Coronavirus

Yo Bloomberg ... STOP TOUCHING YOUR MOUTH AND RUBBING IT ON THE FOOD!!!

Presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg is spreading awareness -- and maybe more -- at a campaign event in Virginia ... where he wiped his mouth and then put his hands all over the staff snacks!

Unclear what Bloomberg was picking at when he got hungry during the campaign event on Monday, but you can see him shove food in his mouth and then go back to the snacks with his unclean hand!

DON'T YOU KNOW THE CORONAVIRUS SONG?! (Seriously, it's a real song released in Vietnam instructing people how to protect themselves against the virus.)

But things go from bad to WORSE for Bloomberg ... who then sucks the crumbs off of all his fingers before going BACK to the snack bar!!!

In other words, this is a perfect example of how NOT to nosh if you care about your co-workers.

C'mon Mike ... use tongs next time.

Uncle Sam's been prepping for coronavirus worst-case scenarios since last month by stockpiling hazmat suits ... nearly half a million dollars worth!!!

TMZ did some digging into what the feds spent in February, specifically any items labeled for "coronavirus." The Office of Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response allocated $449,000 for coveralls -- those contamination-free suits you've seen lately in China and Italy.

Unfortunately, you've also seen 'em in movies like "Outbreak."

The ASPR filed a nearly $393k order for coveralls with Grainger Industrial Supply -- which sells coveralls for as low as $10 and as high as $4k a pop, depending on how advanced ya wanna get. A separate $56k order was placed with another company, McKesson Medical-Surgical.

Typically, this government office is more focused on relief measures like porta-potties, hand-washing stations, custodial services and public transportation. In fact, the ASPR spent about $2.53 million on that stuff to help combat the coronavirus crisis.

The additional half a mil for coveralls is an indication of how serious the feds are about dealing with the virus.

All in all ... the ASPR's dropped about $3.8 million on coronavirus relief since Feb. 11.

Other federal offices have spent cash too -- the Dept. of Veteran's Affairs spent about $212k for coronavirus matters, and the CDC itself dropped $116k or so for lab supplies.

The NBA is working like crazy to make sure its players are clear of the coronavirus ... sending out a memo with tips on how to avoid the dangerous disease.

FYI -- there have reportedly been 90,000 reported cases worldwide ... with 6 deaths in the U.S.

Just days after Trail Blazers superstar CJ McCollum tweeted he's putting autograph signing on hold out of fear of coronavirus ... the Association is following suit by sending out a list of recommendations to keep from getting affected.

The memo suggests players fist-bump fans instead of shaking hands ... as well as avoiding sharing pens, balls, jerseys or other items during autograph signings, according to ESPN.

The NBA worked with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other experts to figure out a strategy to help all the players.

In a statement to the AP, the league said, "The health and safety of our employees, teams, players and fans is paramount."

"We are coordinating with our teams and consulting with the CDC and infectious disease specialists on the coronavirus and continue to monitor the situation closely."

The league is also worried about pre-draft workouts and international scouting events being limited or canceled due to coronavirus.

The coronavirus has people freaking out and stocking up on basic survival supplies -- like hand wipes, for example -- but there's a problem ... not enough to go around!!!

TMZ spoke with Dutch Harbor Brands -- one of the biggest hand wipe manufacturers in the country, which produces the popular Wipex brand and other antiseptic products -- and they tell us their company (and their customers) are about to see a massive shortage.

A rep says in a week ... all wet wipes produced by Dutch Harbor will be SOLD OUT, like completely. We're told demand has been through the roof these past several weeks -- mostly via Amazon and mostly overseas in places like Hong Kong, where folks are buying up wipes in bulk. Because of the surge, Americans are gonna be s*** outta luck pretty soon.

Not to worry though, we're told DHB is working around-the-clock on producing more wipes to meet the massive demand. They're also putting a limit on individual purchases.

That's not the only company facing supply and demand woes right now -- we've learned Costco is also hurting because of the coronavirus scare. A high-ranking manager from corporate tells us some of their staple "survival" goods, if you will, are running low.

For example, we're told stuff like water, canned goods, paper products and sanitizer have been flying off the shelves across America. Oddly enough, fresh meat too!!!

Our sources tell us Costco brass are having meetings this week to discuss the spree, and are considering putting limits of their own on what members can buy -- specifically, in California. People should be good for the next few weeks, but we're told they're feeling coronavirus fever too.

In other words ... get your stuff now!!! We're at threat level midnight here, people.

Fears over coronavirus are forcing Gal Gadot to create a bigger carbon footprint than she cares to -- she's back to flying private jets, but only at the behest of her bosses.

Gal stepped off a PJ Monday morning in Atlanta, and it's becoming a familiar ride for her. She's been flying between L.A. and the ATL over the last week to shoot the movie, "Red Notice."

Her choice in travel raised some eyebrows, because she's declared she won't flying private due to the environmental impact, but it wasn't her call.

Sources connected to the production tell us Netflix, the studio behind "Red Notice," is flying Gal and her costars -- The Rock and Ryan Reynolds to name a few -- on private jets out of concerns about coronavirus exposure.

Kinda makes sense. As the virus becomes a growing threat in the U.S., it appears Netflix is doing its best to keep production on schedule. Fact is, if stars get sick ... production grinds to a halt.

Gal told People back in January she doesn't fly private jets, eschews plastic bags, recycles and does what she can to help the environment to be a good role model to her 2 daughters.

A March Madness without the madness?!?!

That's exactly what one players' advocacy group is asking NCAA officials to consider ... saying the org. should STRONGLY think about holding both the men's and women's NCAA tourneys this month at crowd-less venues over coronavirus fears.

"There should be a serious discussion about holding competitions without an audience present," the National College Players Association said in a statement over the weekend.

As we previously reported, coronavirus has rapidly become a growing threat to Americans ... with more and more cases being officially diagnosed in the U.S. daily.

Because of this ... the NCPA is urging officials to possibly hold their biggest events -- the NCAA Tournaments -- without fans to protect players.

"In the wake of the emerging Coronavirus pandemic, the NCAA and its colleges should take precautions to protect college athletes," the group said.

In addition to the possibility of crowd-less tourneys ... the group is also advocating schools cancel meet and greets and press events to reduce athletes' risks of contracting the virus.

In a statement to CNN, an NCAA spokesperson said of the NCPA's recommendations, "NCAA staff continues to prepare for all NCAA winter and spring championships, but we are keenly aware of Coronavirus and will continue to monitor in coordination with state/local health authorities and the CDC."

The spokesperson added, "The NCAA Sport Science Institute sent two memos recently to NCAA members directing schools and conference offices to Center for Disease Control and Prevention resources on the issue."

The coronavirus outbreak in Italy has gotten so bad, some of their hotels are starting to look like a scene straight out of 'E.T.' ... it's hazmat suit galore.

Check out this snapshot of what appear to be two hotel workers -- or public health workers, perhaps -- recently rolling a cart of food through a hotel hallway in Alassio, Italy. The two people here are covered from head to toe in protective gear to keep them virus-free.

Unclear which facility this is, but according to reports on the ground -- at least two hotels in that city have been placed under quarantine, including the Bel Sit and the Al Mare. Apparently, dozens of guests have been diagnosed with confirmed cases of coronavirus.

When it comes to the country as a whole, reports say Italian authorities have announced the infected have risen by 40% to 1,576 in 24 hours. Several people there have already died.

In any case, it's wild that this is where other countries are in what's clearly become a global health pandemic -- and perhaps more concerning is what this might mean for the States.

Of course, President Trump has formed a special committee -- being headed up by VP Mike Pence -- to combat and contain the outbreak here at home ... and his administration has insisted the risk of contracting the virus for the average American remains low.

It's a little to swallow that pill when you see what's happening just across the pond 😬

A top cruise line is taking new measures to keep coronavirus off its ships and to keep passengers happy -- but even sick guests and those who have traveled in impacted countries are encouraged to return ... once they've recovered, of course.

Carnival Cruise Line -- one of the 9 cruise brands under the Carnival Corp. umbrella -- tells TMZ ... it's implemented an enhanced screening process due to concerns over coronavirus, and guests who are deemed unable to board at the terminal will get all their money back.

On top of that, we're told the sick guests will be reimbursed for transportation, and bonus -- they'll also get a 20 percent credit for a future cruise. A pretty decent consolation.

As for other safety precautions ... CCL says it's worked with the CDC and the World Health Organization to update screening procedures. Additionally, anyone who's traveled to China, Hong Kong, South Korea or Macau within 14 days of their cruise's scheduled departure will not be allowed to set sail.

Meanwhile, Crystal Cruises are also offering ill or restricted passengers an option plan -- 100 percent refund or a 125 percent future cruise credit -- but ONLY if they notify Crystal within 7 days of departure. Otherwise, we're told there could be cancelation fees.

The cruise industry, in particular, is taking coronavirus very seriously after a Princess Cruise liner was quarantined for 2 weeks earlier this month with 3,700 passengers on board. The ship was isolated in Japan's Yokohama Bay when at least 700 guests were reportedly diagnosed with the virus. They were eventually evacuated, but 4 of them have died.

There's nothing complicated about this -- Avril Lavigne's pulling out of her upcoming tour stops in Asia over growing concerns about the coronavirus.

The "Sk8er Boi" singer's set to kick off a world tour next month in Europe -- with concerts in Italy, Belgium, France, Germany, the UK and more -- but sources close to Avril and her team tell TMZ ... she will not continue with the Asian leg, which was supposed to start April 23 in Shenzhen, China.

We're told an official announcement will come soon, but Lavigne is canceling 12 dates in Asia total ... including in Shanghai, the Philippines, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Taiwan.

Our sources say the hope is to reschedule the shows at a later date once more is known about the disease and it's under control, but obviously, that's all TBD. For now, we're told Avril's team's working with promoters on the new plans.

It's currently unclear if the European dates will also be impacted by the change in schedule.

Coronavirus fears could instantly make MILLIONS for a U.S. distributor of face masks, but demand is so sky-high ... the company can't come anywhere close to meeting it.

A sales rep for NCI -- which sells cleanroom equipment and supplies -- tells TMZ, it received an order request on January 29 for a whopping $56.4 MILLION worth of masks from someone claiming to be tied to the Chinese government.

The rep says the order -- which was for 553,000 cases of masks -- obviously would have made the company's year, but NCI had to say no because here's the thing ... they're coming up more than a half a million cases short!

That's right, NCI says it only has about 30 cases left in inventory!!!

The reason is simple: Demand has been insanely high since coronavirus news and cases have spread. Ironically, the CDC says that crazy demand is totally unnecessary because only diagnosed patients should even be wearing the masks. If you don't have the virus, you don't need the mask.

But, since everyone's trying to get them ... we're told NCI actually doubled its price from $100/case to $200/case, attempting to drive down demand and make its supplies last.

That hasn't really worked out, and inventory is so limited now, the sales rep says they're only selling to longtime customers. Still, after the massive order request -- apparently from China --  we're told 2 more people showed up at NCI's Minnesota offices asking for 56,000 cases at the new $200/case price.

Yes, that would be a cool $11.2 mil in their pockets, but obviously, NCI had to deny that one too. Fact is, the company keeps getting "we'll pay anything" offers but you see the pattern -- they can't secure enough product.

BTW -- each case holds 1,000 masks, so the actual amount of masks in demand is in the hundreds of millions. As the sales rep tells us, "There's nobody out there that has that many masks in stock."

The coronavirus is slowing just about every industry due to increased fears of a worldwide outbreak, but foreign moviemakers are pushing ahead in America ... full steam.

TMZ spoke with multiple film commission offices, from coast-to-coast in the U.S., and all were on the same page about how they're handling overseas productions/companies from countries like China and S. Korea. Despite hot zones in both places -- and others in Europe and the Middle East -- we were told it's no problemo for any of them to shoot on American soil.

We asked the L.A., NYC and New Orleans offices if coronavirus is making 'em think twice about issuing permits to some of these companies and/or films, and they all said they haven't changed policies. At least, not yet.

Worth noting, Georgia is home to countless film productions too -- and we've reached out to its Department of Economic Development, but haven't heard back.

Of course, Uncle Sam hasn't issued a blanket flying ban from countries heavily affected by coronavirus, even though some major airlines have partially halted travel ... something President Trump touted Wednesday evening.

Bottom line for the film industry ... if you can get here, you can still yell "action" on American movie sets.

Skiers participating in the World Cup Finals in Italy next month will be competing in front of an empty house ... 'cause spectators have been BANNED from the event due to the coronavirus scare.

Of course, the disease has made its way to Northern Italy ... with 12 people dead and 400 others infected in that region. Globally, there are 80,000 confirmed cases with more than 2,600 deaths.

Given the World Cup Final going down from March 18-22 at Cortina d’Ampezzo Ski Resort, organizers are clearly concerned ... but the International Ski Federation has decided to NOT cancel the event. Instead, they will limit the amount of people who can attend by banning casual spectators.

"As it stands Cortina is still where the competition will be held, but with no fans," event director Markus Waldner told SVT in Sweden. Waldner noted the plans could change (possible relocation) if the disease continues to spread.

China's presence will be noticeably absent at CinemaCon 2020 in Las Vegas ... after 2 dozen Chinese movie theater owners canceled travel plans due to the coronavirus.

A spokesman for the National Association of Theater Owners tells TMZ ... the delegation pulled out of the event following travel restrictions imposed on them amid the ever-spreading coronavirus.

Organizers for the event -- slated to run from March 30 to April 2 at Caesars Palace -- say "our plan going forward should be based on logical risk assessments and advice from health officials, and not from fear."

CinemaCon, a gathering of theater owners and major studios, says it will remain in contact with the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control to stay on top of the situation. It's also in contact with local officials to coordinate all appropriate safety procedures.

There had been buzz building this week the event might be canceled but it's full steam ahead ... with the trade show reporting it's a 99% sellout. The program's fully scheduled too ... with Disney, Paramount, Universal and Warner Bros., among others, still confirmed to attend.

The CDC declares these 13 facial hairstyles are totally IN for men who don't want to go out and catch the coronavirus, a few are questionable ... but 18 others gotta go!!!

This is very strange -- and equally concerning -- but the Center for Disease Control released a graphic of which types of facial hair will interfere with potentially life-saving respirators sealing properly on a person's face ... and which ones are A-OK.

Clean-shaven is obviously the safest bet for a respiratory sealing surface ... but soul patches, sideburns, and most mustache styles are also approved by the agency. Yes, this even includes the Hitler 'stache ... AKA the toothbrush.

However, almost all men with beards should probably consider grabbing a razor and doing some work, because the CDC says the hair could get in the way of the respirator’s exhalation valve ... rendering it ineffective.

Of course, any guy who refuses to part with his goatee, horseshoe or villain mustache -- coronavirus be damned -- might still be in the clear ... if they do a little trimming up.

To be clear, the CDC actually developed this "educational tool" back in November 2017 to demonstrate how to safely wears masks in the workplace while participating in Movember ... but it's more pertinent now.

Scary times ... but a hilarious infographic.

Steve Madden seems to be laying part of the blame for his fashion fracas with fellow designer Stacey Bendet at the feet of the coronavirus -- but all's well that ends well, right?!

The retail mogul wasn't in all that much of a chatty mood Wednesday in NYC, where we got him leaving Michael's. BUT, he did address his public spat with Stacey Bendet -- where he told her to "go f***" herself -- and kinda blamed the viral outbreak.

Watch ... we ask if the Alice + Olivia CEO accepted his apology, which he issued about a week ago, and he says she has ... going on to compliment her as a super-talented lady.

As for why they got into it in the first place ... Steve tells us passionate people sometimes let their emotions get the better of them, and the pesky coronavirus scare certainly ain't helping either, apparently.

He doesn't really elaborate on what he means by that -- whether he was fighting off the virus or just preoccupied and worried about it (probs the latter, TBH) -- but in any case ... it's all water under the bridge now.

Now, for the record, Stacey accused Steve of jacking her sunglasses-face-pouch design, which he vehemently denied and even accused her of doing herself ... copying styles, that is.

The Boston Red Sox have quarantined a 20-year-old pitcher from Taiwan in a South Florida hotel room over fears about the coronavirus, a team spokesperson said.

... and it's the SECOND player the team has quarantined this month!

This time, the player is Chih-Jung Liu -- a rifle-armed right-hander who arrived in Florida last week to start his first spring training with the Red Sox, according to the Boston Globe.

The Sox signed Liu to a deal (with a $750k signing bonus) in late 2019, after he was clocked throwing a 98 mph fastball. Dude can play.

But, with 80,000 people infected with coronavirus globally -- and more than 2,600 deaths -- the Red Sox say they're using "an overabundance of caution" in how they approach the situation ... which is why Liu is holed up in Fort Myers.

Liu has been communicating with his fans via Facebook -- where he explained that he's working out, jogging and eating 3 meals per day.

He's also "watching information about the team" to stay in the loop.

Earlier this month, 26-year-old Red Sox infielder Tzu-Wei Lin -- who is also from Taiwan -- was quarantined due to coronavirus fears.

"I had been here for a week and they said I needed to go back to my apartment," Lin said ... "I was fine. I stayed away for one day and that was it."

Lin made his Red Sox big league debut in 2017 and was part of the 2018 World Series team, though he did not play in the postseason during that championship run.