hours from the beginning of the opening ceremony. the news in 30 seconds. right, not what's easy. so when a hailstorm hit, martin's family needs it with hassle-free claims, he got paid before his neighbor even got started. because doing right by our members, that's what's right. usaa. what you're made of, we're made for. ♪ usaa ♪ it is just hours away. right now at 11:00, we're live in tokyo counting down to the opening ceremony. as the excitement builds, we're also learning of new covid cases tied to the olympics. and athletes are on the list. also tonight, a new mandate. santa clara county, the group of employees now being told must get vaccinated for covid-19.

>> and the picture that sent a plane into panic mode at sfo. what a teen sent to other passengers forcing the plane back to the gate moments before takeoff. we are less than five hours till showtime. a live look at the tokyo olympic stadium. inside, the last-minute preparations are underway. >> and the start of the opening ceremony. and it will be like no other ceremony we've ever experienced. our own raj mathai joins us live. the olympic ceremony will open but it won't be like what we're used. to. >> reporter: that's okay. our eyes are wide open with curiosity and with some excitement. we are here at our nbc facility in tokyo. you can see the olympic ring.

i'll step over here and here's the rainbow bridge. a beautiful sight. near the edge of that, where the athletes village is. we've been here in tokyo about a week and we're going through this on an almost hourly basis. the cautious optimism but the daily reality of the safety of the games. overnight, we have an update. 19 new cases of covid positive tests. three of which are athletes. this is now 110 total cases of people related to the olympics. we have to put some perspective on that. there are about 80,000 of us in tokyo. athletes, journalists and support staff. of the 80,000 in japan, for the olympic games, 110 have tested positive. relatively speaking, those are some very low numbers. we have made it here. we are finally here globally.

what we'll see when the olympic ceremony starts, it are not different but also filled quite possibly with a lot of inspiration and hope. the opening ceremony does this to us. it celebrates what we have in common. the radiant smiles, the passion and the olympic spirit. here's what you won't see. the empty and cavernous stadium. inside and out. as i walk through venues, it is striking. like ghost town. these pathways are supposed to be filled with life. how will this story be told? i spoke with mike. >> it is realistic, it is honest. not in a vacuum. it is understanding that people are hurting. >> it very much meets the moment

that we're in but it will be epic, spectacular, in its over way. and i'm really excited for the athletes, specially parade of nations. you definitely will get a geography lesson. i certainly have. >> reporter: we expect to see familiar faces. bay area olympians like draymond green and alex massialas. >> we're ready to go, we're ready to walk. we're excited to feel the excitement in the stadium. >> reporter: more than 200 nations competing and all focused on japan. >> can you believe it? we have finally made it here to the opening ceremony. by the way, the flag bearers for team usa, there will be two of them for the first time. a man and a woman. sue bird and eddy alvarez, the baseball player. how about we get to the rock stars?

gymnast simone biles at practice today. team usa gymnastics. they're rotating through the various disciplines. the floor, vaults, balance beam. the first day of competition is saturday, bay area time. sunday here in tokyo. and check this out. sim own bilesof her and her tea with the caption, little did you know, o.g. means olympic grandmas. both gymnasts are 24 years old. usually we have vip's here hours before the opening ceremony. we usually have the heads of state and the billionaire ceo's and the digniadignitaries. not this time. there will be a very limited amount of people. among them the first lady of the united states. we're talking about jill biden, of course, she arrived yesterday and met with the prime minister of japan. and just a few hours ago, she held a virtual meet and greet with members of team usa. thanking the athletes for their

de here. you've sacrificed time with friends and pushed yourself harder than you thought you could. now those years of work, the drive that has kept you going has led you here. congratulations. becoming an olympian is a rare accomplishment in a normal time. but you did it during a global pandemic. >> right after that, she told reporters gathered in the room that this was, quote, very emotional for her. it is emotional for a lot of people, whether you're here in tokyo or elsewhere around the world. to finally come together throughout the pandemic. we are not done. our coverage continues later in the newscast. we'll talk about a whole lot of love from danville. and jessica and garvin, recycling day in tokyo, it is something you have to see. it is pretty meticulous. >> we can't wait.

>> if you want to watch the opening ceremony live. you will have to stay up late or start your alarm clock. it starts at 3:55 a.m. our time. in about five hours. savannah guthrie will be hosting. if you sleep, if you want to sleep in, don't worry. we'll reair it tomorrow night. now to our coronavirus coverage, three companies are making vaccination a requirement to stay on the job. and tonight saint claira county is mandating that all its employees be vaccinated. >> reporter: hours after the public health officers in san francisco, contra costa and santa clara county, they required all employees to get their shots. >> we know about 80% of our employees are already

vaccinated. we think that the reminding 20% need to be vaccinated to have a safe environment to work in. >> santa clara county employs many people. they've had plenty of opportunity to get their jab. this requirement is aimed at the holdout. >> it appears to be a resistance issue. some people just aren't trusting of the vaccine. even though it has been proven to be very safe and reliable. >> this latest push to get workers vaccinated is because of a surge in infections across the bay area. the vast majority testing positive are people who are unvaccinated. even before this call by public health officers, some employers have already recovered all their employees to have shots. >> every single person is working in our place. they are vaccinated. and i think this is very important. to any restaurant or anybody.

because you are a public servant. you are dealing with a lot of people. >> the federal equal employment opportunity commission issued guidance in june allowing employers to require workers to be vaccinated. employees would have to prove special medical or other circumstances to be exempted. nbc bay area news. san mateo county is implementing its own mask mandate starting monday. face coverings will be required at all the county facilities. this applies to staff and the public regardless of vaccination status. county officials say they made the decision because of the rise of the delta variant. >> we're seeing that the delta variant is running rampant. what we have to do is take preventive measures. that starts with our county office buildings. >> a majority of county office buildings already have the vaccination mandate. the only county not making that recommendation is solano. they're sticking with the cdc

guidance that says only unvaccinated people need to wear masks. just in, breakthrough cases at stanford. seven students who were vaccinated have tested positive for covid. the university sent an email to students this week saying the students are showing symptoms. now, the email didn't specify whether or not the cases were connected. on friday, stanford aligned its mask guidance with santa clara county saying that masks are required indoors in spaces open to the public. that includes the book store, the dining area, cafes and the art center. masks so far just recommended. on campus that are open only to students. so now we're really focused on the delta variant. but there have been numerous other variants since the pandemic began. in order to determine which variant shows up in a positive covid test, it needs to be sequentialed. just another extra step that

identifies it. check out this out. back in april, the percent of tests that were sequenced were only 2%. thats the delta variant. then if you go to may, all of a sudden we're at 6%. and you can see a month later, more than 50% of the tests sequences are the delta variant. and then this month, 82% of the tests sequenced are delta. we're also tracking all of this on our website. you can go to nbcbayarea.com and check for the latest headlines. a tragic end to the search for a missing teen. the body of antwon whitley was found in the waters of the saab pablo bay today. he disappeared back in february

after leaving a friend's house. he had taken hallucinogenic drugs. they say he became paranoid. he took an uber home and then fought with the driver after the man missed his exit. the teenager was last seen on the richmond bridge. we have news of the dixie fire burning in butte and plumas counties. it is now a mega fire. more than 1,500 structures are threatened and others are destroyed. look at this video into the newsroom. crews from the truckee meadow fire and rescue escaping the flames as fire burns on both sides of an unpaved road. that is scary. look at they will. looking right through that wind shield. it kind of shows what you the crews are dealing with as they battle the tamarack fire. it spread into nevada from lake

tahoe. imagine being in that truck. the fire has burned more than 50,000 acres and it only 4% contained. that doesn't even look real. it looks like something out of a movie. like some high-tech thing when you see it. it has to be so frightening. >> it is allowing the fires to spread so rapidly. we wanted to show you the smoke forecast. the worst is north and to the east of the bay area. so not expecting big smoke tomorrow. more in about six minutes. also ahead, passengers forced off a flight at sfo because of a photo at a teenager's phone. the pictures that led to the plane being inspected. and a live welcome at the tokyo olympic stadium. the opening ceremony now just hours away. and the action already

underway. athletes have reason to smile. featuring fresh artisan bread, layered with tender seasoned steak, sautéed mushrooms, roasted red peppers, and smothered with melty american cheese. the new cheese steak melt, now at togo's.

some tense moments for passengers on a united airlines flight from san francisco to orlando this evening. moments before takeoff, all the passengers had to get off the plane. airport officials say it is because the teenager on board air dropped pictures of an airsoft gun to several other passengers. the gun was never actually on board and the picture was taken somewhere else on a completely different day. but security deplaned and rescreened all the passengers while the crew searched and cleaned the cabin. the aviation expert said he is not surprised by the caution taken, even after it was determined to be a toy give up. and that it took so long to get everyone back in the air, too.

>> airport security, airline security is many layers. it starts when you get to the curb and they start checking your bag and your i.d. and your ticket. they screen your carry-on, your checked bag. all these layers build upon each other. once they want to clear a plane, it a reverse process. they go back out and people the onion and put it back in place. >> the teenager had to find another way home. he got barred from that flight. the passengers eventually made to it orlando but they were four hours late. also tonight, a warning that an unwanted visitor in the peninsula, in a peninsula neighborhood. this coyote was spotted this afternoon at 4:00 on briarfield way. this is a couple blocks from an elementary school. police notified the humane society but are asking neighbors to be on alert. okay. a live look at the tokyo olympic stadium. we are just hours away from that opening ceremony. >> and an opening ceremony unlike we have ever seen before.

raj joins us from tokyo. not just an opening ceremony. but he says recycling like you've never seen before? >> yes. it recycling day in tokyo. let's start with our local olympicians. the opening ceremony is four hours away but we are still going. the competition has started. practices have started. we'll start with one of our rowers. she was first in the singles and headed to the quarterfinals. she's from contra costa county and she went to cal. she's been to the olympics before winning bronze and the quadruple. how about some love for danville. we love this. we've been covering the water polo star maggie steffens. she is hoping for her third gold medal. she's taking her home town along for the ride.

>> no matter where i am in the world, it is such a blessing for me. all the experiences i had there, the friendships, everything kind of blossomed there and allowed me to go for my dream. i think it is really rare to find not just the place but an entire community that was so supportive of young me having this ambitious dream. >> pretty awesome. a gold metal personality. now we can talk recycling. you know how we do it every week. they do it in japan but they do it so perfectly. they don't mess around. it is a very meticulous process. you have your boxes, your plastics, your aluminum. everyone separates them before they go out to the curb. this doesn't even look like garbage or recycling. it looks so clean. we took this video right outside of our hotel.

a city of 14 million people. amazing how spotless it is. garvin, i have a feeling me and you, when we do our recycling, we're pretty organized. i have a feeling jessica throws all sorts of things in and cluters it all up. in blue bin. >> i believe i'm being vilified for something not true. things n my pantry. my repsychling is just fine. >> i want to see a recycling video. >> okay. we'll see you after the opening ceremony. >> there is already a lot happening. a lot to keep track of. here's an easy way to make sure you don't miss out. our tokyo olympic news letter. visit nbcbayarea.com to sign up for the latest headlines and memorable moments from tokyo. >> blasphemy! tokyo!

>> hello! >> one thing you did mention, the heat. >> we're talking about at that in the mid 90s. you factor in the dew points in the 70s. it is hard to be outside for an hour or two. you have to stay hydrated. back here at home, thankfully no humidity like that. you can see as we started off, through tomorrow, my top weather headline, it is all about the frog. the star, the next one moving in. that will bring us some isolated heat as we head into your friday forecast. >> if you're up around 7:00, 8:00, we'll start it off on the cool side. 58 in the south bay. the peninsula, 57. and looking good in the tri-valley. we're continuing with that trend of chilly weather in the north bay, san francisco and the east

bay. let me get you a closer look at the fog. it will be nice to start. a mostly sunny start through the south bay. then by the late morning into the afternoon. plenty of sunshine on the way. so the daytime highs, it is beginning to move closer. we're still keeping a cooler breeze at the coast. so you have 60s in san francisco and half moon bay. oakland, 74. and then you get out to the interior values. 98 in brentwood, 94 concord and 93 in livermore. san jose, 88 in morgan hill. mid 80s from napa to santa rosa. in san francisco, we'll keep with this trend of 60s as we move into the next several days. across the inland valleys, we go

a little warmer the next two days. down by sunday and monday. back into the 90s as you roll through the forecast. the thunderstorm chances will be to the south and east of us. nothing locked in. and a quick look at the tokyo index. how about a heat index of 97 degrees? >> you were staying athletes have trained already. that's why they're the athletes and not us. they have anticipated and trained in that kind of weather so they would be ready. >> yeah. they went sue the heat labs where they simulated the hot temperatures and the high humidity. they were put to the test. >> thanks. happening now, uc student are looking at paying more for education. a formula to avoid debt caused

by the pandemic. it is the first tuition hike since 2017. starting in the fall of 2022, tuition will be increased by 2% plus inflation. that's an extra $534 for next year's class. we'll be right back. attention, california. new federal funding of $3 billion is available to help more people pay for health insurance — no matter what your income. how much is yours? julie and bob are paying $700 less, every month. and the navarros are paying less than $100 a month. check coveredca.com to see your new, lower price.

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♪ ahhhhhhh ♪ ♪ dream until your dreams come true ♪ new at 11:00, fighting back against eviction. protesters outside an apartment complex in walnut creek say the landlord is breaking the law by evicting the tenants. people channelling, holding up signs in front of the building. they later took their protests

to the streets and the landlord's home. they say they were unlawfully given notice to move violating the eviction moratorium. >> we still have a moratorium order and basically, you know, we have a lot of people here who can't afford to be out in the streets right now. we have a lot of people who have children that don't have anywhere to go. >> now, we did reach out to the owner of the building to ask about the eviction notices and the county's moratorium but he has yet to respond. san francisco is moving forward with a plan to replace its trash cans. part of a pilot program that comes with quite a price tag. the public works department worked a designer to come up with 15 prototypes. these are pictures of two of the options. they cost between $12,000 and $20,000 each. the plan right now is to test them out later this year. once a final design is chosen, more trash cans will be mass produced at a much lower price, about $3,000.

coming up, why one member of team usa is posting pictures about his new favorite past time.

okay. the giants and the dodgers finished up a four-game series

in los angeles. >> the giants were looking to build on the thrilling 5-4 victory. they sentninth. but thena to right field. the giants win 5-3. they increase the lead over the world series champs. meanwhile the a's were in seattle. the big star was the a's pitcher sean manaea. he only gave up one run on three hits striking a career high 13 batters. he beat the mariners 13-1. it was his first win in more than a month.

so what is the food like at the olympic village? well, a team usa volleyball player and stanford grad is sharing his reviews on tiktok. >> look, dim sum. hot! these gyoza are bomb. >> he likes it. he really likes it. those are erik shoegi's thoughts from the main dining hall.

he reviewed the sushi which he said is pretty good. it's japan. how could it just be pretty good? they will start the quest for gold on saturday. erik's brother is also on team usa. both played together at stanford. >> i like the expressions on his face. >> maybe slow down a little bit. you have big competition. >> yeah! >> my stomach with the heat and humidity. pace yourself. we're looking at a heat index there friday of 97 degrees. we'll see some on and off thunderstorm chances as you roll through the next couple days. the athletes definitely, the heat, top of mind for them for sure. >> opening ceremonies a few hours away. [ cheers and applause ♪ >> steve: from studio 6b in rockefeller center in the heart of new york city, it's "the tonight show starring jimmy fallon."