Coronavirus

This is insane, but the Beverly Hills City Council somehow thinks it's a good idea to open the city up for what some rich folks consider to be super-essential services -- a neck job.

The Bev Hills city council voted 4-1 Wednesday to resume elective and cosmetic surgeries, allowing plastic surgeons to immediately reopen their doors to celebs and rich folk in need of work.

Bev Hills has one of the highest COVID-19 infection rates in all of L.A. County. The vote came just as Governor Gavin Newsom closed ALL of California's beaches to prevent the spread of the virus, so why the immediate need for a nose job?

The City passed an ordinance back on March 16 -- around the time California closed down -- imposing a moratorium on cosmetic and other elective procedures.

The lone dissenter on the City Council called the vote "extremely irresponsible."

The reversal should please lots of famous folks ... remember, "Botched" star and doc Terry Dubrow told us last month tons of celebs are clamoring for plastic surgery while they are out of the public eye, due to the outbreak.

What's interesting ... will this set up a battle between the CA Gov and the City Council of Bev Hills? Our $$$'s on Gavin.

An Illinois church and its pastor believe the Governor is treating them like second-class citizens during the coronavirus pandemic ... and they're suing to open back up.

Pastor Stephen Cassell and The Beloved Church of Lena, Illinois are going after Gov. Jay Pritzker over the state's stay-at-home orders, claiming places of worship are "no less 'essential' than its liquor stores to the health and well-being of its residents."

Cassell says that under Pritzker's current stay-at-home order, his prayer and worship services are off-limits because religious nonprofits are only essential when they provide food, shelter, and social services for needy people.

Cassell also claims Pritzker's declaration that churches are non-essential businesses "reeks of rank bigotry."

The church wants the court to step in and find the Governor's order of shutting down churches unconstitutional.

According to the docs ... the church believes this violates the constitutional rights to free exercise of religion, free speech and freedom of assembly.

Cassell adds that he and his parishioners are "fully willing to comply with proper constitutional guidelines ... but they cannot abide by an indefinite shut down of their church."

He's asking for an order to keep the Governor and government officials from interfering with church business and let them be.

The pastor adds the orders rest on "shaky legal grounds," but the Governor is trying to enforce them and extend them to the end of May and possibly beyond ... and they've had enough.

The church plans to reopen and hold a public worship service Sunday.

We knew it was coming ... now it's official -- the Little League World Series is officially canceled for the first time in the tournament's history.

Thanks a lot, coronavirus.

The LLWS -- which is always played in August -- has been running without a hitch since it began in 1947 ... but just like Cal Ripken, the streak was bound to end.

Little League president Stephen Keener broke the news Thursday ... saying league officials tried to come up with a feasible solution, but ultimately decided it wasn't worth the risk.

"After a thorough assessment of the impact the devastating COVID-19 pandemic has had on 6,500 community-based Little League programs in 84 countries and based upon the direction of governmental and public health authorities, and in consultation with medical professionals and our Board of Directors, Little League International has made the difficult and disappointing decision to cancel its seven World Series tournaments and their respective regional qualifying events."

He added, "This is a heartbreaking decision for everyone at Little League International, but more so for those millions of Little Leaguers who have dreamt of one day playing in one of our seven World Series events."

Sad.

The Org. also canceled all Little League tournaments -- including softball.

LLWS officials are hopeful they can play again in 2021.

U-Haul is pissed off at the NYC funeral home that used its trucks to store dozens of dead bodies, and the rental giant says it's cutting off the funeral home ... for good.

Police say the Andrew T. Cleckley Funeral Home in Brooklyn rented 4 unrefrigerated U-Haul trucks to store about 50 corpses, and a passerby even called to complain about the awful smell.

Honchos at U-Haul are outraged and tell TMZ, “This is a wrongful, egregious and inhumane use of our equipment."

U-Haul also tells us ... "Our trucks are designed for household moves. Properly caring for the remains of people’s loved ones requires vehicles suited specifically for that purpose. Our trucks absolutely cannot be rented for this reason.”

Funeral homes in New York are being overwhelmed by the massive COVID-19 death toll, but U-Haul says this particular facility will have to look elsewhere for overflow storage.

President Trump finally coming around to the idea of wearing a face mask during a pandemic would be huge -- but a wax statue figured it out before he did.

The President's wax figure at Madame Tussauds in Berlin is sporting a new look amid the outbreak ... the famed wax museum has added a red mask protecting Trump's mouth and nose.

Of course, it's just wishful thinking on the part of Madame Tussauds ... while the CDC strongly recommends wearing masks and face coverings to slow the spread of the novel virus, POTUS has refused to get with the program.

There are some obvious benefits to wearing a face mask. Even though it's not a substitute for other defenses against COVID-19, like social distancing and hand washing, it's way easier than, say ... ingesting disinfectant.

There is a big update ... Trump's VP Mike Pence IS finally wearing a mask. He put one on Thursday while touring an Indiana General Motors plant.

Dr. Elvis Francois has gone from orthopedic surgeon to chart-topping recording artist during the pandemic, and while he knows which gig is more important ... he'd love to keep doing both.

The singing surgeon -- accompanied by Dr. William Robinson, his musical partner on piano -- has become famous for his inspirational solos covering songs like John Lennon's "Imagine" and Bill Withers' "Lean on Me."

This led to the duo releasing a 4-track EP, titled "Music is Medicine," with a Nashville record label ... and it's made it to Billboard's Emerging Artists chart, and it's topping some of the iTunes charts.

Dr. Elvis told us Thursday on TMZ Live ... it all "feels like a dream" and it's a win-win. Not only are people loving his music, but proceeds from the EP go toward the Center for Disaster Philanthropy's COVID-19 Response Fund.

However, his newfound fame doesn't mean Dr. Elvis is ready to leave the building ... as in, his operating room. The good doc says helping people as a surgeon is still his top priority, and singing's more like his favorite pastime.

Dr. Elvis tells us he plans to keep helping people in both capacities as much as possible, though. Talk about a talented multi-tasker.

BTW -- the doctor duo's cover of "Imagine" has gone over way better than the Gal Gadot-driven celebrity version last month ... which was widely criticized and led to Joe Rogan calling her a "f***ing idiot."

A basketball team in Taiwan just celebrated a championship like it was 2019 ... hugging and high-fiving on each other as if there was no such thing as coronavirus!!!

The surprising scene all went down after Team Beer beat the Yulon Luxgen Dinos in the 6th game of the Super Basketball League Finals in New Taipei City.

FYI -- the SBL is a semi-pro league in Taiwan ... and despite the global pandemic -- it's still playing games.

The scenes on the court Thursday were pretty surreal ... some photographers were wearing masks, but players weren't and while there were no fans, there was really no semblance of social distancing in the arena either.

And, as you can see in pics of Thursday's post-game trophy presentation ... there wasn't much concern for spreading COVID-19 at all there as well -- 'cause dudes were sweaty as hell within inches of each other with no face coverings in sight!!

Of course, Taiwan has been widely praised for its handling of the virus ... with only 429 confirmed cases and just six deaths.

In fact, other sports in Taiwan are playing games too -- with the Chinese Professional Baseball League staying busy as well.

Royal Caribbean Cruises royally screwed its employees with utter disregard for their health ... so they claim in a new lawsuit.

Mykola Molchun -- a crew member from Ukraine -- has filed a class-action lawsuit against the popular cruise line company claiming it was careless and continuously failed to protect its crew members assigned to work aboard the vessels despite RCC knowing about the dangerous conditions and explosive contagiousness associated with the deadly virus.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, Molchun claims RCC failed to follow even the most basic safety precautions after getting COVID-19 notice ... like timely quarantining crew members stationed aboard the vessel. The suit also brought up a St. Patrick's Day party RCC threw for over 1,000 crew members ... saying it showed "an alarming lack of caution."

The suit claims RCC did this even after it suspended future cruise operations for passengers on March 13 and even then still allowed crew members to continue mingling in unsafe conditions ... like allowing them to eat in buffet settings.

The cruise line industry has been taking in the chin as of late. As we've reported ... Princess Cruise Lines, for example, has been sued multiple times by its guests. And, now crew members are getting in on the action. The suit comes about a week after a third Royal Caribbean crew member died after working on a vessel with a COVID-19 outbreak onboard.

Justin Bieber riding an electric surfboard in a wetsuit just seems to scream ... B-B-B-Bieber and the jets, to us, anyway. Shout-out to Elton John.

The Biebs was spotted out Monday on a jet surfboard zipping around Puslinch Lake in Ontario, Canada, where he's hanging out during this quarantine. Witnesses tell us he surfed the perimeter of the lake and waved hello to neighbors.

We're told the wifey, Hailey, was also hanging out on the dock watching Mr. Bieber enjoy the hell out of his quarantine time while staying at a house near the lake, in isolation, during this pandemic.

In any event ... at least these pics show Justin's like the rest of us trying to enjoy some time outdoors after being holed up inside for weeks now. He's taking part in the famous All In Challenge ... with a chance for him to give one lucky fan a one-on-one concert.

Surf's up, dude.

Wild house parties like the recent ones in Chicago won't be allowed to continue uncontrolled under quarantine -- cops are taking notice and taking steps to shut 'em down.

Those Chi-town ragers -- one with 1,000 guests, and another with a stripper getting swarmed -- were so packed, social distancing was impossible. Then again, face masks were rare at both events, so the guests clearly didn't care about COVID-19.

Cops, on the other hand, are very concerned about slowing the spread of the virus.

Our law enforcement sources tell us cops in big cities across the U.S. are NOT putting up with the dangerous practice, and they're starting to crack down more ... especially knowing there will be huge parties as it gets warmer.

We're told the Chicago, Los Angeles and New York Police Departments -- not to mention the L.A. Sheriff's Department -- are putting their ears to the ground and their eyes on social media to track down any emerging sardine-like get-togethers or turn-ups. That's right ... 5-0 is actively monitoring live feeds and trends, so if it starts to get poppin' and gets posted online -- like that stripper party was -- they'll probably see it.

We're told if the parties get too big and they're clearly violating basic quarantine guidelines, guests better not be surprised when cops come knocking to break it up. They might even start dinging people with citations too, depending on the circumstances.

Just for reference ... NYPD's dished out 190 summons and made some 22 arrests thus far pertaining to this exact behavior; LASD has cited 41 and arrested 3, and Chi-Town's at 13 citations and 18 arrests over flagrant breaking of social distancing. More to come, we're sure.

The prison Joe Exotic is currently being held at is the second leading hotbed for coronavirus in the entire federal prison system -- but not to worry ... Uncle Sam's got a plan.

The 'Tiger King' star has been locked up at FMC Forth Worth in Texas, and as of Wednesday ... there was a total of 298 confirmed COVID-19 cases among inmates, making it number 2 behind a federal CA facility at 570 inmate cases.

If that sounds troubling, it should ... we've seen jails and prisons across the U.S. getting besieged with the virus -- and some of the inmates are suffering. The Federal Bureau of Prisons has assured us they're going above and beyond for their prisoners, staff and visitors alike at Joe's facility to keep them safe and healthy.

As for Joe ... his people have repeatedly told us ... he's virus-free.

The agency tells TMZ there's a comprehensive action plan in place at all of their institutions -- which includes reducing inmate transfers, increasing screening and testing, minimizing unnecessary movement on the inside and temporarily canceling social and legal visits, not to mention training for BOP employees. They will also do regular temperature checks.

The trick is ... as little congregating as possible. BOP says it's trying to keep guards at one post for as long as possible to avoid unnecessary interaction.

BOP also tells us they've made sure everyone -- prisoners and staffers -- have received surgical masks. BOP says it has things under control -- so far fewer than 5 deaths at the Fort Worth facility ... but with nearly 300 cases, it's gotta be viewed as a full-fledged outbreak.

So ... guess that means Joe's in good hands??? Here's hoping so.

LeBron James' first assist in a post-coronavirus pandemic NBA could be from none other than Mickey Mouse ... 'cause the league's looking into finishing its season at Disney World!

The NBA is in talks with the resort about resuming play there ... with The Athletic's Shams Charania reporting Disney has already offered up its property to the Association.

Of course, the venue makes a ton of sense for the NBA ... the resort has several on-site basketball courts -- including a few that are already equipped for television broadcast.

The Disney property also has enough hotel rooms -- and, clearly, enough entertainment -- to comfortably quarantine players and staffers while the league self-isolates during its resumption of play.

The Most Magical Place on Earth is reportedly one of a few options the NBA is kicking around ... with Las Vegas being another potential destination.

As we previously reported ... the NBA shut down play back on March 11 after Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert tested positive for coronavirus.

Stars have been punching in and sharing shots of their quarantined workdays and it's clear that the work must go on for these busy stars who are still grindin' while staying safe at home!

There's enough photos to clog up your work inbox of pics like Ryan Seacrest, Robin Wright, Jesse McCartney and many more showing off on social media how they're still on the clock while on quarantine!

Contrary to popular belief, DJ Paul's "rap battle" with Bone Thugs-N-Harmony is NOT going down on "Verzuz" ... at least not yet, anyway.

The Three 6 Mafia MC tells TMZ ... his "Face Off" with the legendary Cleveland rap group has ZERO affiliation and is most definitely NOT a rip-off of Timbaland and Swizz Beatz's super-popular IG Live program "Verzuz."

Check out the video ... DJ Paul says the group's got zero beef with Bone Thugs. It's not even a battle ... it's more of a friendly celebration between 2 groups who have amassed more than 50 years of classic tracks combined.

As for how it got reported that Three 6 Mafia and Bone Thugs were the latest get for "Verzuz" ... after DJ Paul posted on Instagram the groups were going to "Face Off," multiple outlets ran with it assuming it was the latest "Verzuz" virtual rap battle.

It didn't help that DJ Paul reposted some of the headlines on his Instagram feed. But DJ Paul wants to make it crystal clear ... this is NOT a "Verzuz" production. That being said ... he says he'd LOVE to get down on the mic on "Verzuz." Just gotta pick up the phone.