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A California gym manager says it was a mistake for Governor Gavin Newsom to close all gyms ... so he's taking the matter into his own hands.

Jacob Lewis runs The Gym in San Bernardino County, and says he's decided to defy state shutdown orders because he believes gyms are "'essential' to people’s mental and physical health."

He opened his doors Friday morning at 6 AM, and several of The Gym's members are back inside getting their pump on, and sharing workout posts on social media.

Lewis tells TMZ, he tipped off cops and local officials to his plan to reopen, and received a summons from a code enforcement official. He's blowing that off, and says he doesn't anticipate any serious trouble.

He says equipment is spaced out in order to follow social distancing guidelines, and there's disinfectant everywhere. He says the showers and saunas are closed as a precaution, adding ... "Basically right now it’s a gym with bathrooms."

Lewis says he came to the decision to reopen after a recent conversation with an older man, who confided in him that The Gym is his "home away from home," and helps him stay healthy and battle diabetes. The man told Lewis he's falling apart without the facility.

That's when Lewis had his epiphany ... "I realized I was being a BITCH!! By letting down the people that matter most to our community!! By not providing a service that helps them get through all the bull s**t! And gives them hope, strength, and health."

We knew Ciara and Russell Wilson were a hot couple, but we didn't know they were THIS hot -- as in, someone dropping six-figures to have dinner with them!!!

The Seahawks QB and singer closed their All In Challenge auction Friday night ... and there was some furious bidding as the closing bell sounded. The couple offered up a chance for a dinner double date to support the Challenge which, as we've told you, is raising money to feed children and families in need during the coronavirus pandemic.

Early Friday morning, we're told the top bid was $32,000 -- which would have been impressive enough -- but some superfan or fans sent the bids skyrocketing. When the dust settled, the winning bid came in at $240k.

So far, the winner is anonymous. All we know is he or she REALLY loves them some Russell and Ciara.

A few other Challenge auctions closed yesterday ... including Yo Gotti's limited edition Rolex AND tour bus going for $190k -- and NY Giants star Saquon Barkley pulled in $47k for a dinner, workout and game experience.

As we reported, the All In Challenge is the brainchild of 76ers partner Michael Rubin ... who told us on "TMZ Live" about launching the project when he saw how the pandemic was impacting so many millions of families.

This is gonna be a big week for Michael's baby. So far it's raised nearly $20 million, and some big-ticket auctions are closing Tuesday -- like golfing with Peyton Manning, Eli Manning's Corvette, A-Rod's batting practice and, of course, the Tom Brady extravaganza.

Mark Cuban is trying too put a spotlight on "the unsung heroes" of the COVID-19 pandemic -- death care workers -- who Mark says just aren't getting the attention and support they deserve.

"I just want to say thank you to the death care industry," the Dallas Mavericks owner says ... "You're not out there getting credit."

"People aren't clapping for you when you drive home but you have to do some of the hardest things that anybody has to deal with during this pandemic."

"You guys are the unsung heroes so I just wanted to say thank you, it's noticed."

You may know ... Mark is directly involved in the death care industry -- he famously bought 9% of Eterneva for $600k on "Shark Tank" back in 2019.

Eterneva says it uses cremated ashes and turns them into wearable diamonds using a high-pressure heat system.

A rep for the company tells TMZ Sports ... Eterneva has partnered with several companies in the death care industry -- including NFDA, Good Grief, Pale Hearse, the Funeral Service Foundation, and the SoGal Foundation -- to make sure funeral workers are properly equipped with N95 masks and other protective equipment.

Several Washington Redskins players were spotted at the team facility in Virginia on Wednesday ... and while it's not the best social distancing look, the team insists they did nothing wrong.

Star running back Derrius Guice -- along with other players and team staffers -- were putting in some work at the Inova Sports Performance Center at Redskins Park  ... with Guice noting, "Grind never stops."

So, with the COVID-19 pandemic in full swing -- and the NFL taking drastic quarantine measures for the NFL Draft on Thursday -- we hit up the team to find out what was going on!

"All players at the facility today were rehabbing injuries and fall under allowed exception to be in the building," a team spokesperson tells TMZ Sports."

"We were not conducting organized workouts as part of our program."

A team source put it this way ... the pics are not a great look, but the guys understand the seriousness of the situation and were truly trying their best to keep their distance.

Sometimes, they would step too close -- and other staffers would instruct them to separate.

Pastor Tony Spell is officially a wanted man -- cops have a warrant to arrest him for allegedly backing up a church bus toward a demonstrator.

According to Central Police in Baton Rouge ... the warrant was issued Monday based on video evidence caught by FOX 44 from a Sunday incident where Spell allegedly reversed the bus upon the shoulder of the road and nearly took out someone who was protesting his church gatherings.

Central Police Chief Roger Corcoran tells TMZ ... after speaking with Spell's attorney ... they expect the pastor to turn himself in Tuesday morning around 10:30 AM CT. We're told Spell is being charged with 2 misdemeanors, aggravated assault and improper reversing.

Spell and his attorney are not on the same page, because the controversial leader of the Life Tabernacle Church, tells us ... he will never surrender to authorities.

Video from the alleged incident shows a white bus reversing toward a protester holding a sign outside Spell's church. The bus does not hit the man.

You'll recall ... the pastor was driving a church bus last week while delivering food to people in his community.

And, as you know ... he's been stirring controversy all month, packing his church on Easter without concern for public health or the health of his congregation.

A parishioner from Spell's church has since died of COVID-19 and his attorney has also contracted the virus.

It's been a while -- for real, how long's it been? -- but the eerie scene of silent NYC streets is still hard to get used to ... particularly the boarded-up stores at one of its most popular shopping spots.

Check it out ... a month into the coronavirus pandemic, and the once-thriving designer and luxury boutiques of SoHo are all still shuttered.

The Louis Vuitton and Polo Ralph Lauren shops chose to go with a more branded look for their lockdowns -- with inspirational quotes to boot -- but the end result is the same as Jimmy Choo, Dior and Chanel ... closed for business, and hopefully protected from theft.

Of course, many of these stores went dark in mid-March, when pandemic panic was in full swing and the City ordered non-essential businesses to close.

Shop owners were initially encouraged to keep their lights on or hire additional security to protect valuables instead of boarding up -- to maintain a semblance of normalcy -- but stay-at-home orders quickly followed ... so they battened down the hatches.

As we told you ... law enforcement in NYC was concerned the new ghost town environment would result in break-ins and burglaries, particularly in the night hours, but so far it seems the boards have done their job.

NBA player Bismack Biyombo is stepping up in a BIG way for his home country ... donating $1 MILLION in supplies to help DR Congo fight the coronavirus.

"We have never experienced a crisis of this magnitude," the Charlotte Hornets forward said ... "Seeing my home country suffer in this capacity is devastating."

"I've spent the last few weeks trying to figure out a way to help those suffering in the DRC. I am pleased to announce that The Bismack Biyombo Foundation delivered over 10,000 masks and 780 hazmat suits to the DRC this week."

Altogether, the masks and suits are expected to add up to an impressive $1 million worth of supplies to help his countrymen battle the pandemic.

Biyombo's foundation points out the area has been riddled with deadly diseases for years -- from malaria to Ebola and more -- leaving the country in danger as it faces COVID-19.

TMZ Sports has obtained pictures and video of the supplies ... and the visuals show how far Biyombo's gesture will go for his country.

Biyombo hopes the gesture can slow down the virus from spreading so the country has a greater chance to fight

Officials in New York City are making sure the famous public basketball courts are not a hub for the coronavirus ... they've shut down ALL public courts and have begun removing rims.

"New York City is a proud basketball town and we would never remove hoops unless absolutely necessary," a rep for NYC Dept. of Parks and Recreation tells TMZ Sports.

"In an effort to protect the health of City residents, all basketball courts are currently closed."

We're told the move to shut down ALL public courts was made on April 6 and will last until officials believe the danger is gone.

So far, we're told 51% of rims citywide have been removed from parks to ensure groups will NOT gather at those locations, where the virus could be spread.

FYI, there are HUNDREDS of public outdoor courts across the city, according to the Parks and Rec website.

The rims were even removed from NYC's famous Rucker Park on March 25 -- and we're told it was because people were not following the rules of social distancing.

Rucker might be the most legendary streetball court in the world -- where superstars like Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Kevin Durant and more have balled out for decades.

LaMelo Ball's barber took ZERO chances when it came to cutting the Big Baller's hair during the COVID-19 outbreak ... he showed up to trim Melo's head IN A FULL HAZMAT SUIT!!

We kid you not ... Philly Barber -- the famous hair guy for stars like Melo, Saquon Barkley and Patrick Mahomes -- tells TMZ Sports Melo was in desperate need of a cut, but with the global pandemic going down ... he had serious reservations about slinging around the razors.

"He kept approaching me and I was like, 'Look, man, there's a lot going on right now,'" Philly says. "'We gotta practice being safe, dude.'"

But on Tuesday this week, Philly gave in and went to cut the 18-year-old's hair ... but made sure he was doing it safely -- rockin' gloves, protective goggles, a mask and a hazmat suit!

"Melo is like a brother to me and the last thing I want to see, to your wife or to any family members, you don't want to see them affected by this," Philly says.

"I did what I had to do and it looked crazy, bro."

Philly eventually got the job done ... and Melo thought it was all pretty hilarious, saying, "My boy came in here lookin' -- I'm weak!"

Pretty funny, right? But, Philly tells us he's just glad everyone came out of the cut safely ... even if the outfit had him hot as hell during the job.

As for how the cut turned out ... doesn't seem Melo was complaining about the look -- and Philly told us, "It actually really worked out."

Airline carriers, cruise ships and hotels are pissing off would-be travelers seeking refunds in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic ... and most folks are s*** outta luck!!!

Here's the deal ... folks who had domestic and international vacations planned for March, April and May are running into the same problem ... they're asking for refunds from the airlines, cruises and hotels, but are mostly being told the only remedy is credits for future travel.

Our sources tell us Kenya Airways is NOT refunding anyone ... instead, we're told the airline is only offering travel credit good for one year from the date the original flight was booked.

It's bad news for a group of wanderlust women in Los Angeles who tell us they booked flights to Seychelles and Nairobi and lodging at Kenya's exclusive Giraffe Manor, which is also only offering credit good for up to a year.

The group says they booked their $3,000 roundtrip, multi-stop flights last August and were supposed to travel in March and April, but the virus' spread makes it impossible to keep the dates and reservations.

If they want to use the airline credit -- no refunds, remember -- the group must book and complete a new trip by August 2020. As for staying at Giraffe Manor -- a super-popular haunt for celebs -- the 1-year credit means they must compete with all the other people who also had trips canceled this year and those with reservations still in play.

Meanwhile, Priceline is so swamped with calls the travel agency is only handling inquiries on flights that are within the next 72 hours. For almost every major airline, it's taking at least 2 hours to get on the phone with a real person, and in some cases it's taking 2 days.

Oh and get this ... Carnival Cruises made a California grandpa fight and claw for a refund for a $7,500 family vacation with his wife, children and grandkids ... this after the 71-year-old man warned the cruise line he couldn't risk it with his health only to be offered credit for a future cruise.

The fam was supposed to set sail from Long Beach April 11, but Craig Morris wasn't about to set foot on the ship. Until this week, Carnival reportedly insisted Craig would not be refunded for the cost of the tickets and he fought the cruise line for 2 weeks trying to get his money back.

In the end, Carnival suspended all voyages until May 11 and the cruise line is finally telling Morris and other travelers they can opt for full refunds, but only after they pissed a bunch of customers off by only offering credits for future trips.

The massive U.S. Navy Hospital Ship Mercy has finally arrived ... just in time to help ease pressure on L.A. hospitals bracing for a tsunami of coronavirus cases.

Mercy docked in the L.A. Port Friday morning after making the trek from San Diego. It's quite a sight ... the ship's being flanked by a fleet of what appears to be U.S. Coast Guard boats. The scene offers one helluva juxtaposition ... L.A.'s desperate help to combat a global crisis with a picturesque backdrop of sunshine and palm trees.

Mercy, which left San Diego on Monday, will provide 1,000 hospital beds, extra doctors, nurses and other staff. The ship is expected to treat patients who do NOT have coronavirus ... freeing up resources such as ventilators and intensive care units at brick and mortar hospitals.

L.A. officials fear they have not seen the worse yet nearly 2 weeks after California Governor Gavin Newsom and L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti issued a "shelter-in-place" order. So far, there have been 21 deaths and more than 1,220 cases -- a 52% jump since Wednesday -- in L.A. County alone.

L.A.'s needs are so intense ... ABC shows "Grey's Anatomy" and "Station 19" are donating medical supplies -- such as hundreds of N95 masks and gowns -- to hospital staff working to combat the deadly outbreak.

One of the big problems with the coronavirus is not knowing if the person you're interacting with has it ... which underscores how EMT's are among the heroes of the pandemic.

Check out the video ... a man was sleeping on a subway train Friday when he suffered a seizure. He let out a scream, which some say sounded like a gasp, and then his arms flailed as he clearly needed medical attention.

Medical attention he got, thanks to the folks who gave him emergency care. We're told he had a seizure and did NOT have coronavirus. Nevertheless, the EMTs didn't know that and even though they had protective gear on ... it's still heroic.