Coronavirus

Ric Flair says he's "more than content" with the COVID-19 safety measures the WWE has implemented for WrestleMania 36 -- and trusts Vince McMahon to look out for his daughter's health.

Of course, Mania is set to go down (without fans) this weekend in a virtually empty WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida ... due to the coronavirus pandemic.

And, while at least one WWE superstar has pulled out over health concerns, Ric tells TMZ Sports the wrestling org. is doing everything they can to protect the 'Mania performers, which includes his own superstar daughter, Charlotte Flair.

"I'm more than content that they have put enough safety measure in place." Flair says.

"Keep in mind, they also gave everybody an opportunity to not be part of it. So, anybody that was there, nobody had their arm twisted. It was strictly a voluntary basis."

Flair says the wrestlers are STOKED for WM36 -- explaining, "They worked their whole year, actually some of them work their whole career to be in a high level match in Wrestle Mania."

"Obviously there's gonna be some changes but it's gonna be a great show."

Plus, Nature Boy says he's sick of listening to all of the NFL offseason news dominating the sports media recently ... he's ready for some action already!

"Hey listen, I'm tired of hearing about Tom Brady and that Buccaneers. I'm tired of hearing about Tua, ok?! Let's talking about something that's really taking place!"

Adam Schlesinger -- co-founder of the "Stacy's Mom" band Fountains of Wayne -- is fighting for his life as he battles COVID-19.

Adam's girlfriend tells TMZ ... he's been hospitalized in upstate NY and is currently on a ventilator. She says Adam "has been sedated to facilitate his recovery. He is in critical condition, but his condition is improving slightly and we are cautiously optimistic."

A fan page for the 52-year-old singer's current band, Ivy, claims Adam's been on a ventilator for 2 weeks and is in a medically induced coma. Adam's longtime lawyer, Josh Grier, refuted that ... telling Variety "no one has used the word 'coma' to me."

Adam's GF didn't say it either when we spoke to her.

Adam co-wrote "Stacy's Mom" with Fountains of Wayne lead singer Chris Collingwood. The band dropped the track in 2003 and it peaked at No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 -- but the music video, starring Rachel Hunter, etched the song in pop culture.

Florida residents are gunning for all the ammo they can get their hands on with just hours to go before the state's stay-at-home order goes into effect.

We got this pic of the handgun ammo aisle at Academy Sports + Outdoors in West Melbourne, FL. As you can see, anyone looking to load their 9mm, .38 or .45 caliber weapon is S.O.L. -- however, we're told the store still had shotgun shells.

Mind you, this was just one hour after Gov. Ron DeSantis issued the stay-at-home order to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The mandate goes into effect at midnight Thursday.

Floridians have been arming up all week -- we're told ammo supplies have been low for days, and as soon as stores restock, they're selling out. According to reports ... more than 10,000 Floridians filed paperwork to get a background check, and gun stores have had long lines.

Like millions of Americans, Bill Belichick is working from home today. Unlike millions of Americans ... HE'S NOT WEARING SWEATPANTS!!

Instead, the Patriots head coach squeezed into his best pair of tight jeans, set up a cam in his office and just gave a signature Belichick pep talk to America about how to crush the coronavirus!

"Hello, this is Bill Belichick," ... (like we didn't already know).

"I want to reach out to you in these uncertain and unprecedented times to let you know that I, and the New England Patriots, are behind you. We are all in this together."

Belichick shouts out all of the heroes on the front lines -- "medical professionals, doctors, nurses, medical workers and others" -- and praises them for "doing their job."

You know Bill ... the "Do Your Job" thing has become his battle cry over the years.

"We are facing a difficult opponent. It will take teamwork, discipline and commitment to do the right things all the time. That includes staying at home."

"I encourage everyone to shelter in place for as long as necessary as we fight this virus together."

BONUS -- WANNA KNOW WHAT'S ON BILL'S BOOKSHELF?!

We zoomed way the hell in and spotted a few notable hardcovers

-- "Roots" by Alex Haley

-- "Medal of Honor" by Peter Collier

-- "These United States" by Glenda Elizabeth Gilmore

-- "The Best and the Brightest" by David Halberstam

It also looks like he's got a Bon Jovi book in there!

Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez just beat the buzzer ... squeezing in one final gym workout before Florida goes on lockdown, and using their pull to make it happen.

The engaged duo slipped out of a gym Wednesday afternoon in Miami after getting what we imagine to be some very exclusive access. Florida had already ordered most gyms closed -- in fact, the door to this gym even said it was closed.

There was an exception for gyms with a capacity of 10 or less -- so, J Lo and A-Rod likely had a private training session -- but even that has to end Thursday.

Governor Ron DeSantis announced a statewide shelter in place order just a few hours after Alex and Jen wrapped up at the gym. It goes into effect Thursday at midnight.

They did play it safe on the way out ... with their security guards wearing masks and wiping down door handles and other surfaces they might touch.

The Florida pastor who got hauled in by cops for hosting a megachurch service despite quarantine and stay-at-home orders is doubling down ... insisting he did NOTHING wrong.

The Tampa-area minister is Rodney Howard-Browne, and he took to his own podcast/telecast shortly after being released Monday night to explain why he did what he did -- namely, put hundreds of people's lives at risk by hosting the service.

RHB has a lot to say, but the gist is that he was simply exercising his First Amendment right -- i.e., freedom of religion and separation of church and state. His logic is bizarre. Watch.

There's more though ... Rodney goes IN on the media, sounding very Trump-like by suggesting a lot of outlets are hyping the threat of coronavirus and fear-mongering to get everyone scared and panicked. BTW ... more than 800 people in the U.S. died Tuesday.

One interesting note ... it sounds like Rodney here thinks the charges he was brought in on -- which he incorrectly calls First Amendment violations -- will be resolved shortly.

He says he's willing to do interviews, but only once his lawyers and theirs (the county/state's) have a chat and put this matter to bed. He also talks TMZ a bit. 👀

One last thing ... the guy shows ZERO remorse for his actions, insisting he had no choice. Wrong again, Rod -- but go ahead and tell us why you think that is. We're listening ...

Pete Buttigieg says it's inspiring to see the leadership coming from state and local governments during the pandemic -- something he says the White House is lacking.

Mayor Pete joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" and praised the decency, compassion and informed decisions being displayed by governors, and even mayors. He thinks President Trump's been doing the exact opposite.

The former Presidential candidate says it doesn't even feel like we have a President any more -- despite daily virus briefings from POTUS. Pete says it's all about proper messaging ... not so much about Trump's hair.

NY Governor Andrew Cuomo is getting a lot of praise for the way he's handled his state's astronomical COVID-19 stats. As a result, many are hoping he can make a late run to become the Democratic nominee -- but Mayor Pete is sticking with Joe Biden, telling us why Obama's VP would make a much better Prez than Trump.

Southern California still doesn't quite get the need to social distance from one another, because a popular farmers market in Santa Monica was teeming with shoppers who were awfully close together.

These pics were snapped Wednesday AM, as folks mostly on the westside of L.A. scramble for fresh groceries. The person who took the photos tells TMZ ... he was not allowed in because it's members-only, but he saw lots of shoppers very close together.

There have been other problems in the L.A.-area. As we reported, Katherine Schwarzenegger got the Brentwood Farmers Market shut down by Mayor Garcetti -- at least temporarily -- after big crowds gathered over the weekend and clearly were not practicing social distancing.

Ditto the beaches in L.A. County. During the first week of the self-quarantine, the beaches were crammed with people. They have been shut down.

Hiking trails have also been closed because so many people were trying to get exercise at the same time.

Dr. Will Kirby wants his fellow medical pros to quit hoarding crucial supplies, and make the sacrifices needed to fight the coronavirus pandemic.

The celebrity dermatologist joined us Wednesday on "TMZ Live" and sounded the alarm -- hospitals and first responders are in desperate need of face shields, masks and gloves ... items generally known as PPE, personal protective equipment.

Dr. Kirby -- who is a lead Doc at LaserAway -- doesn't mince words, saying any Bev Hills, Hollywood or L.A. cosmetic surgeon refusing to donate their stockpile of PPE is straight-up selfish and cowardly.

He suspects they've been slow to donate because they're hoping to open their doors again in a few weeks. Watch the clip ... he acknowledges the economic risk, but says it's time to band together and sacrifice.

The good doc is putting his PPE where his mouth is ... he's already donated $50,000 worth of PPE to 17 emergency rooms in New York and California.

Houston Texans long snapper Jon Weeks wanted to thank 1st responders for all their hard work during the COVID-19 pandemic ... so he sent them free lunch -- FROM WHATABURGER!!

The NFL player, along with his adorable daughter, sent burgers, chicken tenders and pies to the Houston Emergency Response Center and several fire departments Tuesday ... and accompanied the food with an awesome thank you video.

"Thank you for everything that you guys are doing," said Weeks, who's been playing for the Texans since 2010. "Thank you for being there on the front lines making the ultimate sacrifice to protect us to make sure that we're safe."

Weeks added, "We hope that you guys can enjoy lunch on the Weeks family today."

In total, we're told Weeks copped 125 burgers, 125 chicken tenders, 75 cherry and apple pies and 80 cookies from Whataburger for the hard-working people ... and they couldn't have been happier about the awesome gesture.

"The firefighters were very thankful," Houston Fire Department spokesperson Sheldra Brigham told TMZ Sports. "Not just for the Whataburger (which we love in Texas!) but the fact that Jon took the time to record a special message made the gesture even more special."

Reportedly, eight Houston firefighters have tested positive for COVID-19 recently, with many still awaiting testing results in quarantine.

But Brigham tells us Weeks' action brought the crew some much-needed joy, saying, "Lunch and a special message from Jon definitely gave us all something to smile about."

A spokesperson for the emergency center added, "The staff is very grateful that they were even thought of."

Joshua Tree is finally joining a long list of parks closing its trails to hikers and bikers ... just days after the area was besieged by quarantine-fleeing Angelenos.

The National Parks Service announced effective immediately the popular park in the Coachella Valley area is closed to ALL visitors until further notice. The park, of course, is completely shutting down in an effort to help slow the spread of COVID-19.

As we first reported ... Joshua Tree National Park was flooded with TONS of out-of-towners a little over a week ago, much to the chagrin of local neighbors. The park initially closed its visitor's center on March 18 and then closed its campgrounds on March 21.

But bored Angelenos couldn't keep their asses home anyway despite a "shelter at home" order by Gov. Gavin Newsom, thus forcing the National Parks Service's hand.

The closure comes a day after coronavirus cases in San Bernardino County hit 125, with four deaths.

Disney isn't letting its most loyal customers off the hook because its parks are closed -- they're still getting charged, but the company's trying to make good.

The Mouse House sent an e-mail to its Annual Pass members this week -- who, BTW, shell out big bucks for these passes each year -- telling them their scheduled monthly payments will continue like normal. Mind you, all Disney theme parks around the world are closed due to the pandemic.

It's a pretty crappy situation -- Disney doesn't give people the option of canceling and getting their money back ... at a time when a lot of people are hurting for cash. We've heard of one family being forced to shell out hundreds each month on their passes, despite asking to have their payment obligations paused or completely axed outright.

A Disney operator told them the same thing this e-mail is saying ... no way out, pony up. That, of course, puts a lot of people in a tough spot, as they struggle to make ends meet right now.

Disney is offering a consolation ... Pass Holders will get the days they're missing out on now tacked on to the end of their expiration date.

As for the cost ... a top-end annual pass at Disney World comes in at $1295 (before tax) and top-end at Disneyland is $1449 ... or just over $105 per month after a downpayment of $179.

Call it a lockdown within the lockdown -- U.S. prisoners will be kept inside their assigned cells for the next 14 days in an effort to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

The Federal Bureau of Prisons announced Tuesday night its new guideline will go into effect beginning Wednesday ... calling for all inmates in every prison across the nation to be secured in their assigned cells/quarters to decrease the spread of COVID-19.

This is BOP's Phase 5 plan as it desperately tries to combat the outbreak in prisons across America. BOP also says -- to the extent practicable -- inmates will have access to programs and services offered under normal operating procedures, such as mental health treatment and education.

After 14 days, if BOP deems it necessary ... it can choose to extend the lockdown. BOP will also work with U.S. Marshals to "significantly decrease incoming movement" to its prisons.

An 18-wheeler hauling toilet paper across the country crashed and went up in flames on a Texas interstate ... and reams of priceless rolls ended up as roadkill.

The crazy scene unfolded on Interstate 20 early Wednesday morning, when the driver of the tractor-trailer lost control of the rig ... flipping the truck on its side and spilling the precious cargo.

The trailer loaded with commercial TP was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived.

The crash created a huge traffic snarl during rush hour -- people are still apparently out on the roads in Dallas -- as crews worked to clear the smoldering wreckage. FYI ... Texas does not have a mandatory stay-at-home order.