Coronavirus

Post Malone squarely addressed fans who worried he was in a pharmaceutical tailspin ... saying he's clean as a whistle -- never better.

Post performed Friday night at the FedExForum in Memphis and told the crowd he was not using ... no way, no how. In fact, he said he's never felt better.

Fans got super-worried earlier this week after he appeared to fall on stage during a concert and then writhed around on the floor. Post explained last night ... that's not someone who's high -- it's someone who is trying to give his fans an awesome performance and nothing more.

Justin Bieber's tour is the latest live act to feel the effects of the coronavirus ... he's downgrading the venue size in several "secondary markets" and it's all because of the virus.

Bieber's got a massive stadium tour planned for the summer to promote his hugely successful 'Changes' album. Friday they announced stadium stops in Cleveland, Detroit, Arlington, Columbus and Nashville were canceled and moved to local arenas ... essentially cutting seat capacity in half.

Turns out just 3 days after Justin announced his tour ... coronavirus fears really blossomed. We're told prior to the news, ticket sales were hugely successful but then slowed in smaller markets.

Sources close to Justin say his team made the decision to relocate several tour stops to guarantee they could fill seats instead of performing to a half-empty stadium. We're told it's possible he could do multiple shows at one arena.

Justin isn't the only artist to feel the effects of coronavirus, Miami's Ultra Music Festival and SXSW in Austin, Texas were both canceled earlier this week.

Daymond John isn't one of the smartest business people around for nothin' ... 'cause he's already figured out how we can make the best of a bad situation and actually benefit.

Seriously ... at first it seems like heresy, talking about the upside of the virus, but he really makes compelling points. Think about how our economy can benefit from more domestic manufacturing, how people will save time commuting if they end up working from home, how people might eat healthier at home than if they were going out to restaurants every night.

Well, Daymond's not scared yet about going to restaurants, because we got him at the famed Dan Tana's Steakhouse on the Sunset Strip.

Danny Trejo is seriously worried for inmates in Los Angeles County jail ... he says coronavirus could spread like wildfire if officials don't do enough to disinfect the filthy place.

We got the actor -- who spent years in various prisons back in the day -- at LAX Friday and asked about inmates fearing the worst in jail. Danny says jail is a potential coronavirus hot zone.

Danny says everyone is fighting coronavirus together, but it's worse for people in jail, because of the extremely close quarters and dirty conditions.

As Danny explains it, when the flu hits a jail or prison, everyone catches it, and coronavirus could hit even harder. He says the inmates in jail have it the worst, because they can't isolate themselves like someone in prison.

As we reported ... guys getting sprung from L.A. County Men's Jail say authorities are not telling them about coronavirus or how to prevent it, and they dispute official's accounts that sanitation efforts are being ramped up.

Aside from the filthy jail cells and holding areas, Danny says another danger facing inmates are handshakes. He explains why it's disrespectful not to dap up other inmates, and why it poses a coronavirus nightmare.

When life gives you fears over coronavirus ... make some hand sanitizer and sell it at your lemonade stand!!!

Check out these funny pics of two young entrepreneurs in Texas ... the kids are putting a twist on the classic suburban lemonade stand by hawking bottles of hand sanitizer for $3 a pop.

These smart salespeople are cashing in on the hand sanitizer craze ... as you know, people are stocking up on the stuff over fears of catching coronavirus, and stores across the country are selling out ... and they're taking extra precautions by including their Venmo. Money is dirty!

This lemonade hand sanitizer stand is right outside Austin ... makes sense, the city just declared a local disaster and the upcoming SXSW music festival is canceled.

Gotta hand it to these kids, they're making the most of a bad situation ... looks like the country is in great hands!!!

Coronavirus could explode in the nation's jails as inmates are squeezed in like sardines in filth.

TMZ has contacted various jails, including L.A. County Men's Jail as well as jails in San Francisco and New York. They all say they are wiping down surfaces at least daily and ramping up sanitation efforts.

Tell that to Jose Abalos, who just got out of L.A. County Men's Jail for "regular carjacking." He says he was placed in a cell that had not been cleaned from the previous inmate and it was disgusting ... it smelled like urine. He left Friday morning with a cough and wheezing. He says the jail gave him meds but he's worried and is going to a doctor.

Abalos also said no one from the jail told the inmates anything about coronavirus or how to prevent it.

Another inmate, Arturo, also was released from L.A. County Men's Jail Friday morning, and he says there was blood and fecal matter on the walls and says the place was dirty and disgusting. He says he had one shower in 20 days.

Arnold Schwarzenegger's showing us his completely empty fitness expo venue -- shut down due to coronavirus fears, and it's a pretty eerie scene.

Arnold joined us on "TMZ Live" Friday from inside the massive 750,000-square-foot convention space in Columbus, OH. It was supposed to be packed right now with a quarter of a million people for the country's biggest health and fitness expo ... before coronavirus, that is.

As you can see in the video, it's a ghost town because Ohio shut it down out of health concerns. Arnold gave us a quick tour -- no displays, no booths, just emptiness.

As we reported ... the Arnold Sports Festival coincides with the expo, and it's going on as planned nearby even though the government closed it to spectators.

Arnold says he still doesn't understand why the sporting portion -- which draws no more than 4,000 fans to a single event -- is not allowed to host spectators when bigger sporting events in Ohio are still business as usual.

Ultimately, Arnold says health is more important than money ... but it's still crazy to see how coronavirus is disrupting things.

Dr. Oz is moving on from his crusade against breakfast to urge people to quit another customary activity in everyday life -- shaking hands.

The TV doc tells TMZ ... coronavirus fears are warranted because it's proving to be 5 times more contagious than the seasonal flu, but there are immediate steps everyone can take to help limit its spread. First and foremost ... cancel handshakes.

Dr. Oz points out that COVID-19 has elements which make it very difficult to control -- something he alluded to in January -- but by replacing a handshake with a fist bump, there's 10 times less bacteria transferred ... so that's a good start.

He even offers a fun way to do the friendly exchange, compliments of Rev. Run. You gotta check it out.

Larry Flynt's Hustler Club is not closing up shop as fears mount over the spread of coronavirus -- instead, it's educating customers on cleaning up their act ... pre-lap dance!!!

The Las Vegas strip club actually has a PSA to remind its patrons about the best coronavirus defense ... simply washing your hands. Hustler's hammering home the point with an assist from some of its dancers.

It's catchy -- the video, that is -- but the Surgeon General would NOT approve of the face mask use!!! Not due to the boobs, but because they don't actually protect you.

Seriously though, a Vegas strip joint might seem like a potential coronavirus hot zone. It's got tourists from around the globe, cash is notoriously filthy and there's the up-close contact of a lap dance -- but the Hustler Club's taking extra precautions.

We're told Larry Flynt's hired a professional custodian company -- super-janitors if you will -- to sanitize the club daily. They've also hired additional porters for more on-the-spot cleaning throughout the night. Phew.

You'll probably still go home broke and covered in glitter, but you won't have a deadly virus. Most likely. No promises.

Arnold Schwarzenegger wants fans at his Sports Festival in Ohio to be safe from coronavirus but doesn't understand why the Governor is shutting them down while allowing much larger sporting events to continue.

The Arnold Sports Festival, which begins today in Columbus, will have very few fans in attendance after Governor Mike DeWine announced they were closing the event to spectators out of concern for the spread of coronavirus.

As we reported, Arnold fully agreed with shutting down the expo associated with the event. It's a massive trade show that draws 250,000 people each year.

After the Governor's announcement, Arnold fired off a letter to him, saying, "Health will always be more important than money to me." However, he also pointed out in the letter several other huge events were continuing without any government limitations.

For instance, he says, "March madness games in Cleveland and Dayton will go forward as planned with tens of thousands of attendees." In addition, Cleveland Cavaliers and Columbus Blue Jacket games -- which have nearly 20,000 spectators -- are also being played. Not to mention several other upcoming conventions in Columbus.

While Arnold agreed with closing the much larger expo for his festival ... its sporting events have no more than 4,000 fans at a single event.

A WorldStar Hip Hop exec wasn't taking ANY chances in catching coronavirus ... he flew home from Tokyo looking like Dustin Hoffman in "Outbreak!"

Danny Cotton hit several hot spots in Asia last month in the midst of CV hysteria ... first in Hong Kong and then Malaysia. Cotton self-quarantined himself and his fiancee in an Airbnb rental property in Malaysia for 20 days. They were both fine, and wanted to stay that way.

Danny tells us he fully stocked the place with fruits and vegetables. His fiancee -- she's from China -- convinced him to eat raw garlic to boost his immune system.

Cotton tells us after the quarantine period he and his fiancee wanted to come to the U.S. ... but there was a big problem. She can't get a U.S. visa because of the outbreak, so she had to return to China. What's worse ... she's been told she may not get a visa for 2 years.

So, he made his way to Tokyo, where he boarded an ANA jumbo jet to take him home to L.A., leaving his fiancee far, far away.

Which now brings us to Danny's bodysuit. He spent 14 hours looking more like Walter White than a bigwig in the world of hip-hop.

People desperate to fend off the coronavirus are turning to online companies hawking face masks -- but some customers say they've been duped in what feels like a coronavirus con.

At least 2 online face mask stores are selling emergency accessories. They certainly have all the fixings of legit online companies ... flaunting their spiffy designs and slicks shots of "customers" using their gear.

We spoke to Stephen, a 29-year-old pastor in North Carolina who went to one of the sites -- a company called EM General -- to purchase 2 “Coronavirus N95” masks for $49.98 ... a bargain these days. It even includes replaceable filters.

One of Stephen's 3 young kids has a respiratory condition ... so, you can understand why he felt he'd really scored. As he put it, “I felt like I needed to find a mask, because they’re all selling out.”

After making his purchase though, Stephen got a little uneasy. He says the site has since updated its phone number from a Grand Rapids, MI number to a 1-800 number. It also altered its email address.

Perhaps most troubling are the profile photos of execs on EM General's website. For instance, there's a smiling, java-sipping shot of CEO Mike Thomas. Nice guy, right?

Problem is, a little Internet sleuthing turned up the same exact photos on at least 2 different company sites with no names, but different titles. Sure smells like someone's using stock photos.

Same goes for EM General's CFO and COO Grace H. Clark. Unless she's one of a set of triplets ... she’s also “Jennifer S.” offering testimonials for a piggy bank company, and "Anida Smith" promoting some kind of legal staffing company.

Again, the apparent stock images are a fishy sign -- and it all leaves Stephen feeling like he got rooked.

We tried to contact the company, and got an automated email reply blaming shipping snags on “HIGH volume of demand of our mask.”

We checked with the Better Business Bureau and it's on the job. We're told they're investigating EM General and several other companies involved in nearly a dozen similar complaints.

A BBB spokesperson tells us, "We have started seeing reports on BBB Scam Tracker from people who have lost money to online scams for face masks, and we’ve also seen reports of merchants using COVID-19 as an excuse for slow shipments and factory shutdowns. This is likely just the beginning."

Another company BBB is probing is called SafeMask which happens to share an address with a shutdown website called RussianBeautyOnline.com. The BBB's Scam Tracker Report says, SafeMask "may be a rebranding of a business with an 'F' rating."

We reached out to SafeMask and, so far, no response.

What's obvious here -- based on BBB investigations and customer experiences -- buyer beware when shopping for coronavirus gear.

Rep. Matt Gaetz is taking a better safe than sorry approach to coronavirus -- even when he's just voting on it -- 'cause he's got himself a gas mask on that could fight off the plague.

The FL Congressman was strolling in D.C. Wednesday shortly after meeting up with his House colleagues to vote on a new bill for emergency coronavirus funds -- $8.3 bil was ultimately greenlit, BTW. Back to him though -- he came in looking like this, left in it too.

As for whether he's taking things a little too seriously -- or not -- Gaetz says we're in dire times right now, and as a politician -- he's the most at risk.

Our camera guy asks if he thinks President Trump should get himself one of these high-tech masks, and MG jokes he doesn't think DT would go for it. And not for the reason you might expect either. Remember, The Donald is a huge germophobe (who apparently hasn't touched his face in weeks because of COVID-19). He's also a huge hairdo guy too.

As for whether would-be partiers should stay away from Gaetz's home state of Florida for this upcoming Spring Break -- check it out ... he encourages them to come out and rage.

Average Joes and Janes are digging deep into the family cookie jars to join jet-setters aboard private aircraft ... as fears of the COVID-19 bug spread far and wide.

The super-rich aren’t the only ones shelling out big coin to shake free of the sometimes cattle-herding experience called flying commercial. In fact, a bunch of private jet and charter plane brokerage corps told us people are coming in flocks to upgrade and fly private.

Why?

At the very least, traveling like a boss may offer some peace of mind as Coronavirus jitters mount.

Paramount Business Jets is a worldwide brokerage company with access to over 15,000 certified private jets.

When they’re not braving missions to whisk passengers out of virus hot spots, like Hong Kong and Macau ... their crew and pilots don full coveralls and must be quarantined once landing back in the U.S. As for why they'd do that ... they get hazard pay -- it's all part of the VIP treatment.

“We're seeing a 300% increase -- even as early last night,” Richard Zaher from Paramount told us. “There's a lot of people inquiring about private jets -- even people who can’t quite afford it.”

A senior aviation adviser at Stratos Jet Charters, Inc., Kyle Jones, also claims many Main Streeters want to roll like balling Wall Streeters.

“We’re definitely seeing an influx of clients, for sure,” the advisor said of his company, which serves as a middleman to 100 private jet operators who fly in and out of celeb hubs like Teterboro and Miami airports. He adds, “requests have gone up in the past couple weeks due to the coronavirus, and not necessarily with our regular fliers, but with people who maybe don’t have the money, and don’t normally fly private.”

The lion's share of asks are coming from executive assistants dialing the outfit to fetch quotes (starting at around $7,000 a seat).

Angela Vargo -- a rep for the 4-year-old JSX -- which coined the Uber-esque tagline, “hop on jet service” -- noted that they are also witnessing piqued interest by customers angling for one of the 30 seats on their 23 Embraer 135 or 145 model planes.

And, while she couldn’t tie it directly to COVID-19, she did say flying private is a more viable travel option right now to quell most of the virus fears.

Also, the company is rolling out intense sterilization techniques and its jets are stocking up on coronavirus must-haves.

Bad news for health freaks planning to hit up Arnold Schwarzenegger's Sports Festival this weekend ... the event has been terminated due to the coronavirus. For now.

The event in Columbus, OH is the country's biggest health and fitness expo ... where a quarter-million people gather every year to check out all the new equipment, apparel and nutrition booths.

While there has only been one reported investigation into coronavirus in Ohio, Ah-nold wasn't willing to take any risks -- after all, it is a HEALTH expo.

Schwarzenegger made the announcement via speakerphone at the Ohio Statehouse on Tuesday ... saying he hopes to reschedule the expo when the disease is under control.

"The Coronavirus is dangerous and there are health risks involved," Arnold said. "We have biggest and best health and fitness festival in the world but we would never choose making money over people's health."

The decision has been made -- the 2020 Olympic Games WILL happen as planned despite a worldwide coronavirus scare, the IOC said on Tuesday.

There have been talks in recent weeks about postponing or even canceling the games due to the disease spreading at a rapid rate ... after IOC exec. Dick Pound said a decision should come late May.

The IOC's Mark Adams put all the speculation to rest during a press briefing ... saying the Games will, in fact, kick off July 24.

"The Games are going ahead on the 24th of July and we completely expect to deliver them on that date. All the advice we've been given is that that can go ahead, from the WHO and other organizations."

Adams was asked a TON of follow-up questions about the decision, but was adamant the Games are happening as planned.

So far, more than 90,000 people have reportedly been diagnosed with Coronavirus in 71 countries -- with more than 3,000 deaths.