Coronavirus

Congressman Neal Dunn says his FL constituents don't need masks or quarantine -- despite skyrocketing COVID-19 stats, he's ignoring science. Interesting, for a guy who's also a doctor.

We got the U.S. Representative Thursday on Capitol Hill, where he was chipper, defiant and smiling as we asked why he's not wearing a face covering, and why he doesn't think his constituents should either.

Dunn almost laughed off the idea of covering his face as he claimed he's immune from the novel coronavirus because he's already had it. Now, we should say the Congressman was a surgeon before getting into politics ... a fact he brandished while attempting to doctor-shame our photog.

However, he seemed ignorant of the fact no scientific study has proven whether there is immunity for people, like himself, who've already had COVID-19.

Science, schmience ... Dunn told us people are going way overboard, and he called masks and quarantine -- the "silliest thing" he's ever seen in America.

Seems kinda relevant that as we were talking to the Congressman ... Florida was racking up its second consecutive day of more than 5,000 new cases. While some lawmakers -- including Sen. Marco Rubio -- would like to see Gov. Ron DeSantis issue a statewide face coverings order ... Dunn ain't one of 'em.

Cinemark Theatres is dispatching essential workers to sanitize seats between movie screenings ... and it looks like hazardous labor to say the least.

Check out this video from the theater chain's location in West Plano, Texas ... where a very essential employee is spraying down each and every seat in the middle of a pandemic.

Cinemark is shouting the dude out on social media, telling Marc thanks "for sanitizing our auditorium seats before each movie. We appreciate you!"

But, folks on Twitter are saying what Marc really needs is more personal protective equipment. They say his thin face covering and basic glasses look like they aren't doing enough to prevent him from breathing in whatever he's spraying.

Cinemark Theatres is one of the few movie chains open for business in the pandemic, and the chain isn't requiring customers to wear masks, despite COVID-19 cases skyrocketing again across the country, and particularly in Texas.

Coronavirus concerns have officially pushed back the start of the NFL season.

League sources told multiple media outlets Thursday the Dallas Cowboys vs. Pittsburgh Steelers pre-season Hall of Fame Game slated for Aug. 6 has been nixed over COVID-19 fears.

The NFL has also decided to kick the 2020 Hall of Fame class' enshrinement ceremony -- which included Troy Polamalu and Edgerrin James -- to next summer as well.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the scheduled Cowboys vs. Steelers game is expected to now become the 2021 Hall of Fame Game's iteration.

It's a big bummer for The Shield ... this is the first real loss the league has had to take over the global pandemic.

Remember, the NFL refused to postpone its April draft -- which went off without a hitch -- and it successfully forced all of its teams to hold offseason workouts virtually.

Teams' training camps, which were set to open July 22 for the Cowboys and Steelers due to the HOF Game, will now all open July 28 ... if coronavirus allows it.

The regular season is still scheduled to begin on Sept. 10 ... for now.

Multiple members of the Texas A&M football team have tested positive for COVID-19 and are currently in quarantine, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

We're getting conflicting information about the number of cases within the program ... but coronavirus has definitely infiltrated the athletic dept.

One source says a substantial number of players have tested positive so far. Another source says the true number of positive tests is very low.

When contacted about this story, a rep for the school issued the following statement to TMZ Sports, "We can confirm there have been positive cases among student-athletes."

The rep added, "Consistent with our approach, the data is a private matter."

Texas A&M also pointed out the school has taken measures to prevent the spread of COVID -- including the installation of new hand sanitizer stations, automatic flushing toilets and social distancing protocols.

The Aggies are one of the top football programs in the country -- currently clocking in at #13 in the NCAA pre-season rankings.

Multiple major college football programs have already been affected by Coronavirus -- including Clemson, where 23 football players have reportedly tested positive.

The UFC fighters set to compete on Fight Island will undergo multiple rounds of testing before they're even allowed to step in the octagon ... and it's all laid out in a snazzy new flow chart.

The Fight Island venue -- located on Yas Island in Abu Dhabi -- will debut on July 11 and features some insane fights including Kamaru Usman vs. Gilbert Burns.

But, all fighters must undergo 4 separate tests before their bout -- followed by a post-fight test before they're allowed to leave the Island.

The 1st test a fighter must undergo will take place 48 hours before they depart from their home city, according to the chart first obtained by ESPN.

A 2nd test will take place when their flight touches down at the Abu Dhabi Airport VIP terminal.

A 3rd test will follow at the fighter's hotel -- where they will be quarantined until the test results come back.

There's a pre-event test ... and then after the fight, the final 5th test will be performed so the fighter can be cleared to travel home.

There are at least 3 additional events on Fight Island ... taking place on July 15, July 18 and July 25.

"The risk has to be really eliminated before I would feel comfortable going back."

That's NFL star Malcolm Jenkins seriously pumping the brakes on the league's plan to return to action in just a few weeks ... saying he still has legitimate concerns over players' safety.

The New Orleans Saints defensive back told CNN on Thursday he wants to see major improvement in COVID-19 protocols before he and others strap on the pads once again.

"We have to understand football is a non-essential business," Jenkins said. "And, so we don't need to do it."

Jenkins says with the league unable to quarantine all of its players in a bubble-like situation similar to the NBA's return plan ... he fears coronavirus spread could be rampant.

And, while Jenkins is concerned about a personal battle with COVID ... he's also terribly worried about a potential spread to parents and vulnerable family members.

"We'll end up being kind of on this trust system," Jenkins said. "Where the honor system where we just have to hope guys are social distancing and things like that, and that puts all of us at risk."

A rep for WWE tells TMZ Sports ... ”WWE will continue COVID-19 testing of its talent, production crew and employees in advance of TV productions for the foreseeable future."

Multiple WWE staffers who have been working at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando -- including in-ring talent -- have tested positive for COVID, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

Sources familiar with the situation are telling us they would NOT classify the situation as an "outbreak" because it wasn't a "large group" that contracted the virus.

ProWrestlingSheet, which broke the story, reports at least 3 people have tested positive so far.

Now, WWE is ramping up its testing and social distancing measures to try and limit the spread of the virus ... especially with TV production expected to continue this week.

There has been a surge of Coronavirus cases in Florida -- an additional 3,286 cases were reported on Tuesday -- and 5,508 reported on Wednesday, the most number of recorded cases in a single day in FL so far.

In total, the number of cases in FL have crossed the 109,000 mark.

Both experts and politicians say the rising numbers are the result of more testing and the reopening of businesses.

Joel McHale says his ex-costar, Ken Jeong, has proven to be just the right man for the job -- when that job is a podcast about what the hell's really going on with a pandemic.

JMH told us all about "The Darkest Timeline" ... the podcast he and Ken launched back when quarantine started. He clued in Harvey and Charles, on Wednesday's "TMZ Live," about the podcast title ... an homage to an episode of Ken an Joel's old show, "Community."

If ya know, ya know.

Anyway, the podcast is more about COVID-19 than "Community" ... and Joel says Ken's past as an M.D. came in real handy mid-pandemic.

Jokes aside, he says Ken's insights have helped him make sense of the virus -- as info from politicians and experts changes daily.

On another note ... Joel dishes about his new thriller flick, "Becky," in which he takes on a more serious role as the dad of a bloodthirsty teen who defends her fam against Neo-Nazis.

Yep, definitely a different kinda role than what Joel's normally used to doing -- and he says ditto for his costar.

Ezekiel Elliott says he's feeling good after catching coronavirus earlier this month -- and expects to be cleared to workout again soon.

The NFL superstar appeared on a Twitch feed with Scooter Magruder on Wednesday and took questions from fans ... obviously, one of the pressing topics is Zeke's health!

Remember, the 24-year-old superstar was one of several Cowboys and Houston Texans players to test positive recently -- and now he's finally speaking out.

"I'm feeling good," Zeke said ... "I would say I had 1 or 2 days where I felt symptoms -- and even then it wasn't too bad."

"I had a cough and a little shortness of breath. Now I feel good, I feel normal."

Zeke says he still hasn't been cleared to work out -- "I gotta wait. I could've went and got re-tested this week. But, I decided it wouldn't hurt to wait another week and just give myself more time to rest up."

"But, I feel good."

There was a lot more from Zeke I the interview.

Zeke on if there will be an NFL season in 2020 ...

"I don't know. I just feel like there's a lot of moving parts that have to be figured out. I just don't know how they can keep the players healthy."

"You got to put the health of the players first. It's not even so much I would say the players' health because I mean I got corona and it didn't really affect me much but a lot of people have kids, they may have kids with asthma, they may have newborn babies, their parents or grandparents may live with them. We have to find a way just to make sure the players and their families and the coaches also and their families aren't put at risk. "

Zeke on the possibility of NFL games without live fans ...

PGA star Brooks Koepka has elected to back out of the Travelers Championship tournament this week ... after his caddie tested positive for the coronavirus.

Ricky Elliott reportedly tested positive Wednesday morning at TPC River Highlands in Connecticut ... just 48 hours after testing negative for the virus.

"I’m going to pull out to protect everybody else. I think it’s the right thing to do." Koepka -- the #4-ranked golfer in the world -- said.

"I don’t want to risk anyone’s life if they have respiratory issues or underlying conditions. The only way this Tour can continue is if guys do this sort of thing and be proactive about it."

Koepka had been isolating at a rented home in Connecticut ... and may leave the area if his GF Jena Sims and personal chef test positive as well.

The New York City Marathon -- the largest marathon in the world -- has been canceled ... all because of COVID-19.

The 2020 NYC Marathon was scheduled for Nov. 1 -- but event organizers, along with the Mayor's Office, decided to call it off because it's just too risky.

Organizers are citing "coronavirus-related health and safety concerns for runners, spectators, volunteers, staff, and the many partners and communities that support the event."

Mayor Bill de Blasio says he thinks it's the best decision for everyone involved.

"While the marathon is an iconic and beloved event in our city, I applaud New York Road Runners for putting the health and safety of both spectators and runners first."

He added, "We look forward to hosting the 50th running of the marathon in November of 2021."

Runners who already registered will have the option to receive a full refund of their entry fee or a guaranteed entry in either 2021, 2022, or 2023.

Event organizers say the 2020 NYC Marathon was supposed to be the 50th running of the event "which began in 1970 and has grown to become the world’s largest marathon with 53,640 finishers in 2019."

New York is the latest city to shut down their Marathon over the Coronavirus pandemic -- following Boston, Pittsburgh and Buffalo.