Midmorning With Aundrea - August 4, 2020 (Part 1)

(Part 1 of 2) We take a look at how families have had to cope juggling work and famiily responsibilities during the coronavirus pandemic.

And travel maven Kelly McKellar hasn't been able to take a trip to Florida in months, but today she joins us via Zoom from Universal Studios in Orlando!

And as a response to the pandemic crisis, New Orleans is considering giving the historic French Quarter a makeover.

Happen andfo for many students and teachers in mississippi, school begins this week.

For others, class has been pushed back a few weeks.

Most parents are worried about what's next for their children.

Many are juggling work áandá family life during this pandemic.

In the cbs series "the new normal, we look at how the corona- virus is changing everyday lives.

Meg oliver shows us how many families are struggling to cope.

There were times where i had to pull myself out of bed and it was just not finding motivation throughout the day.

For jennifer valenzuela, the care-free days of a california summer have been anything but.

"when school closed down in march, that wasn't distance learning.

It was emergency learning."

The 31 year old mom of two had three jobs and was going back to school when covid-19 hit the u-s.

"having to manag doing mom duties and also being a teacher for them and trying to study myself - you know, it was really difficult.

It was a big change for all of us."

Valenzuela and her kids have asthma.

She says that means traditional schooling is not an option for now - nor is staying in the workforce.

Do you feel like you have to choose over the safety of your children versus making a living and going back to work?

I do.

Honestly, i really do.

That's something that i've been struggling with because // i do have three jobs.

// i can't realistically do all three and, you know, take care of my children.

The emotional strain on parents stretches across the country.

How stressed are you right now?

I'm a morning person.

Now, i don't even want to get up in the morning.

Alisha alvarez lives in dallas with her husband and three children - her oldest has a-d-h-d, a-d-d and is bi- polar.

In april, she quit her job as a bus monitor for special needs students to stay home full time.

It's so hard being a parent right now because these kids don't understand you can't go outside and play with your friends.

The isolation is really taking a toll, isn't it?

My 14-year-old has been home since march 13th when spring break started.

And he stays in his room.

And i can't stand it.

I have to force him to go, to come, to come outside in west orange, new jersey - the weinshank family is juggling a role reversal.

It's been a disaster.

It's took everything we knew and threw it up in the air and brought it back down.

Mom lauryn - an essential worker at a local hospital - goes into work 5 days a week& leaving dad matthew - who works at a new york city bank - home to juggle remote working áandá remote learning with two kids.

Matt went from not knowing the kids' schedules, not knowing what, you know, activities had to be done, not knowing really much about their schoolwork, not 'cause he's not involved but just 'cause he physically wasn't there, to really taking over everything.

It is challenging, but you need to also keep in mind, you can only focus on what you can control.

How's the laundry?

How's the kitchen sink?

How's-- i have never done more laundry in my life, and if i unload and load that dishwasher one more time, i'm surprised the thing didn't explode.

It's a matter of accepting the day- to-day change and that we cannot plan for the future catherine pearlman, an associate professor of social work at brandman university, has been coaching parents through this summer of uncertainty.

How do parents survive this?

We were in survival mode for a good three to four months.

And, you know, we can do anything for three to four months.

// but now we're moving into the fall.

And people have lost the thrill of the survival.

Back in california - jennifer valenzuela says she's surviving on optimism.

Do you have a different outlook now for the fall?

I mean, i have hope.

Buying a car for a teen driver can be difficult.

Parents often look for used vehicles but worry about safety.

A new report offers choices for a variety of budgets.

Tom hanson has more.

As this dashcam video shows inexperienced teen drivers can be easily distracted behind the wheel.

In fact 16 and 17 year olds are three times more likely than adults to be involved in a deadly crash.

Safety advocates say that's why teens need a vehicle with technology that can help prevent a crash..

Or survive one.

"10:23 it's reall important for parents to think about how much safety can i afford."

David harkey is president of the insurance institute for highway safety which teamed up with consumer reports to create a list of used cars for teen drivers.

43 vehicles are considered best choices and range in price from 7- thousand to almost 20- thousand dollars.

All come with stability control, perform well in crash tests and received high marks for reliability.

Asian brands dominate the list - honda, hyundai , mazda, subaru and toyota each had five models make the grade.

"10:57 hopefull what we've done is really given parents a comprehensive, solid, source of information that will servce as a starting point to help purchase a really good vehicle for their teen driver."

Harkey says buying a car isn't enough - parents also need to teach their children the rules of the road.

"14:48 what to d and what not to do and emphasize importantly the need to buckle up, the need to not speed and the need to not be on any sort of electronic device."

That can help prevent a crash in any type of car.

Tom hanson, cbs news, new york.

The group also has the group also has a second list of what it calls good choices that includes older vehicles starting at 5-thousand dollars.

Those cars didn't perform as well as those that made the best list.

You will never guess where kelly mckellar is right now.

Ok you probably will guess.

We'll chat mid morn welcome morning everyone our friends and travel expert helen keller just like many of you has not been able to travel see in florida today he joined us from universal video and are you gray right now this is your first time or someone trips to laura several times each year and you and you all my ever so give me a personal or general tourism in the near what it's like at universal studios coarse everyone actually wearing the rank coming in for a lowly and in an little bit of relief today to remain more smoothly than you normally would you you are and right now with him at the way the camera is where you are planned becoming very and also directions how social this thing and all of those other frightening i got on the right morning it would why he's bringing right person know the person before you.

And the art you or your trolley you are in billable year your you know where you are universal around your internet area will like eating area morning you are universal or when engineers are i would venture personal or you are universal and not universally but equally as it so easy disney are here later this week i bear on tomorrow the universal to all of the little i do know rescheduled trips for people who were and you will i you are here again, running the very day.

Very first day all the threat and are in using you for sharing your life easier way to get on and and i are there is talk now of a plan to redesign the french quarter.

This could change the way you eat, shop and get around the historic core of new orleans.

And as mike mcdaniel explains, it's all part of the city's response to the pandemic.

During a time when the french quarter is seeing less people and cars, the city of new orleans is seeing a new vision for it.

"we're in a ver unpredictable dynamic cris right now and we have to do something about it in a myriad of way and this is one of those ways involving the core our city," sai green.

New orleans deputy cao for infrastructure ramsey green says it's a project spurred by the covid pandemic.

The goal is to find ways to use public spaces, like streets and sidewalks, to help struggling businesses and people to get around while staying socially distanced.

"our residents our local businesses, they need to be able to do business despite this pandemic."

Taking cues from cities around the world, concepts like outdoor caf?s, space for tables for restaurants, bike routes and even parklets could be the french quarter of the near future.

"it's more about decision about how the land is used rather than it is a construction project for the use of the land," said green.

During designated hours there would be pedestrian malls on bourbon, royal and frenchman streets.

More permanent ones would be next to the french market and on orleans avenue.

To do this, some sidewalks would be expanded, interior streets would be slowed to 15 miles per hour, some street parking would be eliminated, and some streets would be closed to traffic.

Green says it's not a complete ban on cars, just a more pedestrian focus.

"it's all concept and some of them are really popular and some of them are not and we get that," said green green says these concepts came to be after surveys and discussions with business owners and residents, turning concerns into designs.

"this is not a arbitrary decision of government, this is a co- designed effort."

An effort the city hopes will drive life back into the french quarter.

Mike mcdaniel, eyewitness news.

Because these concepts are not massive construction projects, expected cost is between because these concepts are not massive construction projects, expected cost is between one and two million dollars.

The hope is to begin implementation by the end of the year.

New orleans isn't the only city hoping visitors will returns.

Centuries ago, rome's circus maximus was where romans gathered to watch chariot races.

Today, in the era of social- distancing, chris livesay shows us how ámoderná romans are heading there once again, for a night at the opera.

The artform is synonymous with italy.

But the setting is out of place, and time.

More than 2,000 years ago, it was chariot races that drew romans here, to the circus maximus.

Today, it's opening night of verdi's rigoletto, re- interpreted with a 1970s setting.

But the audience is unmistakably from 20, safely seated more than six feet apart...something the rome opera couldn't achieve inside its concert hall, or at its smaller outdoor venue.

Soprano rosa feola says the circus maximus, spanning more than two football fields, is a godsend.

'it's been four months that we're not allowed to sing in theaters, because they weren't a safe place.

So we were waiting for this moment to come back to the life again./// i feel like a very young young young singer again.'

A young singer in an old place, with a history of charismatic performers 'picture it.

This is the same track where emperor nero would race his own chariot before 150,000 screaming romans.

Today, because of coronavirus and social distancing, it's only 1500 romans here at the opera.'

"seeing verdi i such a historic setting is moving after all these months of lockdown," say one opera-goer.

Vox pop2 sot english 'art is life.

And we need life and we need art.'

Even the set was designed with social distancing in mind.

'when you had the energy to go toward a person, you had a car in the middle so they helped us to go to the other side.

// with the singing, with the music, you can give emotions, even if we are not touching.'

If there's going to be a second act, even opera can adapt.

To toward a person, you had a car in the middle so they helped us to go to the other side.

// with the singing, with the music, you can give emotions, even if we are not touching.'

If there's going to be a second act, even opera can adapt.

Chris livesay, cbs news, rome.

Just ahead - one woman makes history.

Standing on the wings of pioneers.

That story when mid