourism industry. >> it doesn't change a whole lot our events have been down and the incrase been doubt. renee make owner of paradise. ridge winery in santa rosa says the county's restrictions have made challenging for business. if they're looking for a wedding venue in wine country. >> it made it much more difficult to book in sonoma county compared to other places around here when those kinds of mandates just hit one partic

it is the new help order in sonoma county. indoor gatherings must be canceled if they have more than 50 people. anything larger needs to be shut down for now. outdoor events can have no more than 100 people. those that are susceptibre susce covid should not be with more than 12 people at a time unless it is a family gathering. case rates have never been higher so they're trying to take this step to slow down the spread of omicron. >> effect. we believe this is necessary to reduce the likelihood of any individual and and spread of the omicron variant. all residents shelter--p and t's not an order, it's a recommendation. they want residents to avoid people from other households. the recommendation is not to leave the house except for essential business. no other bay area county has taken a step like this, but the county says it has to do it because case rates are so high saying numbers are up 398%. that's over the past two weeks. kumasi: and is not just covid concerning doctors, it's the flu. advice from doctors about what to do

fauci will find almost everybody and counties are hoping to suppress the surge and sonoma county now banning gatherings of 50 or more indoors and 100 or more outdoors and also asking people to stay home as much is possible. we asked this infectious disease expert will sonoma county's current health order be a model for other counties. >> i think there are multiple options to take to hit the pause button and i think what sonoma is doing is just one of the strategies. >> reporter: we checked in with other counties in napa county said it is looking at his local numbers and not considering an order like sonoma county right now. alameda said a similar order would be disruptive to its county, and also during the covid update in san francisco, doctor susan phillips at this. >> we are not considering at this time additional restrictions on activities or sectors are recommending that people entirely shelter in place in san francisco. >> reporter: large gathering restrictions are being considered in other counties and what all scripps health leaders be looking at? he said they could be adding

it is so important for sonoma county to do this. it is the only county in the bay area so far. >> to implement the restriction. you're not going to get fined are in trouble. but i'm sure if you have a large gathering, don't be surprised if the health department says knock it off. and james, i got to tell you this morning, just to piggyback on what john trouble did with weather, i would you even have to tell me to stay inside. look at this. >> it's so cold. you don't have to tell me to stay inside and listen leave me. no health officer needs to tell. this guy at a site when it's see your breath hold no doubt. all right. well, thank you very much. it's 7, 0, 3, is the time. another big story we're following. san francisco has issued a new health order as well on mega events and vaccination requirements for sarah stinson. >> live in the city to explain more about that. good morning, sarah. >> good morning. james. not only is san francisco now requiring you to be boosted if you go to one of these mega events starting february first, but

ktvu is tom vacar has reaction now from sonoma county. sonoma county's health officers says she's tired of dealing with covid to dr sundar e. mays. did the math been at this for nearly two years now, and it's frustrating to still be dealing with all the masking social distancing and other safety measures. i get it . oh macron patients are less likely to need hospitalization. there are so many cases, hospitals still could be overwhelmed. i'm making an appeal to all residents to stay home as much as possible for the next 30 days limit travel outside the home to just going to work or to school. and only making necessary trips that is going to be grocery store or the doctor's office, where sonoma county prohibits people gathering until february, 11th. our wedding venues, meeting halls, gyms or auditoriums. they have who all over again. it's as if we didn't get anywhere in the last two years, um i kind of wish they just took a stiffer stance at the very beginning if we can tamp down the spread and the rise in cases, i think it would be worth i

people in sonoma county are saying here we go again summer for many are against it. but according to the public health department in this county, they're saying they need to slow down on the kron and they are going back to an old playbook meeting. you have to quarantine or at least they're suggesting it is not the law, but they're suggesting so, you know what, sonoma county, obviously quiet right now. but it picks up as the day moves on and the week's move on, especially let's face it with wedding season in large gatherings and the weather getting better. but unfortunately, according to the health department, they're saying that try not to gather for the next 30 days. here are some of the guidelines that they are passing down, which, by the way, took effect at 12. 0, one this morning. so it's a little bit more than 5 hours old. what they're saying is this. if you're outside, you cannot gather with more than 100 people. if you're inside, you cannot gather with more than 50 people travel. should be only essential to the doctor's office to workplaces that have fewer tha

new health order for sonoma county. new restrictions and bay area hospitals canceling surgeries as beds fill up. staffing shortages and computer shortages forcing testing sites to shut down. sonoma county issuing new health orders against large gathering, more than 50 people indoors or more than 100 outdoors. also not allowed if they consist of more than 12 people at risk of severe illness from covid. remain in effect about a month, to february 11th. also asking people to stay home as much as possible the next 30 days. plea to the public. >> we may be all done with covid, covid is not done with us. due to the omicron variant, our case rates have never been higher and hospitalizations beginning to climb. widespread transmission with unvaccinated groups and some transmission among vaccinated individuals. >> county's positivity rate reached high of 16.5% this week, all-time high. when it comes to schools, the order does not apply to normal classroom or recess activities. bay area hospitals are make changes. ian cull has th

ama: covid-19 related estrogens are increasing in sonoma county but so far, other counties are holding off on doing the same for now. melanie woodrow has a look at the decisions being made. melanie: tighter restrictions are underway in sonoma county as the fight against the omicron variant continues. >> you do what you got to do. >> everything we have done since the onset of this pandemic has been to protect the health and self the -- safety of our residents in sonoma county. melanie: the move is to prevent hospitals from becoming overwhelmed. people should shelter-in-place. other counties are not amending their health orders. libby schaaf says while she has not heard of any changes in alameda county, she is limiting her out of house appointments including canceling her registration to the u.s. conference of mayors and washington, d.c. >>>> it will be my last annual meeting in d.c. as the mayor but i do not think it is prudent to travel and to be around a lot of people you do not know. melanie: contra costa county tells abc 7 news it is carefully monitoring case rates and hospitalizati

county tourism, optimistic. >> after sonoma county health officials clarified a health order thursday due to declining covid cases. earlier this month, a surge in cases prompted the county to issue an order that limits indoor events to a maximum of 50 people. >> outdoor events to no more than 100 now, indoor events can include 50 spectators that helps performing arts centers. >> who wanted to certainly get people into the theaters to see the plays a musical performance is also in schools to get parents and to be able to kids play those those who are playing sports are included in the numbers. it's a boost to performing arts and school events. but for the larger tourism industry. >> it doesn't change a whole lot our events have been down and the increase has been down. renee make owner of paradise. ridge winery in santa rosa says the county's restrictions have made challenging for business. if they're looking for a wedding venue in wine country. >> made it much more difficult to book in sonoma county compared to other places around here when those kinds of mandates just hit one particu

the sonoma county board of supervisors is reviewing the county's most recent health order under that order, which went into effect last week. indoor gatherings in sonoma county are currently limited to 50 people and outdoor gatherings to 100. the order also encourages people to only leave their homes when necessary . some of the supervisors have publicly criticized the health department over that new order. where are we going? we are in and i'm really concerned about the statistics that we are reading about and hearing about the sheer number of covid patients and transmission circulating through our company. the supervisors are hearing from hospital and school leaders about the omicron surge, the county reported nearly 1000 new covid cases yesterday, raising sonoma county's total number of cases to almost 63,000. about 40 firefighters with the short staff, santa clara county fire department are asking for an exemption to the county's new booster mandate. the county announced last month that all workers in high risk settings are required to get the booster shot by january. 24th. the f

concerts and weddings and other large events are being canceled in sonoma county. the new order takes effect at midnight with people being asked to stay home whenever possible for charles clifford has reaction. >> on monday afternoon, health officials said they are asking folks to avoid public gatherings. they are also canceling all indoor gatherings of 50 people are more and outdoor gatherings of 100 people or more. and that decision is already having an impact. >> feeling pretty frustrated. shannon o'donnell is the owner of the mystic theater in downtown petaluma after being closed for a year and a half. the theater just reopened this past fall. shannon says she and her staff are fully vaccinated and boosted and that they have done everything they can to follow the rules and keep the doors open news that sonoma county is once again canceling large gatherings for at least a month. it's devastating. >> it's obviously be on financially straining scary. and we just got to reopen in september. and then i got the news last night and forced to close down for another mon

ama: covid-19 related estrogens are increasing in sonoma county but so far, other counties are holding off on doing the same for now. melanie woodrow has a look at the decisions being made. melanie: tighter restrictions are underway in sonoma county as the fight against the omicron variant continues. >> you do what you got to do. >> everything we have done since the onset of this pandemic has been to protect the health and self the -- safety of our residents in sonoma county. melanie: the move is to prevent hospitals from becoming overwhelmed. people should shelter-in-place. other counties are not amending their health orders. libby schaaf says while she has not heard of any changes in alameda county, she is limiting her out of house appointments including canceling her registration to the u.s. conference of mayors and washington, d.c. >> i>> it will be my last annual meeting in d.c. as the mayor but i do not think it is prudent to travel and to be around a lot of people you do not know. melanie: contra costa county tells abc 7 news it is carefully monitoring case rates and hospitaliza

dan: a sonoma county man is pleading for his beloved cat to be returned. he says and believes tourists in his neighborhood snatched the cat and now have it in southern california. luz pena explains how he pieced the story together. luz: for the past three months, troy farrell has been fighting to get his cats back home. >> that was my friend. that was who i have. luz: he's a neighborhood cat. she has lived in sonoma for years. troy says she is a recent they chose the house -- the reason they chose the house. >> every time we would go to the window, she would run up and be like i'm here. let me in, i love you. we were like, that is the sign. this is the right house. luz: several years ago, troy adopted her. in october after he came back home from a trip, she was gone. >> they stole my cat. luz: neighbors say a couple stayed at airbnb two houses down from troy's asked about her while seeing her out in the neighborhood. >> i said, what do you know about this cat? we love this cat. luz: according to troy, last november he got a call from evette in long beach c

dan: a sonoma county man is pleading for his beloved cat to be returned. he says and believes tourists in his neighborhood snatched the cat and now have it in southern california. luz pena explains how he pieced the story together. luz: for the past three months, troy farrell has been fighting to get his cats back home. >> that was my friend. that was who i have. luz: he's a neighborhood cat. she has lived in sonoma for years. troy says she is a recent they chose the house -- the reason they chose the house. >> every time we would go to the window, she would run up and be like i'm here. let me in, i love you. we were like, that is the sign. this is the right house. luz: several years ago, troy adopted her. in october after he came back home from a trip, she was gone. >> they stole my cat. luz: neighbors say a couple stayed at airbnb two houses down from troy's asked about her while seeing her out in the neighborhood. >> i said, what do you know about this cat? we love this cat. luz: according to troy, last november he got a call from evette in long beach c

sonoma county is the only bay area county enacting this order neighboring wine country. napa county is not the chair of the healdsburg tourism improvement district says this means more tough times ahead for the already struggling tourism industry in that county. this is kind of a unilateral decision to close down. um you know, events in our county alone. i'm not quite sure of that. the wisdom of it, it will certainly impact our economy. now there are a lot of exemptions to this particular health order. for instance, family gatherings are exempt events at any house of worship as well. workplaces restaurants , shopping malls, businesses, cafeterias, museums are also not included in the order. neither are any school classes or outdoor recess. sonoma county has one of the highest vaccination rates in the state. 78% are fully vaccinated. 53% boosted this order goes into effect midnight tonight and will remain in effect for at least the next 30 days. february 11th live in the newsroom. ali rasmus ktvu box to me. all right, ali. thank you for that. san francisco demanding that

plus for the next month, large gatherings are banned in sonoma county will have a live report during our brand new noon show. with all the details need to know about that new mandate. >> and john madden's being honored in congress today. that happens around 11. 45 will show you that as well to catch it live and to get real time updates on local and national headlines all day long. grab your phone scanned the qr code that you see on your screen. it will take you straight to your app store so you can download kron-on for free. back to you. all right. well, thank you very much. and we'll leave you with one. beautiful story of survival. a lost dog reunited with his family after being separated for months. >> the pit bull terrier mix named russ. it all started when he ran away from his owner's while they were visiting lake tahoe back in august during the caldor fire, the owners were then forced to evacuate. they couldn't search for him because they had to get out. and then on of december 16th, the man skiing just west of lake tahoe spotted the dog. rescuers were called. they were able to

this video shows a chp helicopter getting ready to land on highway 1 16 and sonoma county along lush green fields. the view from the sky, though, transformed into a horrific scene. this is what's left of a cadillac that crashed on the highway near walmart road. a 16 year old boy riding in the cadillac was killed. so there was one fatality. i believe at the moment. we have two other major injuries visible in the mangled wreckage, a child safety seat. there was apparently no small child, though in the car. csp sergeant cruz korea said the cadillac had been heading west on the highway at about 11 15 sunday morning, weaving in and out of traffic. it was reported as driving recklessly crossing over solid double yellow lines, passing other vehicles that were traveling westbound. the cadillac then crashed into and ricocheted off an oncoming car. that vehicle collided with the first vehicle, which was traveling eastbound that caused a chain reaction that involves a total of four vehicles. the chp determined that the driver of the cadillac 24 year old genesis alexander of nevada, was under th

learning the surge prompted the sonoma county health officer to issue a ban

quincy worries the order, which does not impact other bay area counties, could hurt sonoma county tourism and event planning long-term. >> the message is that sonoma county is unsafe, when there could be nothing further from the truth. >> the order left many businesses scrambling. >> i we are at now. we want to do what is right. we want to comply with the health orders and requests, but they are not very clear. >> a theater here in catalonia just canceled all of its upcoming concerts. the website says it is looking to reschedule all of them. >> on top of the health order, officials have asked residents to voluntarily shelter in place and limit themselves to essential travel only. the public health officer says the county is seeing its biggest surge yet more than 80 people hospitalized, but getting advanced warning to business leaders was not possible. >> we understand the order went into effect very quickly, mainly because we want to get in front of this. i'm afraid we are really behind, given the rapid increase in hospitalizations. >> the county hopes the 30-day health order will help sl

>>sonoma county health officials are relaxing the rules for indoor events and the rules have been in place for about a month now. the changes response to a drop in covid cases in that county and kron on's gayle ong has the details for us. >>the news that the mandates were loosened a little bit is very much welcome by the tourism industry clout vecchio president and ceo of sonoma county tourism, optimistic. >>after sonoma county health officials clarified a health order thursday due to declining covid cases. earlier this month, a surge in cases profit the county to issue an order that limits indoor events to a maximum of 50 people. >>outdoor events to no more than 100 now, indoor events can include 50 spectators helps performing arts centers. >>who wanted to certainly get people into the theaters to see the plays a musical performance is also in schools to get parents and to be able to kids play those those who are playing sports are included in the numbers. it's a boost to performing arts and school events. but for the larger tourism industry. >>it doesn't change a whole lot our even

sonoma county man is pleading for his beloved cat to return. d said tourist in his neighborhood snatched the cat and they now have it in southern california. luz pena explains a he pieced the story together. luz: for the past three months, troy farrell has been fighting to get his cat back home. >> she was my support cap. that was my friend, you know? that was who i have. luz: nevins is a neighborhood cat. she's lived in sonoma for years. troy says she is the reason they chose the house. >> every time we go to a window, nevins would run up and be like, i'm here. let me in, let me in, let me in. i love you. so that's the sign. that's the sign. this is the right house. luz: several years ago, troy adopted her. in october, after he came back home from a trip, she was gone. >> they still my cat. luz: neighbors say a couple staying at and airbnb two houses down from troy's asked about nebbins while seeing her out in the neighborhood. >> what do you know about this cat? we love this cat. it's beautiful cats. luz: according to troy, he got a call from

county and sonoma county line, also the clouds for the central valley. it takes until about 11:00, and then by late morning the skies clear out and it looks better bay area wide. after a beautifully blue sky day with the typically winter haze, a deck of higher come just in time for sunset, so we get another pretty sunset tonight as a result. and that will help keep tomorrow morning loads relatively warm but that is the story for monday morning and we might have less fog as a result. daytime highs coming back up into the low to mid 60s were about everybody. nice and relatively warm. what is the one thing to watch for this week? offshore wind. by the time we get into monday night and tuesday you will see that signature show up, you see other streamlines have reversed direction and now they are clearly bringing this is an offshore wind through northern california. let's come home and watch a closer. it looks fine through this afternoon, then a dramatic turn getting into monday. the windstream takes the wind offshore and it peaks the north bay mountains, 40

back live now, the new health order here in sonoma county last until at least february, 11th. but for now in the north bay, charles clifford kron, 4 news. >>all right, charles, thank you for that report. >>you may soon need to show proof of a covid booster shot or a negative test to attend indoor events in san jose. san jose city council is considering a booster mandate at their meeting this afternoon. the mandate would apply to anyone attending events at city owned facilities such as the s ap center, the convention center or the center for performing arts. if it's passed, the order would also apply to that new staff. a growing number of restaurant owners say they're struggling to keep their doors open. amid this latest covid case surge, they say simply there aren't enough staff available due to employees testing positive for being exposed and needing to quarantine. laurie thomas with the golden gate restaurant association says the daily stress of not knowing how each day is going to go isn't just taking a financial toll on business owners but a mental one as well. >>there is

cornell: this clinic is helping first responders and school staff in sonoma county. the new deadline for them to be vaccinated is now march 1. >> people had a hard time getting in. there are many people infected and they are not going to be able to get there boosters at that time but there are staffing shortages making it harder for clinics to offer. cornell: this clinic will be open for the next four weekends not :00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. -- 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. walk-ins are welcome. liz: teachers with the construct -- contra costa county school district -- a tentative agreement was reached early yesterday morning. the deal includes masks for students and staff members and weekly testing for all 54 school locations. also increase pay for substitute teachers and volunteers. this comes as absences soar during the recent omicron surge. in san francisco, the school district reached a deal for educators to receive bonusteacho bonuses of $2000. substitute teachers can expect a substantially increased pay rate. the board of education is expected to vote on the deal next mont

i'm catherine heenan concerts and weddings and other big events are being canceled in sonoma county. the new orders taking effect at midnight tonight. people are being asked to stay home whenever possible. kron four's charles clifford joins us live with more on how businesses are reacting. not good news for them. charles. >> know that this is something that nobody wanted to. you know, yesterday, sonoma county health officials said they want people to start avoiding a big gatherings and they are canceling all indoor gatherings of 50 people or more outdoor gatherings of 100 people or more. that is going to have an impact on venues like concert venues, especially one here in petaluma. >> she lynn pretty frustrated. shannon o'donnell is the owner of the mystic theater in downtown petaluma after being closed for a year and a half. the theater just reopened this past fall. shannon says she and her staff are fully vaccinated and boosted and that they have done everything they can to follow the rules and keep the doors open news that sonoma county is once again canceling large gatherings for

have never been higher a shunt and begin to climb. >> doctor, some during mace says sonoma county is dealing with the rapid rise in covid-19 cases and is expecting the surge will get worse in an appeal to the community. doctor mace is asking people to limit their travel outside of their home to just going to work or school or taking trips to the doctor or the grocery store. beginning wednesday, large gatherings of more than 50 people indoors or more than 100 people outdoors are also banned in the county just by pure volume. we're seeing increases in our hospitalizations. we're really concerned about county leaders are hoping these steps will help prevent hospitals from being overwhelmed over the last 2 weeks. the county is seeing the case rate increase for more than 24 new cases per 100,000 to more than 120 cases per 100,000. those numbers are expected to climb large indoor gatherings that are not banned in the county include school events, courthouse activities, places of worship malls, restaurants and museums, large outside events can go on as planned as long as social distancing c

new restrictions beginning at midnight in sonoma county. no more large gatherings, outdoor gatherings are limited to 100 people or fewer. if you're indoors, no more than 50 people. sonoma county is urging people to stay at home as much as possible. that isn't a mandate, it's just a suggestion or recommendation. these new restrictions last for a month, until february 11. so far, so far, no other bay area county has imposed these rules. before we get a little deeper into the impact of our covid surge, news about theranos founder elizabeth holmes. late today we learned about her sentencing date. it's going to happen in september. she was convicted on four counts of fraud and conspiracy a couple weeks ago. but the jury was also deadlocked on three of the charges against her. our own scott budman learned that the prosecutors will drop those three wire fraud counts. the sentencing is in september. we mentioned the frustration about covid testing. here's the real frustration. do we have any solutions? most stores actually, are still sold out. you

this was day one for new restrictions in sonoma county. the goal was to slow the spread of covid. the rules are simple. a ban on large gatherings and a request for people to stay home as much as they can. we look at what it means in the heart of wine country. >> we do have a production going in the last week of our three-week run. >> reporter: nathan is director in petaluma. they've made strict changes. >> i know everyone's tired of the word pivot, but we're able to pivot to cap our audiences, to still stay under the guidelines and be able to present our last weekend of live performances. >> reporter: the new rule says no indoor gatherings of 50 or more. so they sold out 40 tickets and pushed back a february performance by one week. >> the health and safety of our audience is paramount with everything we do here, so we'll roll with the punches. >> reporter: outdoor gatherings must be limited to no more than 100 people, all in the hopes of slowing the spread of the omicron variant and protecting hospitals from getting overwhelmed. >> we're seeing our properties having scramble. and

a large-scale free vaccine clinic is open to the public at the sonoma county fairgrounds, the hope is that more people will get the shots to decrease the number of new omicron cases. here's abc 7 news reporter cornell barnard. are you supposed to relax? okay, no flexing. don't flex augustine ortiz is getting his covid-19 booster shot. he admits to putting it off figure. i need to be a good example for my kids. they got they got their vaccines. so you know, i got to do my part too to show them that you know, we have solidarity in that the sonoma county fairgrounds now the temporary home to this mass vaccination clinic similar to those which opened an early 2021 when vaccines were new. i just wanted to say safe because i don't want to get covid santa rosa eighth grader. heidi dilling is getting her booster to stay safe the county providing a service like this is shows that they are taking the situation seriously public health officials say cases of omicron have plateaued but it may be two to three weeks before they start to decline 79% of sonoma county residents are now fully vaccinated