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It's Gov. Brian Kemp's dream come true -- Georgians filing into business establishments all over the state ... despite scientists, and other politicians, warning it could set off a COVID-19 spike.

These photos -- from Atlanta, Savannah and other cities -- are interesting because they show the stark reality ... that social distancing is near impossible in hair and nail salons, tattoo parlors and, to a lesser extent, gyms.

Still, people starved for a fitness fix streamed into BodyPlex Fitness Adventure Friday in Grayson, GA. Folks there tell us it was hardly packed -- just under 100 people so far, when they normally have about 500 daily customers.

A staffer told TMZ, "Everybody is so excited we’re open they’ll do whatever they need to do to get their workout in. They are just happy we’re here."

That also seems to be the case at Three-13 Salon in Marietta where about 100 people came in for all sorts of beauty treatments. They checked everyone's temperature and everyone was required to wear face coverings.

That doesn't seem to be mandatory at all businesses, because customers at a barbershop were NOT wearing face masks, although the barbers did.

Remember, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms told us she's opposed to the reopening of businesses -- because scientific data shows it's too soon -- and she's urging people in her city, at least, to stay home.

Escobar season has returned for 2 Chainz ... the rapper is reopening his Atlanta restaurants for sit-down service, and he says he has a plan for keeping folks safe from COVID-19.

Both of 2 Chainz's joints, Escobar Restaurant and Tapas, are serving dine-in meals starting Monday -- his business partner and co-owner, Snoop Dillard, tells TMZ -- and they're making public safety a top priority.

Escobar restaurants were strictly doing take-out orders due to coronavirus restrictions, but with Georgia's Governor paving the way for businesses to reopen -- in many cases recklessly -- 2 Chainz is getting people back to work.

We're told sales at both locations have been down 95% during the shutdown, and the restaurants were forced to furlough around 80% of its staff.

With dine-in service coming back, Snoop says they're planning to bring back 65% of restaurant staff -- 80 people -- and the hope is to have everyone back at work eventually.

As you know ... a debate is raging over Georgia's plan to reopen its economy. Governor Brian Kemp is giving the green light, but Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is urging people to be responsible and cautious and stay home.

2 Chainz's restaurants are trying to have the best of both worlds, and they think they will be able to host sit-down service safely.

We're told safety precautions at the restaurants include staff having their temperatures checked when they clock in, mandatory gloves for all employees, masks for the cooks and single-use paper menus.

Any staff member showing coronavirus symptoms will be asked to go home and quarantine for 14 days.

We're also told the restaurants are bringing back hookahs, which will be cleaned and sanitized frequently. Most folks bring their own hoses anyways.

And, on the weekends, we're told live DJs will return to both locations ... 2 Chainz and Snoop say the DJs need to make a living as well, but things aren't going into full party mode yet. They even paid a few DJs to come in and spin when it was take-out only -- just to brighten people's days.

2 Chainz and Snoop donated hundreds of meals to medical workers on the frontlines ... and we're told they're planning to give more free meals to workers at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta and Piedmont Atlanta Hospital.

Dana White says UFC 249 won't only be the "best card we've ever had" but also the safest -- claiming he's spending a ton of money to ensure everyone is properly screened and medically cleared.

The event is going down on May 9th At the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida ... headlined by Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje.

Top to bottom ... it's a stacked card -- with Henry Cejudo vs. Dominick Cruz and Francis Ngannou vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik.

But the big question ... safety.

Remember, UFC postponed the April 18th event at the request of ESPN and Disney due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but White says they're good to go this time around and he's sparing no expense on safety measures, including thorough screening for fighters and their teams.

"We're gonna have an overabundance of safety," White says.

"We're gonna spend what it costs. We have really smart people who've been working on this ... and we're gonna spend whatever it costs to make sure the fighters, their camps, the commission, the referees, our production people and everybody is safe that's gonna go to this event."

"We're going to do everything and then we're gonna go even another level above that."

Don't wear an N95 mask and drive alone ... that's the message New Jersey police are sending after a driver passed out while wearing COVID-19 protection and crashed.

Here's the deal ... a Jersey motorist crashed head-on into a pole Thursday, and cops say the driver passed out behind the wheel while wearing an N95 mask after several hours on the road.

Police say the N95 mask could have caused the driver to experience "insufficient oxygen intake/excessive carbon dioxide intake," but they say they don't know the cause of the crash with 100% certainty.

While cops say Jersey residents should keep following Governor Phil Murphy's guidelines for covering faces in public, and they don't want to cause a panic or suggest the N95 mask is unsafe, police say wearing an N95 mask while driving solo is "unnecessary."

Lots of health care professionals have urged us all to reserve N95 masks for healthcare workers on the frontlines of the pandemic. There are other options for the rest of us.

The good news ... cops say the driver's injuries are non-life threatening.

President Trump has a few ideas about how to treat COVID-19 patients -- based on some promising lab findings -- but the scientists around him ain't so sure.

The Prez played amateur M.D. during Thursday's coronavirus task force briefing ... after Bill Bryan -- Science Director for Dept. Homeland Security -- revealed lab testing shows UV rays from sunlight dramatically cuts the half-life of the virus. He added that bleach and isopropyl alcohol also kill the virus either instantly or within minutes.

That set off a lightbulb for Dr. Trump. He said -- out loud, mind you -- what if we could put UV rays and bleach inside a patient's body? His suggestion was maybe that would be an easy cure.

Watch the verbal dance Bryan had to do, explaining to reporters and the President it just doesn't work that way -- at least as far as he knows. He did this while desperately trying NOT to embarrass POTUS. Ya gotta feel for him.

To be clear ... the scientists are NOT saying it's okay to gather with friends under the UV rays of the sun -- that won't stop spread of the virus.

The world's BIGGEST DJ kept the party going during quarantine on Thursday ... with Shaquille O'Neal hosting a virtual DJ sesh from his house ... and he had some major guests tuning in!!

The 7'1" NBA legend -- AKA DJ Diesel -- put his skills on the 1s and 2s to the test for his 16 million followers ... playing a set that'll distract everyone from the coronavirus.

The best part?? Shaq interacted with some huge names who stopped by his stream -- from Rob Gronkowski to Meghan Trainor to DJ D-Nice to Saquon Barkley.

As for the set ... Diesel's got a wide range of songs in his lineup ... including some classics Snoop Dogg, Roddy Ricch and OutKast.

But, Shaq wasn't just standing around cranking out hits ... he was straight-up GETTING it behind his table and working up a sweat!!

Gronk added a bit of entertainment as well ... jumping on a trampoline in the middle of his living room!!

Every good squirrel tale needs a plot twist, so Willamina -- the injured squirrel fostered by a Louisiana woman in quarantine -- is getting hers, and we're hoping it's a happy ending.

The headline here is Willamina is taking a big step toward going wild -- a step that was forced by the state after we posted a story last week about Willa and her foster mom, Emily.

Emily joined us on TMZ Live Friday with a big update ... she's handing over Willa to a licensed rehab and release facility after the state's Wildlife and Fisheries Dept. contacted her and said Willa had to go.

As we told you ... Emily took in the baby squirrel just as Louisiana's state lockdown began last month -- she was just a couple weeks old with a badly infected eye. Emily raised her, fed her and got her proper veterinary care.

Pretty heartwarming story, especially amid a global pandemic.

Problem is ... our post, and Emily's social media, got a lot of eyeballs on them, and that's when the state got involved. You can tell Emily's heartbroken she has to be separated from her furry friend -- they've really bonded over the last 6 weeks.

However, she told us it's gonna be a great move for Willamina, 'cause she's about to get hooked up with another squirrel!!!

As Emily says ... squirrels tend to thrive in pairs, and she's hoping this move puts Willa on a better path to eventually getting released into the wild.

Andy Cohen's blasting FDA guidelines that are keeping him from donating his plasma -- which could potentially aid in the battle against COVID-19 -- calling them "antiquated and discriminatory" against gay people.

The 'Watch What Happens Live' host closed his show Thursday night by explaining how he wanted to help after he recovered from coronavirus so he signed up to give plasma ... which the FDA has an urgent need for because it's rich in antibodies.

Cohen says he's ineligible as a gay man, though, due to outdated and unfair rules to prevent HIV. Andy points out even the more recently relaxed rules require gay men to abstain from sex for 3 months, regardless of their relationship status ... when there are "no such blanket restrictions" for straight people.

Simply put, Cohen believes it's ignorant to exclude members of the gay community who could help save lives and fight COVID-19 at such a critical time ... especially when all blood is easily screened for HIV, anyway.

So, he's pleading for change, saying ... "This pandemic has forced us to adapt in many ways. We’re quarantining. We’re social distancing. We’re wearing masks. Why can’t we adapt when it comes to this rule?"

As we reported ... 'GMA' anchor George Stephanopoulos recovered from the virus and plans to donate plasma, but didn't mention having any roadblocks.