Coronavirus

It's really frightening ... a 2nd Amendment Kentucky rally the day before Memorial Day turned into an insane display of Governor Andy Beshear being hung in effigy.

It makes no sense, other than some gun-toting fanatics wanting to whip the crowd into a frenzy. Around 100 people swarmed the Governor's mansion to celebrate constitutional rights, as they packed heat.

It was billed as a Second Amendment rally ... "what it really means to be FREE."

Pastor Cliff Christman then launched on the Governor's coronavirus restrictions, grousing, "This has been one of the biggest shams in world history ... Grown men have been hiding in homes nearly wetting their pants over this invisible enemy that nobody sees. Where is it at?  Let it come out and face us."

Donald Trump wants thousands of Republican delegates crammed into the convention hall in North Carolina ... or else.

Trump just tweeted he will move the Republican Convention out of North Carolina unless Governor Roy Cooper gives assurance the convention can operate at full capacity.

Trump said, "Unfortunately, Democratic Governor @RoyCooperNC is still in Shutdown mood (sic) & unable to guarantee that by August we will be allowed full attendance in the Arena."  Trump went on to threaten a switch if the Governor doesn't cave ... "... we will be reluctantly forced to find, with all of the jobs and economic development it brings, another Republican Convention site. This is not something I want to do."

Doctors and scientists have implored people to maintain social distancing in public ... that's why there will be no fans at sporting events in the foreseeable future. What's more, just a few people who have the virus can infect hundreds, and those hundreds can infect thousands and so on. It's been happening at churches, choirs, nursing homes, etc.

Hundreds of air-filled hippo suits are selling out, possibly because they provide extra protection for folks to hug their loved ones ... as demonstrated by one loving daughter on TV.

The hippopotamus ballerina costume is ballooning in popularity, and the latest display was featured on the news at the Fox Trails Senior Living Home in Stephens City, Virginia last week.

A daughter dressed up as a large gray hippo in a tutu in order to embrace her mother living at the residence ... while still protecting against COVID-19. The nursing home staff reportedly came up with the idea to use sterilized suits so family members can hug during visits.

Inflatable costumes like the ballerina hippo are in high demand right now, too. This particular suit has been getting scooped up by consumers since "social distancing" became a thing ... in fact, there are only a few left in stock at top online costume retailer HalloweenCostumes.com.

We're told the company sold around 75 of the same hippo ballerina costume in 2019, but this year ... 450 suits have pranced out of its warehouse, so far.

The item’s the third top seller on the site right now, even after doubling its original price tag to $120 thanks to popularity and white-hot demand.

Holding the top spot is the "Jurassic World" T-Rex inflatable suit, which is currently out of stock. Owner Tom Fallenstein tells us only 20 of the air-filled $89.99 dino costumes were purchased in 2019 ... but it came roaring back this year with 600 units sold.

A few of the customers decked out as dinosaurs paid a visit to another senior living home’s parking lot earlier this month ... to lift the spirits of the residents sheltering indoors.

College towns in the U.S. are biting their fingernails at the prospect of students being kept home for the upcoming fall semester, including one prominent California university ... UCSB.

We called up several small businesses operating in the bordering campus neighborhood of Isla Vista, and they all pretty much told us the same thing ... they need kids to come back to school this fall, or else they'll have little to no clientele and, more importantly, employees.

Take Woodstock's, a famous pizza joint around there. A manager tells TMZ that a vast majority of their workforce is made up of students, and if they're told to stay home when September rolls around ... there won't be enough staff to man the ship throughout the year.

That, obviously, could spell trouble for keeping the business afloat. Not only would there be a reduced staff, but there'd also be virtually no one to sell the food to if students vanish.

Ditto for Rockfire Grill -- they tell us 80% of their employees are students, and they put it bluntly ... no students, means no business. They're now ramping up marketing efforts to reach folks outside of UCSB's immediate vicinity ... perhaps in Goleta or Ventura, perhaps.

Funny enough, one store that's doing well is Isla Vista Bicycle Boutique, which says tons of people are buying their bikes right now. They do acknowledge though ... if students aren't around in the fall -- they too will be hurting financially, as they rely on those customers.

Yes, Dress for Less -- but also ... dress comfortably for long wait times at Ross, 'cause that's what hundreds of people are experiencing across the country as the company starts to reopen its doors.

Check out all these crazy scenes from different Ross discount stores nationwide -- from Louisiana to Indiana and probably lots of other locations in between. There are MASSIVE lines out the door that wrap around the building ... and in some cases, out into the parking lot.

As one FB user noted, there doesn't appear to be a special promotional giveaway or anything that Ross has announced lately. Other than the fact that these go-to retail haunts are just now starting to let customers back in, not much else has changed. So, what gives?

Well for one ... apparently some Rosses are having major sales upon reopening, which would explain the crowds. They're already pretty cheap, and a sale is like giving stuff away. Two -- and probably more to why the lines are so long -- is that Ross has pretty strict restrictions in place for getting in ... including a limited head count, and roadblocks.

Word on the ground is that Ross has implemented plexiglass all throughout the inside, and a lot of their aisles are one-way too. Oh, and don't forget social distancing ... Ross wants people to adhere to that when they're roaming their racks. So, in short, it takes forever now.

HERE WE GOOO!!!!

The biggest golf event of the year is finally underway ... with Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning facing off against Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady in "The Match" -- a COVID-19 charity golf showdown in Florida.

The whole thing was up in the air earlier Sunday morning ... with a massive rainstorm delaying the big event.

And, if golfing in the rain sounds like a fun time ... it definitely doesn't look like it.

The star-studded lineup just hit the links at Medalist Golf Club in Hobe Sound for a fan-less affair ... braving the weather for the showdown.

Of course, Phil and Tiger faced off back in 2018 with Lefty coming out on top ... but adding the 2 Hall of Fame QBs will be sure to make things a lot more interesting in the tag-team format.

And, for those looking to tune in on the action, Charles Barkley is on board as an analyst for the Turner broadcast ... as if you needed any more reason to check it out.

FYI -- Peyton is reportedly a 6.4 handicap, while Tom is reportedly an 8.1 ... for those interested in putting some dough on the showdown.

BTW -- Tiger's wearing his Sunday Red ... so be ready for an EPIC performance.

One Florida theme park has a fun way to make sure guests obey their new coronavirus rules -- an overly aggressive, but totally well-meaning furry mascot, which seems very effective.

The place is called Gatorland, and it's in Orlando -- not too far from Disney World, Universal Studios and all the other family-friendly facilities nearby. They just reopened Saturday, and they rolled out a new costumed character to enforce their safety guidelines.

Meet the Social Distancing Skunk Ape!!! The name is just as subtle as his intro video that the company posted, which goes into great demonstrative detail about what it's all about. Basically, he roams around and low-key hassles non-abiding guests ... gently, but firmly.

It's an interesting idea, and certainly brings some much-needed levity to the heaviness everyone's been feeling during all this. On Saturday, some ticket holders got to meet the Social Distancing Skunk Ape in person -- and he looked just as charming as he does on YT.

The question now ... is Disney and co. about to do something similar with their many mascots??? They definitely could make a few tweaks to reflect the times ... The 'Rona Humanoid Rat is one way to go. Don't Hug Me Damsel in Distress Princess is another.

In all seriousness though, we probably already have an idea of how Disney's going to handle their costumed workers. Shanghai Disney recently reopened, and they kept them all away from their guests on a far-away float.

A generous, talented lady out in Chicago reached new heights to live out her mission of lifting quarantined senior citizens' spirits with a song ... and used heavy machinery to do it.

The woman's name is Colette Hawley, and she goes around professionally singing to old folks who live in nursing homes, and who might be feeling extra isolated and lonely during the pandemic. BTW, she does all this for free -- and she's pretty darn good at it too.

For Memorial Day weekend, Colette decided to utilize a new way to entertain as many seniors as she could in one shot -- renting out a cherry picker to bring up several stories as she had a megaphone in hand to belt out some scat singing, and other tunes.

She writes on Twitter, "I rented a Cherry Picker to sing to seniors(close but not too close!)for Memorial Day. This is an unbelievably hard time for them. I love & value our seniors. NO ONE IS DISPENSABLE. Offering free shows to nursing homes. 💖 coco."

Watch -- it would appear her good deed was a hit with her target audience ... a bunch of nursing home residents came out and started dancing. Even from their wheelchairs!

Obviously, this reminds us of the grandmother balcony serenade from a few weeks back, which some other nursing home elders were happy to piggyback on themselves.

If you need guidance on social distancing ... look away.

Apparently, these folks didn't see the sign that read, "Please practice social distancing: 6 ft apart."

The shindig went down at a Memorial Day party at Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. The lake was filled with boats, and sun worshipers and ... well, looked just like any other Memorial Day.

The Governor partially re-opened the state, but with safety guidelines, including social distancing. It was clearly lost on all these people. BTW, the video was shot by Scott Pasmore, a reporter with the CBS affiliate.

The state has also allowed restaurants and other businesses to re-open. The question ... will this happen there?

Floyd Mayweather doesn't think COVID-19 can give him his first loss -- at least judging by the way the boxer was PARTYING on Saturday in Arizona.

Floyd hit up the International Boutique Nightclub (aka INTL) in Scottsdale ... which was PACKED with people!!!

No masks. No gloves. No social distancing.

And, apparently, no worries from Floyd and his crew ... who were smiling and dancing in their own private VIP section.

The video is shocking considering we're still in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.

Of course, Arizona had allowed restaurants to reopen their dining rooms on May 11 -- but we didn't know nightclubs were part of the plan too!

Earlier in the day, 43-year-old Mayweather was dancing a day party at a nearby hotel in Arizona.

The takeaway ... no fear from Floyd.

Arizona ain't exactly immune to the COVID crisis -- the AZ health department reported 431 new cases on Saturday ... bringing the total number of cases in the state to 16,039.

The total COVID death toll in Arizona is 799.

Thousands of people packed into Ace Speedway in North Carolina Saturday ... and it's a vision of coronavirus.

Check out the pics ... most people aren't wearing masks as they squeezed in like sardines to watch the race.

Around 4,000 fans paid $15 a pop in rural Alamance County. Only around 1 in 10 folks were wearing masks.

There were hand sanitizer stations available, but it doesn't seem many of the fans were into it as they watched the races and hit up the concession stands.

North Carolina's Governor has partially opened the state, but the point is to practice social distancing and wear protective masks when out in public ... that message was lost here.   This is the first big sporting event in the state since March.

We just wanted to give you a taste of what's going on with all the folks who just regained freedom ... and it's insane.

A throng of beachgoers -- around 200 -- descended on a car on one of the main drags of Daytona Beach to catch a few bucks. Someone inside a car was throwing cash out onto the street from the sunroof, and bedlam ensued.

It got so crazy one of the deputies trying to restore order reported over his radio he heard gunshots. He didn't ... it was a car backfiring.

Daytona is just one of the many places around the country that attracts large numbers of tourists and vacationers ... and as we're seeing, lots of folks clearly think coronavirus is a thing of the past, despite every doctor and scientist says the virus is alive and well.

Daytona is a hot spot for vacationers on long holiday weekends. Let's hope it doesn't become another type of hot spot.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez just got a test done on herself pertaining to coronavirus -- but don't worry ... it's not the one that'll make you cringe to watch ... we think.

The congresswoman posted a video of herself getting an antibody test for COVID-19 in her native New York ... where she was getting blood drawn by a nurse at a pop-up test site in Queens. The easily queasy crowd should leave the room now ... you're gonna see red stuff.

Lucky for us, we didn't have to see the needle go in -- just watched it come out and all the bandaging afterward, which ain't so bad. AOC didn't flinch much either -- she was super polite and cordial with the guy, who told her to expect a call with results in a few days.

She wrote of the experience, "Did you know? There are 2 types of COVID tests!  The nasal swab tests if you have COVID now. Antibody blood tests check if you already had COVID, even w/ few or no symptoms." It's interesting ... getting the test implies you think you might've had the 'rona at one point or another, and might be resistant to it now.

As far as we know, AOC hasn't mentioned any possible past contraction -- also unclear if she's been tested for the virus. If she did, we don't blame her for not getting it on video.

In case you haven't heard, the nasal swab they use to test for 'rona is GNARLY ... for some people, anyway. They stick a long Q-tip type contraption in your nose, and sometimes run it super deep. People have described it as having your brain stabbed.