Coronavirus

Dana White says UFC 249 won't only be the "best card we've ever had" but also the safest -- claiming he's spending a ton of money to ensure everyone is properly screened and medically cleared.

The event is going down on May 9th At the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena in Jacksonville, Florida ... headlined by Tony Ferguson vs. Justin Gaethje.

Top to bottom ... it's a stacked card -- with Henry Cejudo vs. Dominick Cruz and Francis Ngannou vs. Jairzinho Rozenstruik.

But the big question ... safety.

Remember, UFC postponed the April 18th event at the request of ESPN and Disney due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but White says they're good to go this time around and he's sparing no expense on safety measures, including thorough screening for fighters and their teams.

"We're gonna have an overabundance of safety," White says.

"We're gonna spend what it costs. We have really smart people who've been working on this ... and we're gonna spend whatever it costs to make sure the fighters, their camps, the commission, the referees, our production people and everybody is safe that's gonna go to this event."

"We're going to do everything and then we're gonna go even another level above that."

Not even coronavirus could hold back Von Miller's excitement over the Denver Broncos' draft Thursday ... 'cause the NFL superstar lost his mind over the Jerry Jeudy pick despite the virus!

Check out the video ... Von -- who was diagnosed with COVID-19 last week -- didn't let his illness get in the way of a Jeudy-to-the-Broncos dance party.

Miller, wearing a mask, hoodie and glasses, jumped up and down after Roger Goodell announced the pick ... and then ran screaming his face off.

The 31-year-old eventually made it back to the TV ... where he broke out in an impromptu dance -- clearly fired up over his team adding yet another offensive weapon.

Of course, Von still ain't 100 percent in his battle with coronavirus ... he was coughing and didn't sound totally healthy.

But, it's clear he's on the mend ... and it's apparent Alabama receivers with superstar potential make for some nice medication for Miller.

Von has said since his diagnosis that he's been feeling OK ... and it seems he's going to pull through it all just fine.

Probably wouldn't hurt the recovery process if the Broncos made another good selection in Round 2 on Friday.

Don't wear an N95 mask and drive alone ... that's the message New Jersey police are sending after a driver passed out while wearing COVID-19 protection and crashed.

Here's the deal ... a Jersey motorist crashed head-on into a pole Thursday, and cops say the driver passed out behind the wheel while wearing an N95 mask after several hours on the road.

Police say the N95 mask could have caused the driver to experience "insufficient oxygen intake/excessive carbon dioxide intake," but they say they don't know the cause of the crash with 100% certainty.

While cops say Jersey residents should keep following Governor Phil Murphy's guidelines for covering faces in public, and they don't want to cause a panic or suggest the N95 mask is unsafe, police say wearing an N95 mask while driving solo is "unnecessary."

Lots of health care professionals have urged us all to reserve N95 masks for healthcare workers on the frontlines of the pandemic. There are other options for the rest of us.

The good news ... cops say the driver's injuries are non-life threatening.

President Trump has a few ideas about how to treat COVID-19 patients -- based on some promising lab findings -- but the scientists around him ain't so sure.

The Prez played amateur M.D. during Thursday's coronavirus task force briefing ... after Bill Bryan -- Science Director for Dept. Homeland Security -- revealed lab testing shows UV rays from sunlight dramatically cuts the half-life of the virus. He added that bleach and isopropyl alcohol also kill the virus either instantly or within minutes.

That set off a lightbulb for Dr. Trump. He said -- out loud, mind you -- what if we could put UV rays and bleach inside a patient's body? His suggestion was maybe that would be an easy cure.

Watch the verbal dance Bryan had to do, explaining to reporters and the President it just doesn't work that way -- at least as far as he knows. He did this while desperately trying NOT to embarrass POTUS. Ya gotta feel for him.

To be clear ... the scientists are NOT saying it's okay to gather with friends under the UV rays of the sun -- that won't stop spread of the virus.

The world's BIGGEST DJ kept the party going during quarantine on Thursday ... with Shaquille O'Neal hosting a virtual DJ sesh from his house ... and he had some major guests tuning in!!

The 7'1" NBA legend -- AKA DJ Diesel -- put his skills on the 1s and 2s to the test for his 16 million followers ... playing a set that'll distract everyone from the coronavirus.

The best part?? Shaq interacted with some huge names who stopped by his stream -- from Rob Gronkowski to Meghan Trainor to DJ D-Nice to Saquon Barkley.

As for the set ... Diesel's got a wide range of songs in his lineup ... including some classics Snoop Dogg, Roddy Ricch and OutKast.

But, Shaq wasn't just standing around cranking out hits ... he was straight-up GETTING it behind his table and working up a sweat!!

Gronk added a bit of entertainment as well ... jumping on a trampoline in the middle of his living room!!

Every good squirrel tale needs a plot twist, so Willamina -- the injured squirrel fostered by a Louisiana woman in quarantine -- is getting hers, and we're hoping it's a happy ending.

The headline here is Willamina is taking a big step toward going wild -- a step that was forced by the state after we posted a story last week about Willa and her foster mom, Emily.

Emily joined us on TMZ Live Friday with a big update ... she's handing over Willa to a licensed rehab and release facility after the state's Wildlife and Fisheries Dept. contacted her and said Willa had to go.

As we told you ... Emily took in the baby squirrel just as Louisiana's state lockdown began last month -- she was just a couple weeks old with a badly infected eye. Emily raised her, fed her and got her proper veterinary care.

Pretty heartwarming story, especially amid a global pandemic.

Problem is ... our post, and Emily's social media, got a lot of eyeballs on them, and that's when the state got involved. You can tell Emily's heartbroken she has to be separated from her furry friend -- they've really bonded over the last 6 weeks.

However, she told us it's gonna be a great move for Willamina, 'cause she's about to get hooked up with another squirrel!!!

As Emily says ... squirrels tend to thrive in pairs, and she's hoping this move puts Willa on a better path to eventually getting released into the wild.

Andy Cohen's blasting FDA guidelines that are keeping him from donating his plasma -- which could potentially aid in the battle against COVID-19 -- calling them "antiquated and discriminatory" against gay people.

The 'Watch What Happens Live' host closed his show Thursday night by explaining how he wanted to help after he recovered from coronavirus so he signed up to give plasma ... which the FDA has an urgent need for because it's rich in antibodies.

Cohen says he's ineligible as a gay man, though, due to outdated and unfair rules to prevent HIV. Andy points out even the more recently relaxed rules require gay men to abstain from sex for 3 months, regardless of their relationship status ... when there are "no such blanket restrictions" for straight people.

Simply put, Cohen believes it's ignorant to exclude members of the gay community who could help save lives and fight COVID-19 at such a critical time ... especially when all blood is easily screened for HIV, anyway.

So, he's pleading for change, saying ... "This pandemic has forced us to adapt in many ways. We’re quarantining. We’re social distancing. We’re wearing masks. Why can’t we adapt when it comes to this rule?"

As we reported ... 'GMA' anchor George Stephanopoulos recovered from the virus and plans to donate plasma, but didn't mention having any roadblocks.

Tourists won't have much to do on the Las Vegas Strip even if the Mayor gets her way ... things are not looking good this year as far as Sin City nightlife is concerned.

Here's the deal ... while Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman may want her city to open back up for business ASAP, several people connected with Vegas nightlife tell us they are not on the same page.

The clubs we're talking to are all telling us the same thing ... they're being cautious in putting plans together, pool parties are unlikely to return this summer and things aren't expected to be back to full force until 2021.

Our Vegas nightlife sources tell us ... club owners will be following the lead of Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak and not the Mayor, who doesn't even have jurisdiction over the Strip. The Governor will ultimately decide when establishments can reopen and the clubs will fall in line with the hotels.

As you know ... Mayor Goodman raised eyebrows this week by suggesting workers in her city could serve as virtual lab rats to see if shelter-in-place orders are worth it, but she would not commit to standing on the casino floor herself.

Until there is a steady downward trend in the number of coronavirus cases and deaths, our sources say things are in a holding pattern in terms of reopening Vegas, and it's all a waiting game.

One source tells us they're targeting June for the earliest date to reopen some clubs, but it will only be smaller venues with a capacity well under 1,000 people. Frankly, that sounds like a dream more than reality.

We're told the chances for late-summer pool parties are slim, and things won't be back to normal until summer 2021, even if attendance this summer is cut back significantly and other safety measures are put in place, like temperature checks and workers wearing gloves and masks.

It's not just nightlife and day parties at pools, Chippendales tells us they have no official plan to reopen the male revue and bring back live performances.

As for headliners on The Strip, don't hold your breath. Several big-time music honchos tell us they will not make any deals for their clients in the foreseeable future.

Chippendales says they are waiting on word from The Rio hotel to see what will happen moving forward, and they will follow the hotel's lead.

For now, the closest you're going to get to Vegas is online gambling and virtual lap dances.

Like countless other U.S. workers, a celebrity photog's biz took a blow when the pandemic forced us into quarantine, but he's found a creative way to join the virtual movement.

The photographer, Isaac Alvarez -- who's worked with the likes of Jon Hamm, Michael Madsen, Jo Koy and Lauren Cohan -- tells TMZ ... after the stay-at-home orders were implemented in L.A., he knew he couldn't just stay locked inside not working.

So, he says he began reaching out to publicists to the stars and inquiring about doing shoots via FaceTime ... and got a great response.

He tells us it hasn't necessarily been a simple transition, though, and the process takes longer than a regular in-person shoot. Alvarez says he has to guide his celeb subjects to find good backgrounds and the best lighting ... along with a way to mount their phone. A solid WiFi connection is also a must.

Once he has them in the right spot, striking the right pose ... he snaps the shot.

Isaac says he's been doing 3 FaceTime photo shoots a week, but points out these aren't paid gigs yet. He tells us he's just been trying to keep his creative juices flowing as a photographer ... and people still need to express themselves during self-quarantine.

He says he's still getting paid to edit people's photos and videos, and there's some product photography work for him ... but it's limited.