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Surfers in California are flocking to one of the most famous surf spots in the world ... and it's getting so crowded, social distancing is going out the window!!!

Here's the deal ... surfers are making their way to the Wedge in Newport Beach -- not only for the waves, but because it's sort of a final outpost. While Los Angeles County has completely closed all beaches -- doling out $1,000 fines for surfers and arresting paddleboarders -- Orange County beaches remain open.

There are some deterrents -- like closed parking lots and boardwalks -- but you can see in this video, it's not having much of an impact.

Surfers argue they can maintain 6-feet of social distancing in the water, but with so many catching waves on Wednesday ... surfers were literally bumping into each other!!!

One guy who paddled out at the Wedge tells us locals are pissed L.A. County peeps are coming by the droves ... along with San Diego surfers. Their beaches are closed too. We're told some locals even showed up and asked the out-of-towners to beat it.

As we've reported ... scenes like those at the Wedge are exactly why L.A. County shut down its beaches more than a week ago. Clearly, OC folks are worried they could face the same fate.

Lifeguards are doing their best to alert surfers in the OC when they get too close together. Although, a leading scientist warns the SoCal ocean water could expose surfers and swimmers to the virus -- some people don't care.

YNW Melly doesn't deserve to be released from jail even though he has COVID-19 ... at least that's the way his alleged victims' families see it.

As we've reported ... the rapper is begging to be released from the Florida jail, where he's awaiting trial in his double murder case, because he says he's been infected with the coronavirus, and can't get proper care behind bars.

But, according to new docs obtained by TMZ ... the family of one the alleged victims, Christopher Thomas, says Melly should not be let out because they fear he'll be a threat to them and other witnesses.

The Thomas family, represented by lawyer John Phillips, says it's been painful to sit back and watch as streaming companies continue to promote "the horrific retelling of the murder."

He's referring to 2 of Melly's songs -- "Murder on My Mind" and "Two Face" -- which have lyrics they believe refer to the murders and possible intimidation of witnesses.

As you know ... Melly's been sitting in a Florida jail for more than a year after he was charged with the double murder of his 2 pals. He's asking the judge if he can get out of jail and be placed on house arrest and pay for his own COVID-19 treatment.

Meanwhile, the family of Anthony Williams, the other alleged victim, is also opposed to YNW's release ... something they believe he doesn't deserve.

YBN Almighty Jay is not taking the coronavirus pandemic seriously, and his approach to quarantine life ... is exactly what the doctor did NOT order.

The rapper told us he IS staying home, adhering to California's safer-at-home order ... but while he's there, he's still got women pulling up at the crib. That is aggressively NOT adhering to the order.

Almighty Jay is playing with fire, but clearly doesn't think so. He says things are way too boring at home, so he's not about to stop his usual parade of hookups. Forget social distancing too ... he admits that ain't happening. His only precautionary measure -- "I pick wisely."

Remember, Jay used to date Blac Chyna, but she dumped him because she claimed he was sliding into other girls' DMs, and had a side piece.

Look, we know he's 20-years-old, and probably thinks he's invincible -- but as scientists, politicians, and even celebrities have drilled into our heads ... it ain't just about you, YBN Almighty Jay.

It's about protecting everyone else from the spread of the virus.

Kim Kardashian has more money, but she's just as fed up as you are with your kids in isolation -- just ask North!!!

Kim did a makeup tutorial video that was fully upstaged by her oldest kid making a hilarious cameo. You can tell, North is standing juuuust an inch or so away from mommy's last nerve. Seriously, ya gotta see it.

KKW was mid-application when North barged in and asked to wash her hands. Kim says she's in the middle of something and tries to send North somewhere else.

It's pretty funny ... Kim says she's hiding in a guest room because her kids won't leave her alone! North heard the comment though and said it was mean, drawing a smirk from mom.

By the end of the interaction, Kim's begging North to let her do her makeup thing ... so she can have ONE bit of fun for herself.

Steven Van Zandt is not sugar-coating what America's future will look like post-coronavirus ... saying he has no idea when it'll be safe to do a concert again.

Bruce Springsteen's E-Street Band guitarist told us he doesn't think anybody will ever shake hands again. Little Steven joined us Thursday on "TMZ Live," and for a guy who's been playing stadiums and arenas for decades ... he's unsure about the future of live music.

His handshake concern is warranted ... even Dr. Tony Fauci's said the custom should be eliminated to stem the spread of viruses. As for future concerts, Steven's not totally down on it ... he just thinks it's gonna be different.

We also talked to him about how he's making sure out-of-school kids in NYC are still connecting with music. His Little Stevie Van Zandt's Rock and Roll Forever Foundation just teamed up with New York Edge to launch a virtual after-school program dubbed Teach Rock.

The foundation offers its music history curriculum for students to learn about music in the 20th century, but with a focus on the contemporary scene. In fact ... kids can even get a lesson taught by Billie Eilish herself.

The State of Nevada has finally shut down golf courses over coronavirus fears -- and surprise, O.J. Simpson ain't happy about it.

In fact, Juice thinks the move will hurt older golfers whose only form of exercise is hitting the links.

"I play with a lot of different guys, one of the groups is an older group where 3 of the guys are over 80 and two of them had strokes," Simpson said

"They don't have dogs to walk and couldn't if they wanted to. Their only exercise is golf. So, unfortunately they wont be able to play golf so I just hope they find other ways to get outdoors and get some exercise."

How considerate, right?

Of course, the move to shut down golf in Nevada was announced Wednesday -- with Gov. Steve Sisolak explaining that Nevada golfers couldn't seem to follow the social distancing rules.

"I’ve had a multitude of pictures sent into me that showed me people were not practicing good social distancing, not arriving one in a cart," Sisolak said.

"They were congregating on the greens. We tried it. It didn’t work because some folks chose not to follow the rules. As a result we are closing golf courses."

Simpson -- who basically lives at the golf course -- disagreed with Sisolak.

"Ya know, I thought the golfers were doing a pretty good job on the social distancing."

So, what will O.J. do with all of his free time now? Maybe get back to finding the "real killer?"

A Nevada man is facing a federal charge for allegedly swiping a couple hundred surgical masks from a VA hospital -- so ya really gotta question his wardrobe choice for his mug shot.

Peter Lucas, a 35-year-old reported ex-Marine, got arrested at his home and appeared in court Wednesday for the alleged mask theft at the Ioannis A. Lougaris VA Medical Center in Reno.

Lucas is accused of stealing at least 4 boxes of surgical masks from supply carts -- containing 50 masks each -- by hiding them under his jacket before exiting the hospital. He's been hit with one count of theft of health care property.

According to legal docs ... surveillance cameras caught Lucas in the act last month between March 19 and March 23.

U.S. Attorney Nicholas A. Trutanich says ... "We will not allow the theft of personal protective equipment to go  undeterred, endangering the safety of doctors, nurses, and other health professionals protecting our communities."

Law enforcement did allow him to keep a mask wrapped around his neck for his mug shot, though. Kinda weird he'd opt to leave it on ... considering what he's accused of doing.

A heartwarming viral story -- about the grandma who mistakenly texted a young man about coming to Thanksgiving dinner, and then he did for years -- has a sad addendum ... her husband is dead from coronavirus complications.

Wanda Dench is the grandma who, back in 2016, accidentally texted teenager Jamal Hinton instead of her grandson about coming over for turkey. The funny gaffe blew up on Twitter and resulted in Wanda and Jamal's families actually celebrating the holiday together that year and the 3 following Thanksgivings.

Wanda's husband, Lonnie, was obviously a huge part of the new wonderful tradition. According to KTVK in Arizona ... he always said grace at the couple's home before they dined with Jamal and his girlfriend Mikaela and their families. He was also the first to greet everyone and the last to say goodbye.

Sadly, Lonnie contracted COVID-19 in recent weeks ... and the virus took his life.

Wanda says of her late husband, "He had the truest heart of love, like no other. He did so many acts of kindness that no one ever heard about. He was my hero. And I’m a better person because of him."

Lonnie was reportedly delivering water to grocery stores at night in March, but it's unclear if that's how he contracted the coronavirus.

Snitching is in when it comes to social distancing anyway -- people have been blowing the whistle on violators, and now police everywhere are cracking down.

Cops across the country tell TMZ ... they've been flooded with complaints about large gatherings where people are clearly defying coronavirus safety precautions. How flooded? An NYPD spokesman says, "Cops have visited tens of thousands of locations on their social distancing patrols & also have responded to thousands of 311 calls.”

We're also told from March 17 through April 8, they arrested 13 people and issued 61 tickets. Keep in mind, Gov. Cuomo's given the green light to $1,000 fines for violations, so ... it's no cheap ticket.

We're told the folks who were arrested showed reckless disregard for social distancing and refused to listen to police orders. Despite the crowds in Central Park last weekend ... cops say the majority of NYers are following the rules, or quickly adhering when officers remind them to maintain the 6-foot spacing.

There have been NO arrests or tickets in L.A. County as of last weekend ... but our law enforcement sources tell us the City Attorney is reviewing 37 cases of alleged social-distancing violations. So, there could be citations coming.

We're told cops in L.A. are trying to avoid hitting people with expensive tickets right now because people are outta work and struggling during the pandemic. Much like NY, we're told L.A. cops are mostly seeing people follow orders when told to disperse.

Appropriately, Chicago falls in the middle of L.A. and the Big Apple. CPD spokesperson Maggie Huynh says they made 3 arrests and issued 11 citations related to social distancing last week -- but also had to disperse gatherings more than 1,500 times.

Sounds like Miami, at least, is recovering from Florida's spring break madness because Miami-Dade PD says they've made one arrest, but not for social distancing. We're told it was a boater anchored in an area restricted due to pandemic closures.

There's equally good news in New Orleans -- a COVID-19 hot zone -- where NOPD says they've issued a "minimal" number of citations since March 20.

While the crowds seem downright dangerous from the standpoint of spreading the virus, by and large, these scenes are limited in scope ... at least according to law enforcement, they're limited events.

Gwyneth Paltrow couldn't throw her son a huge birthday bash with the coronavirus guidelines, so she set up the next best thing ... a driveway parade in his honor.

Gwyneth and Chris Martin's boy, Moses, celebrated his 14th bday Wednesday, and instead of eating cake and opening presents surrounded by his friends ... they drove by honking their horns and playing music for him instead.

Socially distant and totally responsible.

Moses' pals also came bearing balloons and handmade signs, and pulled off a drive-by candy delivery to boot.

Paltrow gushed about her son, saying ... "He is the kindest little man and he has the most unique way of looking at the world and expressing himself." She added ... "I hope you never stop hugging me goodbye when you go into the next room. I love you."

Aww.

Royal Caribbean Cruises is nothing more than a profiteering vessel to steal cash from nurses in a pandemic ... according to a nurse suing over a cruise canceled by COVID-19.

Jessica Mitchell just filed a class-action lawsuit Wednesday against Royal Caribbean Cruises and NURSECON at Sea, accusing the cruise line and floating convention of conning hard-working nurses out of their deposits for an event scrapped by the coronavirus.

According to new legal docs, obtained by TMZ, Mitchell claims the NURSECON founder is plotting to steal the $2,578 cruise fee from each of the 1,500 nurses who were scheduled to attend before the outbreak scuttled everything.

In the docs, Mitchell says the money grab is particularly bad now, because nurses deserve support now more than ever as they battle COVID-19 on the front lines.

The nurses claim the cruise and convention have refused to grant any refunds despite the cancellation, and instead are pocketing the fees which were paid upfront and offering credit for a future convention which some think may not even happen for years.

In the suit, Mitchell claims the cruise and convention are using the pandemic to line their pockets, and she says there's no reason not to give nurses their money back.

As we first reported ... the voyage was axed due to the pandemic, and nurses were up in arms over the cruise allegedly refusing to grant refunds. However, at the time, Royal Caribbean told us, "Royal Caribbean has been extremely flexible with Nursecon and has provided them with the option to offer their guests a refund on their cruise fare plus taxes and fees, or a 125% future cruise credit."

Adding, "Royal Caribbean deeply appreciates the efforts of our nurses, doctors and health-care professionals working on the frontlines during this public health crisis, and we applaud their sacrifices to help protect our communities."

Mitchell wants nurses to get their money back with interest, plus damages.

Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello's dad are bonding over a ring ... in the driveway, that is.

Shawn and Camila's dad, Alejandro, spent some QT Wednesday in Miami building a basketball hoop. Shawn handles the task shirtless and barefoot -- the way his fans, and probably Camila, like him.

Mr. singer-songwriter looked every bit the handyman, too. No sign of Camila around, but we know she was close. The couple's been in quarantine together -- as we saw during the iHeart Living Room Concert last week.

The couple also surprised a bunch of kids at Children's National Hospital in D.C. ... singing to them and answering their questions -- that was all before quarantines, of course.

Lil Nas X's 21st birthday bash was quite the turn up, and didn't even require social distancing -- of course, that's because his only guest was Elmo.

The "Old Town Road" rapper put a hilarious spin on celebrating his milestone birthday during a shelter-at-home order in California. What he lacked in a huge guest list, he made up for with creativity ... throwing a single candle on what appears to be a bitten-off slice of bread.

Check out the video -- he's got his knife and fork ready to go, plus the KAWS/Uniqlo version of Elmo on his lap and Doja Cat's "Say So" blaring in the background.

He also posted a picture with a handful of One A Day Men's multivitamin gummies and captioned it, "It’s my 21st can u blame me!?" It's all downhill after 21, eh?

BTW, Lil Nas' 21st birthday comes just days after he told The Guardian, "I planned to die with the secret" ... referring to his coming out as gay nearly a year ago.

Most of his fans were unfazed by his announcement, and he was widely embraced afterward. Just check the Billboard charts for proof -- you might have heard his hit song once or twice? Longest-running number one hit in history?

Yeah, he's good. Happy birthday, LNX!!!

Todd Chrisley says the coronavirus "made me the sickest I've ever been on this earth" ... and forced him to get his ass to an ER, stat!!!

The "Chrisley Knows Best" star revealed his diagnosis Wednesday, and said he's been battling COVID-19 for 3 weeks. He says his treatment required 4 days in the ER. Seems like he's back in decent spirits for a couple reasons: He was able to record his podcast, and referenced the virus by asking, "Can we talk about this bitch called corona?"

He went on to reveal he'd been battling high fevers -- from 100 to 103 degrees -- and added, "Hopefully, I will get better every day, but as of right now, folks, I still am not clicking on all cylinders. I am probably about 70 to 75% of what I normally am, but that last 25% is kicking my ass."

Todd's daughter Savannah opened up in great detail in an Instagram post saying, "I have never been so scared in my life ... After a couple of days mom and I talked him into going to urgent care."

Savannah said Todd was eventually tested and sent home to self-quarantine. But, the test came back positive a week later. As if things couldn't get any worse ... Savannah said Todd finally woke up one Sunday and "He woke mom up saying he has to go to ER [because] he couldn't fight it any longer."

Seems Todd's back on the mend, but Savannah urged her fans ... "The point of me telling u all this is so that u take it seriously...STAY HOME! SOCIAL DISTANCE! And most importantly...LOVE HARDER THAN EVER! Life is so short."