Coronavirus

Amazon is dropping some alarming stats and, in case you were wondering, life on the frontlines ain't easy for their employees ... nearly 20,000 of whom they believe caught COVID-19.

The shipping giant made the revelation Thursday in a report about its testing policies and how it's responding to the health crisis. Amazon said between March 1 and September 19 ... 19,816 employees were either presumed or confirmed to have contracted the coronavirus. That's out of their roughly 1.37 million staffers at Amazon and Whole Foods Market.

While the number is startling, Amazon says its rate of infection among employees was way lower than expected. The company noted it could have reached 33,952 sick workers if its infection rate ran parallel to the general population.

BTW, the stats don't include third-party delivery drivers.

Amazon says it's currently conducting thousands of tests daily at its warehouses and by November they could be doing as many as 50,000 tests per day in 650 facilities.

FILE UNDER -- things you should NOT do during a pandemic!

Here's video of Tampa Bay Lightning players completely ignoring COVID-19 guidelines ... passing around the Stanley Cup to fans and allowing them to drink from it.

Yeah, not ideal.

Just hours after the team had its parade to celebrate its championship win over the Dallas Stars -- Alex Killorn and Nikita Kucherov took Lord Stanley to Tampa streets.

And, in a complete brain fart given the state of the coronavirus, they gathered in crowds of mask-less people ... and poured booze from the top of the trophy into people's mouths.

Obviously, it's a big no-no during pandemic times ... but even if COVID-19 were under control, it's probably not the most sanitary thing to do.

We've reached out to the Lightning over the videos ... but so far, no word back yet.

Meanwhile, it doesn't seem like the Lightning players -- who were all locked away in the NHL bubble throughout their playoff run -- have plans of stopping their party anytime soon.

Killorn got on the mic and shouted out Florida governor Ron DeSantis for opening up bars to allow celebrations to continue.

Love the enthusiasm ... but guys, please be safe!!

Diego Maradona says the "Toy Story" jokes stemming from his COVID mask are NOT funny ... and now, the soccer legend is firing back at his critics in a scathing social media post.

Maradona stepped out to coach his Argentinian soccer club this week in a huge face shield that covered the top of his head to below his chin ... and he quickly became the subject of Internet memes.

People poked fun at the face covering ... calling the 59-year-old everything from an astronaut to Buzz Lightyear.

But, Maradona says the mask is NOT a laughing matter ... adding he's using it to make sure he stays safe and coronavirus-free.

"It is the same that some doctors use," Maradona said Wednesday. "I did it out of obligation, and out of respect for all those who died from COVID."

Of course, Maradona's health problems have been well-documented ... he's battled breathing and heart issues throughout his life, as well as a much-publicized addiction to cocaine.

Maradona also famously needed medical treatment at the World Cup in 2018 ... after his body apparently couldn't handle the rush of all his animated celebrations.

Maradona is healthy now ... and taking all the proper steps to keep it that way -- including sanitizing his hands repeatedly during games.

Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson says the XFL isn't gonna rush back on to the field ... announcing the league will return in Spring 2022.

"As owners, we’re proud to champion our XFL players, coaches, cities and fans into an electrifying 2022 season!" Johnson tweeted Thursday.

"It’s an uphill battle - but we’re hungry, humble and no one will outwork us."

"A league of culture, passion & purpose."

Johnson's business partner and co-owner Dany Garcia previously said the league would consider trying to play in a bubble format to make a 2021 season happen ... but that plan was scrapped.

League President and COO Jeffrey Pollack also released a statement on the decision, saying, "For the love of football and for the safety of our players and fans, we’ll be back on the field in 2022."

"The opportunity in front of us, with our new ownership, is simply too big to rush back."

"We want to do this properly with care and thought for everyone who loves football, especially our players, coaches, partners and fans."

And, in true Rock fashion, the wrestling legend and Garcia released a hype video about the league's return ... and it'll have you ready to run through a brick wall.

The NFL is so pissed off over coaches continuing to flout its COVID mask rules ... it's now threatening to pull draft picks from teams if the violations continue.

It's all in a new league memo officials sent to the 32 clubs on Wednesday, which spells out the possible heavy punishments.

In the memo, obtained by multiple media outlets, the league says a forfeiture of picks as well as suspensions are on the table if coaches keep pulling down their masks during games.

Of course, the problem was a HUGE issue for teams in the first two weeks of the season ... and the league handed down some big fines over it all.

Head coaches like Jon Gruden, Sean Payton, Vic Fangio, Pete Carroll and Kyle Shanahan were all docked $100,000 ... while their respective teams were hit with $250k fines as well.

Coaches seemed to clean up their act in Week 3 ... with most of the previous offenders abiding by the rules.

But, cameras still caught Arizona Cardinals head man Kliff Kingsbury, Fangio and a few others once again ditching their masks ... and it's clear the league is tired of seeing it.

The Tennessee Titans have shut down ALL in-person activities immediately ... after 3 players and 5 additional staffers have tested positive for COVID-19.

The Minnesota Vikings -- who lost to the Titans on Sunday -- will also shut down their facilities as a safety precaution ... but have NOT reported any positive tests.

The Titans will reportedly not be allowed back at the team facility until Saturday -- which begs the question ... will they play the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday without practicing????

The NFL and Players' Association released a statement on the matter, saying, "Both clubs are working closely with the NFL and the NFLPA, including our infectious disease experts, to evaluate close contacts, perform additional testing and monitor developments."

"All decisions will be made with health and safety as our primary consideration. We will continue to share updates as more information becomes available."

Tennessee also released a statement ... claiming the decision to work remotely was "out of the abundance of caution."

It's bad news for the NFL, which has been able to play 3 regular season weeks without any major outbreaks.

Some of the best basketball players to ever live will be present for Game 1 of the NBA Finals ... but, of course, they won't actually *be* there due to COVID-19.

Shaquille O'Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and more headline the insane list of NBA legends slated to be virtual fans for the Lakers vs. Heat on Wednesday ... tuning in to the game from the comfort of anywhere other than the Orlando bubble.

The list is full of players who have hoisted the Larry O'Brien trophy in the past -- including Bill Walton, Clyde Drexler, Dirk Nowitzki, Dwyane Wade, Isiah Thomas, James Worthy, Julius Erving, Manu Ginobili, Robert Parish and more.

Seriously, there's a LOT of rings in the bunch.

On top of the champs in the crowd, there will be 40 first-time poll workers identified by LeBron James' "More Than A Vote" campaign!!

It won't be as electric as years past ... but heck, at least we have ball!!

COVID-19 pandemic, step aside ... the TB Lightning partied like it was 2019 after beating Dallas -- going insane in the locker room and chugging booze straight from the Stanley Cup!!!

The celebration all went down Monday night, after Tampa Bay earned a 4-2 series victory over the Stars ... and the scene was wild!!!

Lightning players poured a grip of champagne and beer into Lord Stanley -- and then got after it ... opening their throats and throwing booze straight down the hatch.

Check out video of the celly ... winger Pat Maroon and defenseman Kevin Shattenkirk were the chugging all-stars -- while others on the squad enjoyed some sips from the cup as well.

And, we know what you're thinking ... but NHL players have been locked away in a bubble with daily COVID testing the last couple months -- so this is all safe!!!

Of course, the Lightning earned every bit of this moment ... they were heartbreakingly swept out of the playoffs last season despite being the favorite, so the win Monday meant a helluva lot.

But, some Lightning fans weren't as careful as the players with their Cup parties ... take a look at people PACKING the streets in Tampa to celebrate the win.

A pandemic house party got so rowdy, the wet and wild footage ended up on Pornhub ... and it's chock-full of nudity, twerking and a cucumber.

Here's the deal ... promoter Donny2Real threw a massive bash in Rialto, CA over Labor Day Weekend and things quickly escalated to XXX status, living up to its "Califreaknik" billing.

There were cover charges ranging from $50 to $100, but women who came topless got in free. Hundreds of people flocked to the booze-fueled party, which saw money raining down on scantily-clad dancers.

Some of the women at the party started taking everything off, and cameras were rolling. At some point, a large cucumber entered the fray, with women simulating oral sex on the phallic-like vegetable.

The cucumber ended up being used in the video ... all while a huge crowd watched with great excitement.

Footage of the bash got uploaded to Pornhub ... and now it's blowing up.

The Rialto Police Department tells TMZ ... cops responded to the property due to the large party, and several hundred people were in attendance before police broke it up.

We're told police heard multiple gunshots a couple blocks away from the party while they were dispersing the crowd, and someone was shot multiple times. Rialto PD says the gunshot victim was associated with the party in some way.

The shooter, we're told, has not been arrested, and police are looking to take legal action against the party promoters and folks who were responsible for throwing the bash.

America's public health concerns and racial strife are colliding in NYC ... where a Black woman's refusal to put on a mask turned into an ugly, super-tense scene on a subway.

The video starts with the woman shoving an older white man away from her. Apparently, he got in her face, demanding she put on a face covering ... which she didn't want to do, and instead went ballistic on him and several other commuters.

She accused the people yelling at her of ganging up on her because she's Black -- and she screamed at them as she did. The shouting and lack of a mask only amplified the intensity of the moment.

By the end of the incident, more and more people on the subway car got upset ... some against her, some defending her and others just pissed the conflict was holding up the train. Someone threatened to call the cops, but we don't know yet if they responded to the scene.

Salt Bae is endangering his customers when it comes to COVID-19 -- at least according to Boston authorities, who just shut down his restaurant there.

City officials ordered Nusret Gokce's signature steakhouse shut its doors this weekend after finding the joint was allowing patrons to pack in without social distancing, and not wear masks.

The proof is partly up on the restaurant's own Instagram ... there's at least one clip of people flocking back to the establishment -- which had re-opened about a week ago. Massachusetts had recently announced it would start letting more people dine-in and even stand at the bar for foodservice in groups of 10.

So, what's the smoking gun of alleged wrongdoing that the city's got on Salt Bae and co.? Welp, it might be the video's that got him trending right now ... which looks a little wild.

A TikTok video shows a woman twerking inside what appears to be the lobby of Nusr-Et -- with none other than SB himself recording from afar. On its own, it's a pretty funny clip ... unless you're Boston public health officials.

The family of Coliesa McMillian -- who appeared on Season 8 of "My 600-lb. Life" -- was thankfully allowed to see her in the hospital before she died ... something they feared would not be possible due to COVID restrictions.

Coliesa passed away Tuesday at a hospital in Louisiana, but her mother, Sadie Courville, tells TMZ she'd been at the Baton Rouge facility for quite a while ... and they hadn't been able to visit her due to pandemic rules.

She says the hospital made an exception when it was clear Coliesa was on her deathbed, allowing her and Coliesa's 2 teenage daughters in to say their final goodbyes.

Sadie says she patted Coliesa's arm while her girls cried and held her hand.

According to Coliesa's mom ... the family doesn't know the exact cause of death, but she says her health went downhill after she underwent weight loss surgery and sadly, she never recovered.

A rep for the East Baton Rouge Coroner's Office tells us ... a review of Coliesa's medical records shows she died of natural causes due to complications from that surgery months ago.

A possible COVID-19 vaccine relies on shark livers, and conservationists are warning it could decimate the shark population.

A British pharmaceutical company called GlaxoSmithKline currently manufactures a flu vaccine, which includes shark squalene, which is a natural oil produced in the liver. It's known to create a strong response from the recipient's immune system.

The company plans to produce A BILLION DOSES of a coronavirus vaccine, which would include shark squalene.

An environmental group called Shark Allies, claims a quarter-of-a-million sharks would have to be killed to produce the necessary amount of squalene for one dose per person. If 2 doses are required -- which may well be the case -- we're talking half a million sharks that would be killed.

Stefanie Brendl, who runs Shark Allies, says, "Harvesting something from a wild animal is never going to be sustainable, especially if it's a top predator that doesn't reproduce in huge numbers."

Justin Bieber and Chance the Rapper certainly put their money where their mouths are ... and the loot's going a long way to help hundreds of people from all walks of life who are in desperate straits.

As we reported ... Justin and Chance announced a surprise collab Thursday -- teaming up to dole out $250,000 on CashApp to people affected by these hard times, to say thanks for the support on their musical collab, "Holy."

Thousands of fans shared their stories online -- along with their $cashtags -- with the hope of receiving some money, and the singer and rapper spent the day giving ... in $500 increments.

We did some digging, and the winners include students, teachers, artists, cashiers, people who lost loved ones to COVID, people taking care of sick parents, people dealing with immigration issues, and in general ... people who help people, people who need help, or both.

For example ... Cortney -- a teacher looking to buys supplies for her class after suffering damage in an apartment fire earlier this year, during the pandemic.

Megan -- a young woman whose father's dying from kidney failure and is trying to pay for him to have his eyesight improved during his final days.

Tiffany -- a cashier who lives paycheck to paycheck while also supporting her parents, who are out of work due to COVID and health reasons.

Ty -- a young handyman who hustles on the side as a freelance photog, but is still struggling to pay rent and the bills. Ty tells us he's going to use $400 of what Justin sent him for living expenses. He'll use the remaining $100 to give back to the homeless.

And finally, there's Sakinah, a young woman who does nails ... asked the fellas to support her business. She struck gold, because she received $500 from BOTH the Biebs and the Rapper.

The Pac-12 is BACK!!!!

The last remaining Power 5 conference has reversed course and decided there WILL be football in 2020 ... with the Pac-12 voting to start the season in November.

But, that's not all -- basketball and other winter sports are back, too!!

As we previously reported, the Pac-12 unanimously voted back in August to wait until after the New Year to start the football season due to COVID-19 ... with hopes of completing a season in the Spring.

But, a lot has changed since then ... with the Big Ten electing to kick off its season in late October, leaving the Pac-12 as the only major conference with plans to sit out 2020.

The Pac-12's CEO Group held a meeting to re-evaluate the fall and winter sports seasons on Thursday ... and the decision has been made to play a 7-game football season starting Nov. 6 ... and basketball will return on Nov. 25.

"The health and safety of our student-athletes and all those connected to Pac-12 sports remains our guiding light and number one priority,” Pac-12 CEO Group Chair Michael Schill said Thursday.

"Our CEO Group has taken a measured and thoughtful approach to today’s decision, including extensive consultation with stakeholders on the evolving information and data related to health and safety."

Now, there have still been some hiccups with other conferences that have kicked off their seasons -- Notre Dame most recently had to postpone a game due to a COVID-19 outbreak on the team.

One bummer -- the conference says fans will NOT be allowed to attend games until 2021.