Coronavirus

Leslie Odom Jr. remembers a time before his "Hamilton" paychecks when he needed government assistance to survive ... and he wants starving artists taken care of during the pandemic.

We got Leslie at LAX and asked if he's worried about the little guys now that live entertainment's going the way of the dinosaur with coronavirus spreading across the country.

Leslie says he knows the struggle all too well, telling us unemployment benefits kept him afloat his first decade as a performer ... and he's asking D.C. to step up to the plate and ease people's minds with a little extra dough.

Leslie's feeling the crunch too ... coronavirus fears forced him to cancel 3 upcoming tour dates with Victoria Canal ... but it sounds like his bank account is big enough to weather the storm.

People are clearing out grocery aisle shelves amid the coronavirus pandemic -- but the microscopic enemy's also got folks ready to shoot their way out this problem.

At least two gun stores in the San Fernando Valley -- just outside of L.A. -- had lines coming out the door this weekend, as people flocked to apparently stock up on firearms. The two locations pictured here are Gun World and Guns Direct -- both in Burbank, CA.

It looks like people were actually standing in lines that went down the block and reached surrounding store fronts -- which, of course, begs the obvious question. WHY?!?!?

It could just be the fact they got some pretty good sales going on right now -- a 9 MM SD9VE Smith & Wesson for just $380 ain't half bad -- but the more realistic reason lies in the panic caused by COVID-19. Funny enough, Pete Wentz just talked to us about this on Saturday, and sorta poo-pooed those whose first instincts are to run to their local gun shops.

He said it didn't really make sense for Americans to snap up guns at such a frantic pace, because coronavirus ain't something you can take out with a bullet. That said, Pete also acknowledged that whenever there's public fear of any kind ... 'Murica likes to grip their pistols for some reason.

Dave & Buster's is a place where kids and adults alike love to play -- which, by and large in Cali, has NOT closed its doors up to this point ... but that could change soon.

TMZ spoke to at least 9 different D&B locations up and down California, and they all pretty much told us the same thing ... they haven't closed up shop, but they are seeing way less traffic come through these past couple weeks -- part of which isn't even their own doing.

We're told a lot of these Dave & Buster's have been instructed by their local governments to reduce the number of people they let in the building down to just 100, including employees. That said, it sounds like it's just slow all around in the arcade/bar/restaurant these days.

Still, we're told those who are working shifts have changed their routines a bit. Some locations tell us certain staffers have been designated to just wiping and sterilizing the joint, from individual game stations and tables ... right down to the menus and ketchup packets.

Of course, it appears D&B might be one of several different venues across the state that will be directed to close up shop -- whether it's locally here in Los Angeles or anywhere else. Governor Gavin Newsom on Sunday instructed bars and clubs to shut down.

And, when it comes to restaurants, he says they should start scaling back their capacity by at least 50%. Ditto for L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti -- so it looks D&B could be on a hiatus, along with many other bar/restaurant locales.

The funny thing is ... it feels like a lot of residents aren't heeding the directive of health officials, because L.A. was pretty poppin' this weekend. Same for Nashville, too, apparently ... viral video of a massive gathering at a bar there proves some folks aren't taking coronavirus all that seriously.

Caesars Palace appears to be the next big Vegas resort to implement mass temporary employee layoffs and furloughs over coronavirus ... and the way workers are catching wind of it is about as dramatic as a Shakespearean play.

Sources within the palace walls tell TMZ ... staffers working at Gordon Ramsay's Pub & Grill -- which is owned and run by Caesars itself -- were notified by head honchos late Saturday furloughs were being instituted effective immediately ... and employees there, including some who were full-time, were told to go home and not return to work for the time being.

We're told the restaurant employees were instructed they wouldn't be coming back with pay for a minimum of 4 weeks -- with no specific return in sight. It doesn't sound like most of these folks were laid off outright ... it's just a provisional measure.

Per our sources, Ramsay's team weren't the only ones to get the temporary boot ... we're told a lot of the hotel maids were given the same talk as well. The reason, according to people who were offered an explanation, the resort's occupancy has dropped like a rock.

We're told, normally, Caesars sits at around 80%-90% occupancy, but these past couple weeks have seen a significant dip -- going as low as 20% and projected to go lower, we're told. Accordingly, our sources say Caesar is planning to keep just one hotel tower open.

Caesars wouldn't be the first resort to do this -- MGM has reportedly notified its workers about coming layoff and furloughs because of coronavirus. On the flip side ... Wynn Resorts assured their own employees they'd be getting paid during any future closures.

The writing might've been on the wall for Caesars to start furloughing next though ... they just suspended all live ticketed entertainment this weekend too.

We've reached out to Caesars Entertainment Corp. for comment ... so far, no word back.

50 Cent is giving a big middle finger to the coronavirus panic by going to a strip club in a heavily affected area in New York City ... and throwing cash like there's no tomorrow.

The rapper was at Starlet's Gentlemen's club in Woodside, NY Saturday night -- just outside of Jackson Heights, and just across the way from Manhattan -- where he was without a mask or a glove ... but had a whole lot of paper on his lap with dancers all around.

Fitty was more than happy to spread the wealth in what looked to be a decently packed venue -- chucking his $$$ on stage while the strippers got all giddy. Eyewitnesses tell us he got even more excited and loose with his dough when the DJ started playing his own songs.

Clearly, the guy isn't stressing about catching COVID-19 ... even though the city is on the verge of locking down and mandating people stay home and away from public spaces.

Meanwhile, back in Manhattan proper ... it appears tons of people are already staying off the streets out of an abundance of caution, not to mention a massive spike in confirmed cases.

The coronavirus has changed the way most of us live in fundamental ways, which made us wonder what was happening with some of the most intimate contacts -- sex in brothels.

We contacted a half dozen of the biggest brothels in the Las Vegas area, and they're all open for business ... with an asterisk. One brothel manager said all customers must wear masks when they walk in and even during sex. It appears the women do not wear masks

Another brothel manager said an enormous bottle of hand sanitizer sits on the bar, and Clorox wipes are used frequently to wipe down doorknobs, bathroom counters and other surfaces. Every brothel we called said they sanitized their joints on a regular basis.

And, one of the places told us they will send any women home even if she has a slight cold.

Heidi Klum is waiting to hear if she's infected with the coronavirus after falling ill earlier in the week, and now her husband has developed symptoms as well.

Heidi posted this video, showing her on one side of a pane of glass and musician Tom Kaulitz on the other. She said, "Like many of you, I also have been sick all week and, unfortunately, my husband who returned from his tour a couple of days ago is also feeling ill.  To be safe, we are staying apart until we get the results of our coronavirus tests."

She says they were able to get tested Saturday.

TMZ broke the story ... Heidi showed up at 'AGT' Wednesday but almost immediately left before going on stage because she was feeling sick.

Heidi now says of her husband, whom she married last year, "As much as I want to embrace him and kiss him, it is more important to do the right thing and not spread further."

There is a mad dash to get back into the U.S. from various parts of the world, and it's causing pandemonium at the nation's big airports and potentially exposing thousands of people to the coronavirus.

This photo is from O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, where a huge crowd is lined up for a passport check. Everyone also had to wait in a separate line to have their temperature checked. The woman who took this photo says she waited 4 1/2 hours before clearing the line.

Trump has restricted entry from 26 European countries, but Americans are allowed to return home. Nevertheless, there has been a mad scramble to come back and it's caused a logjam.

Starbucks customers are being tasked with a tall order -- to leave their reusable cups at home to help stem the spread of the coronavirus.

There are stores all over that have posted signs telling customers it has temporarily paused the use of reusable cups. The store added, "In addition to sanitizing procedures in all our stores, this is one more step we can all take to prevent the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19)."

And, get this ... we're told that at some Starbucks, stores have also pulled the communal milks, creams and sugars. Customers at those particular stores must ask baristas for the additives.

The coffee giant clearly feels minimizing contact between employees and customers -- less customer-to-employee cup exchange -- will help stop spreading germs. Same with the milks, stirrers and sugars ... no need for every customer to literally get their hands on them.

A slew of Coachella-area hotels will take a beating when it comes to their bottom-line after its two famed festivals were postponed ... and the coronavirus, of course, is to blame.

We spoke to employees at various hotels in the region and they tell us losses in April will push well over $1 million ... a huge amount for a sleepy town that heavily relies on revenue from Coachella and Stagecoach's back-to-back-to-back weekends.

The festivals -- postponed due to an outbreak of the coronavirus -- will now take place on consecutive weekends beginning with Coachella October 9. For now, the hotel industry in the desert braces for a tough April.

The Homewood Suites by Hilton La Quinta expects revenue to be down a whopping 60% ... amounting to about $500k in total revenue.

The Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Palm Desert was expecting to bring in around $450k. The hotel, which has 110 rooms, saw an immediate 10% drop in room cancelations just hours after promoters announced the festival's postponement. Same with Courtyard by Marriott Palm Desert, which had 25 rooms canceled.

The Comfort Suites Palm Desert, with 72 rooms, expects to lose about $200k. Indian Wells Resort Hotel expects to lose about $400k for the 3 weekends, but its bottom-line is also being affected by the famous Indian Wells tennis tournament also getting canceled.

We've been told there's optimism the hotels will make up the revenue -- not to mention TIPS for service workers -- when the festivals return in October, but a lot can happen between now and then too.

As we reported ... Airbnb's also been dealing with this and began issuing refunds.

Scientists may be advising social distancing among ourselves, but as far as Machine Gun Kelly's concerned ... sex is very much still on the table and about to see a HUGE surge.

We got MGK Saturday in Studio City and asked what he made of speculation that the COVID-19 pandemic could actually spark another baby boom -- ya know, 'cause everyone's holed up and just chillin'. He says he agrees ... as he puts it, "Everyone's f***ing." Nice!

Then comes an interesting question ... what are the rules of the road for hooking up amid an outbreak like this? Sounds like our camera guy's speaking for himself and other guys out there, but Kelly's advice of going the straight-to-business route applies to both parties.

Long story short ... docs might be saying to avoid mouth-to-mouth, but no one ever said anything about other parts not touching. So in other words, no kissing ... just banging.

Sylvester Stallone's new movie is doing what a lot of other productions and production companies have halted almost immediately ... continuing to film amid the coronavirus.

The movie star was down in Atlanta Saturday, where he was filming on set for his upcoming sci-fi flick, 'Samaritan,' in full costume and makeup. What's crazy about that ... it appears COVID-19 was on the brain of several others working as well, based on their attire.

Check it out ... there's a woman wearing a face mask who was working on Sly's wardrobe. Not just that, but there was a guy in a freakin' hazmat suit doing what we're told was apparent cleaning on set too. Meanwhile, Stallone was out there unprotected.

Sly hasn't been careless about the virus either -- he was just spotted out here in L.A. last weekend wearing latex gloves while doing some shopping. He's well aware of the risks.

It begs the question ... with so many other movies these days halting production out of an abundance of caution, why is Sly's flick moving forward? Especially, when the staffers on the ground are CLEARLY worried and actively taking steps to ward off coronavirus???

The answer remains unclear -- it could be a decision coming down from the head studios producing this movie -- MGM and Balboa Productions (Stallone's company) -- or it could be a decision from some bigwig behind the scenes. Maybe even SS himself ... who knows?

What's even crazier is that Atlanta is no stranger to coronavirus -- there've been at least a few dozen confirmed cases in and around the area. Georgia's governor even declared a public health emergency recently, so it would appear the virus is running rampant there too.

Another curious thing here ... MGM just pulled the plug on the new Bond movie, 'No Time to Die,' because of coronavirus. So why are they moving forward with this?

Whatever the case ... here's hoping Sylvester's taking the necessary precautions. Be safe out there, bud.

Gym rats have a safe haven amid the growing coronavirus pandemic -- a lot of their go-to facilities don't seem anywhere near to shutting their doors. They will, however, do a few more wipe-downs to put people at ease.

TMZ spoke with a number of big-name gyms in Los Angeles -- including 24 Hour Fitness, Equinox and TriFit ... and they all tell us they haven't gotten instructions to keep their members out over COVID-19. What they will do, in short, is step up their cleaning game.

An employee at TriFit in Santa Monica tells TMZ ... their gym has replaced a few small bottles of hand sanitizer with 4 big ones, placing one in each locker room and two in the main gym area. They've also provided more hand wipes and paper towels with the hope members use them to wipe machines down. TriFit's also encouraging folks to wash their hands, etc.

The one thing Tri is closing down ... their saunas and steam rooms, out of precaution.

Equinox is doing something similar, except it sounds like the burden of cleaning falls on the staff. We're told Equinox employees have been told to ramp up their cleaning efforts with hospital-grade cleaning solutions -- which are to be used for mid-morning and mid-afternoon wipe-downs ... in addition to their usual cleaning schedule.

Gold's Gym, where none other than Arnold Schwarzenegger beefs up, tells us they're wiping down areas more frequently and giving their members tips on how to stay clean and healthy -- including staying home if they're sick. That's pretty much it.

As for 24 Hour ... they too are following that same principle of extra cleaning -- telling TMZ their staffers are wiping down just about every touchable surface they can get to with disinfectant solutions. They also say they're encouraging members to use cleaning stations around their facilities before using a machine and, obviously, afterward as well.

24HF does not though ... their 24GO app does offer over 2,000 workouts people can do from home -- so they're suggesting members use that if they can't make it in.

Bottom line ... gyms out here are doing what they should already be doing in a space where germs run amok -- namely, cleaning ... just way more of it. So if you're brave and not worried about catching something, go and get your lift on. Coronavirus ain't shutting it down.

Pete Wentz says people running to their local grocery stores for toilet paper and water are not just screwing themselves (and others) ... they're also not thinking ahead.

The Fall Out Boy bassist gave us his take on the chaos surrounding coronavirus lately -- including folks stockpiling crucial supplies and clearing shelves in utter panic -- and he breaks it down like this ... TP and agua ain't the end all be all, long-lasting grub is.

Check out his explanation here, 'cause it's pretty interesting. He tells us folks should be stocking up on canned goods and food that they can munch on in, say, a month from now ... because that's what'll keep people going in the long run. Not, a 6-pack of Charmin Ultra.

He also says the frenzied public are doing nobody any favors by buying up a massive supply of stuff he says people need right now. In short, take what you need and that's it.

One last thing ... we ask Pete about people snapping up guns amid the pandemonium too, and he says it makes sense. Scared people do scary things, apparently.