Coronavirus

Chris Cuomo might be going a little stir-crazier than the average person ... based on his epic rant against CNN and President Trump, and him saying he's over the BS that comes with his job.

The CNN anchor -- who's battling COVID-19 -- was on his SiriusXM radio show Monday, and told his audience how he felt about his J-O-B ... and what he'd rather be doing instead. Long story short -- Chris wants to be able to cuss people out when they challenge him in public.

Chris gives an example of the latter -- describing a situation he and his family recently went through when they were out in his family's driveway, and a biker rolled up in the neighbor's driveway and apparently started chewing out Chris.

As Chris explains in this rant, he just wants to tell off people like that, but in way more colorful language. Of course, he acknowledges he can't because of his celebrity and his position at CNN -- which he implies constrains him.

He also says he's over the hyper-partisanship of his gig -- going on to say he doesn't believe anything Dems or Republicans tell him on the air. He says indulging that type of environment isn't worth his time -- and he doesn't even care about the money.

Oh, and yeah ... he called out Trump too.

BTW, at some point the same day ... Chris was on his regular CNN show discussing coronavirus with Dr. Sanjay Gupta and how it gets into your head and seriously screws with ya.

Did Jimmy Garoppolo overthrowing Emmanuel Sanders in the 4th quarter of the Super Bowl save potentially THOUSANDS of lives?!?!

That's what some doctors believe ... saying the lack of a Super Bowl parade in S.F. last month helped slow the spread of COVID-19 in Northern California tremendously.

"It may go down in the annals as being a brutal sports loss," chair of UC San Francisco department of medicine, Dr. Bob Wachter, told the Wall Street Journal this week, "but one that may have saved lives."

The Bay Area reported its first cases of coronavirus in the days -- and hours -- leading up to the 49ers-Chiefs game in early February ... and if SF had beaten KC in The Big Game -- it could have had disastrous results.

Doctors say a Super Bowl party on the streets of San Francisco might have led to a massive spread of the coronavirus ... killing hundreds, if not thousands.

"It is certainly hard to imagine a more high-risk situation," UCSF COVID-19 expert Dr. Niraj Sehgal told the WSJ.

Of course, the Niners weren't able to beat Patrick Mahomes down in Miami -- Garoppolo just missed the game-winning throw -- and the Super Bowl party ended up in Kansas City.

And, with KC not reporting its first cases of the virus until mid-March ... they were able to party hard without consequences.

So ... thanks, Garoppolo!

Marouane Fellaini -- one of the most famous soccer players in the world -- was discharged from a hospital in China after battling COVID-19.

The 32-year-old Belgian star has been playing in China's Super League since 2019 -- and back in March, he tested positive for coronavirus.

Things got so bad, he was hospitalized for the past 3 WEEKS -- but good news, doctors cleared him to finally go home.

"The time has come for me to thank from the bottom of my heart, the medical staff of the hospital, their nursing staff as well as my Club and its medical staff for taking such good care of me with so much kindness and for ensuring my comfort whilst there," Fellaini said.

"The hardest part is behind me! Let's keep fighting, it's important!"

Now, Fellaini has been ordered to quarantine himself for the next 14 days to minimize the chances of spreading the virus to others.

Fellaini has been a staple on the Belgium national team for years -- and also played for both Everton and Manchester United.

The coronavirus has had a devastating impact on the regularly thriving smartphone industry in China, but there's cause for hope ... it's starting to show signs of life again.

Obviously, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the sale of smartphones, which reportedly resulted in Apple having one of its worst months ever in China in February ... with only half a million iPhones sold to its 1.4 BILLION people.

That low amount's due to 3 factors -- reduced supply because of factory shutdowns, retail stores being closed, and of course ... loss of expendable income for Chinese citizens.

A survey of 1,300 smartphone owners found that 37 percent were holding off on purchasing a new one, and 32 percent were delaying an upgrade to 5G ... something that was widely anticipated in 2020.

Compare this to 40 percent responding that they've delayed buying cars, furniture and appliances, as well ... it's fair to say smartphones are lumped into the big-ticket item category that's low on people's purchase priority list.

On the plus side, sales bounced back slightly in March ... with total mobile phone shipments from all companies increasing by 3 times over February. Apple shipped nearly 5 times more units ... but smartphone sales overall were still down 20 percent in March compared to 2019.

Clearly could be worse, though, and with China being the first country to go on lockdown ... it's hopeful it can be the first to bounce back.

The Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard is now taking stricter steps to protect its workers from COVID-19 -- including temperature checks -- after a civilian employee tested positive in late March.

According to a federal doc, obtained by TMZ, the Naval shipyard in Hawaii began executing wellness and temperature screenings in "high-traffic areas" on April 13 to ensure the health and safety of its staff.

The Pearl Harbor screenings are random and consist of one question ... "Are you experiencing flu-like symptoms?" ... along with a temperature scan, for which a reading of 100 degrees or higher constitutes a positive screening.

According to the new guidelines, a worker with a positive screening is required to leave the shipyard immediately and let their supervisor know.

All Pearl Harbor employees have been required to wear face coverings since April 8 if they're unable to maintain the 6-foot social distancing rule. They are required to lower masks to verify ID at access points or CIA gates.

This all comes after the Navy recently confirmed a worker on the base tested positive for the virus on March 29. He's reportedly been quarantined since then while health officials conducted an investigation to determine if anyone else may have been exposed.

There's an obvious gap between that positive test and the April 8 face mask rule -- and another 5 days past that for the temperature screenings to begin.

The good news is the base has only had the one positive test, so far ... and there's now a more proactive plan. Statewide, BTW, Hawaii's had 504 COVID-19 cases and 9 fatalities.

Hockey fans, brace yourselves ... L.A. Kings star Drew Doughty doesn't see how the NHL will pick back up again this summer -- saying, "It seems like it's pretty tough to resume."

"I don't see how this season is going to return," Doughty told reporters on a conference call Monday. "I really don't."

The NHL, like every other U.S. sport, halted play back in early March ... and shortly after, the league revealed several of its players had been diagnosed with coronavirus.

Since that time, players have returned to their homes and have been ordered to self-isolate... and it's all got Doughty wondering, how the hell are they going to finish this season??

"We have no idea when this virus is going to be over,” Doughty said. “We’re just sitting here waiting, working out, getting ready to hopefully return at any point."

Doughty continued: "I would think the NHL or whoever has to make a decision will make some type of decision on that soon. It seems like it’s going to be pretty tough to return, to resume the season or the playoffs."

Of course, Doughty's Kings have ZERO chance of making any noise in a resumed season ... they were one of the worst teams in the league at 29-35 when play paused.

But, that's clearly allowed Doughty -- who says he doesn't even have his hockey gear with him at his current place -- to be more open about his opinion on a potential comeback.

"I know they so badly want to give out the Stanley Cup this year," Doughty said. "But in all seriousness, it wouldn't even be like winning a real Stanley Cup if the season wasn’t finished, if teams couldn’t get in the playoffs."

Gavin Newsom's clueless to think churches are not as essential as burger joints and coffee shops ... so claim a group of church leaders suing him over the lockdown.

A group of pastors and church members filed the suit claiming religious services are "essential for the spiritual health of the congregation so that the congregants can exhort one another during these difficult times."

In the docs, obtained by TMZ, one pastor believes they can hold services so long as they abide by social distancing tips recommended by the CDC ... like keeping congregants at least 6 feet apart and requiring they wear masks and gloves.

The leaders claim California's "shelter-at-home" mandate coupled with its "essential workforce" criteria has denied religious groups their fundamental right to continue congregating.

In fact, one pastor claims he was fined $1,000 for holding service on Palm Sunday. The church leaders are pissed they can't hold services ... even after they disinfect churches and practice social distancing.

According to the suit, they're also pissed baristas, burger flippers and laundromat technicians are considered "essential" ... while attending church is NOT.

The battle between governors and churches boiled over this Easter ... with more than a handful defying "shelter-at-home" orders.

Pro wrestling is "essential" to the State of Florida -- says the state governor which has allowed WWE to remain open during the COVID-19 pandemic.

No joke. This is real.

Jerry Demings -- mayor of Orange County, Florida -- was asked Monday how the WWE Performance Center in Orlando has been allowed to stay in business while non-essential companies have been forced to close their doors.

As we previously reported, WWE has been taping at the Performance Center and plans to shoot "Raw" later today.

So, why exactly?

"I think initially there was a review that was done and they were not initially deemed an essential business,” Demings said.

"With some conversation with the Governor’s office regarding the Governor’s order, they were deemed an essential business. And so, therefore, they were allowed to remain open."

Demings did not go into detail about why the Governor's office changed its stance on WWE.

For their part, WWE tells us the health and safety of talent and staff is their top priority, saying ... “We believe it is now more important than ever to provide people with a diversion from these hard times."

"We are producing content on a closed set with only essential personnel in attendance following appropriate guidelines while taking additional precautions to ensure the health and wellness of our performers and staff. As a brand that has been woven into the fabric of society, WWE and its Superstars bring families together and deliver a sense of hope, determination and perseverance.”

Remember, WWE confirmed a performer has tested positive for COVID-19 -- but they believe that person caught it from medical workers. WWE also says the performer has recovered and they do not believe he or she spread it to other WWE personnel.

Demings addressed that situation on Monday.

“In terms of the specifics associated with the wrestling personality who tested positive, I don’t know any of the details of that obviously because of HIPAA laws," Demings said.

"But, that’s like a little family. A small family of professional athletes that wrestle. And, if one of my family members tested positive in my house, that would be concerning to me."

President Trump hit the retweet button on a call to fire Dr. Anthony Fauci -- which seems to indicate a growing rift between Trump and his pandemic right-hand man.

Trump's promotion of a #FireFauci tweet comes in response to the infectious disease expert's CNN interview Sunday ... where he said the U.S might have prevented deaths if it had put mitigation efforts in place in February, instead of mid-March.

Fauci's comments weren't necessarily a direct shot at Trump -- he told Tapper "what goes into those decisions is complicated" -- but the retweet seems to indicate the Prez took it as one.

Trump retweeted a woman claiming Fauci himself told people "there was nothing to worry about and [COVID-19] posed no threat to the US public at large" on February 29. She then wrote, "Time to #FireFauci..."

The President added ... "Sorry Fake News, it’s all on tape. I banned China long before people spoke up."

If you haven't been paying attention, Trump has been touting his China travel restrictions for saving lives -- something Fauci's praised him for as well -- while ignoring his other missteps.

Trump's next coronavirus task force briefing -- typically attended by Fauci -- is gonna be interesting.

Stay tuned ...

The evangelical pastor who vowed to keep preaching unless he was "in jail or the hospital" has died of COVID-19 ... only weeks after defiantly opening his church doors.

Bishop Gerald Glenn showed off his jam-packed congregation back on March 22 at the New Deliverance Evangelistic Church in Richmond, VA ... telling followers to stand up and prove their numbers ... despite social distancing guidelines and warnings against large gatherings in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

His church announced that Glenn died on, of all days, Easter Sunday from COVID-19 a week after testing positive for the novel coronavirus.

During that infamous in-person service, the Bishop said he firmly believed God was larger than the virus and said he was proud of being "controversial" for violating safety protocols. The Bishop also claimed he was an "essential" worker, saying he's a preacher and he talks to God.

The Bishop's wife, Marcietia Glenn, is also infected with COVID-19.

Former Cowboys 1st-round pick Marcus Spears is putting Dak Prescott ON BLAST over his quarantine party ... saying, "This was one of the most disrespectful things I've seen in a long time."

We broke the story ... Dak played host to a big gathering at his place in Prosper, Texas over the weekend -- and one witness says there were as many as 30 people in attendance at the height of the festivities.

Of course, this is a huge no-no ... as government officials have urged self-isolation amid the coronavirus pandemic -- and Spears ripped the Cowboys QB on Monday for putting the party on.

"This is just dumb," Spears said on ESPN's 'Get Up.' "It's dumb and it's totally disrespectful with what we have going on right now in this country."

Spears says his gripe with Dak's get-together is simple -- if the virus spreads because of the party, it puts further unnecessary strain on medical personnel.

"The disrespect to do this and recognize that people that have to presumably take care of you after these dumb social gatherings that you should not be having, by the way, is the one that really irks me and rubs me the wrong way."

For his part, Dak has yet to publicly comment on the party -- which his teammate, Ezekiel Elliott, also attended.