Celebrity Health

Another bizarre (yet necessary) scene ... the Olympic Torch Handover ceremony went down in Athens, Greece on Thursday -- with ZERO fans allowed at Panathenaic Stadium.

In fact, Japan reportedly contacted little-known former Olympic swimmer Naoko Imoto to represent the country ... since the athlete was already living in Greece.

The original plan was to have a massive star-studded event for the flame-passing tradition -- but with the coronavirus pandemic in full swing, organizers wanted as few people involved as possible.

So, Japan contacted former Olympic swimmer Naoko Imoto, who was already living in Greece, to represent the host country. The 43-year-old agreed and she was all smiles on Thursday.

There were flags, there was a stage -- but absolutely NO fans at the venue. Super weird.

FYI, Naoko swam in the 800-meter relay in the '96 Games in Atlanta.

Now, the flame will be transported from Athens to Japan, for another scaled-down ceremony at a military base on Friday.

Japan insists the 2020 Tokyo Games will go on as planned -- despite the fact most of the world is in quarantine.

Amazon is doing its part to help stabilize its home turf, pouring additional millions into the Seattle area ... a community devastated by the coronavirus outbreak.

The shipping giant is behind a number of community-related efforts underway in several locations, but especially in Seattle, its primary HQ. Amazon's created a $5 million Neighborhood Small Business Relief Fund to provide cash grants to local companies in Seattle and Bellevue, WA. The money's intended to help them continue paying employees, and cover rent and other costs.

The corporation's also made a million-dollar donation to provide sick leave pay or health insurance to Seattle residents -- and pitched in another mil in Washington, D.C. toward medical response teams for the homeless, the elderly and hourly workers.

Of course, the goodwill efforts come on the heels of Amazon catching flak from some of its employees around the world -- some of whom reportedly feel overworked and not totally safe from the pandemic in their warehouses. We're told Amazon's committed to paying them even if they can't work due to COVID-19 cases or schedule changes.

Amazon's payroll expense is about to jump anyway ... because it's hiring at least 100k more people in the U.S. to meet surging demand. All those quarantined customers shopping from home want their stuff now.

Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom are on the hunt for supermarket supplies -- just like most of us adjusting to life in a pandemic -- but the expectant parents look super comfy doing it.

Orlando and his pregnant, pop singer fiancee hit up a Whole Foods in L.A. Wednesday along with Katy's sister, Angela, and another male friend.

It looks like all 4 remained pretty chill amid the coronavirus panic-shopping many are still doing -- and they walked out with fresh produce, frozen veggies, boxes of bottled water and a plant-based protein powder called Vega.

One thing not visible in their haul -- toilet paper. Let's hope they've already stocked up.

We're told Katy and co. shopped for about 30 minutes and practiced good social distancing. She went to the car about 10 minutes before Orlando. Of course, KP -- whose baby bump is more prevalent these days -- could've just needed to get off her feet.

As we reported ... Katy revealed her pregnancy earlier this month in her new "Never Worn White" music video, referring to it as the hardest secret she's had to keep.

She and Orlando recently returned to the U.S. just before the new reality of self-isolating at home to limit the COVID-19 outbreak really set in. They're reportedly postponing their summer wedding in Japan due to the global crisis.

At least they've got plenty of water and protein to get through.

Dr. Jenn says the key to overcoming loneliness if you're single and suddenly forced into isolation, is a whole lot of structure, and some help from your friends ... virtually, of course.

The "Couples Therapy" doc tells TMZ she's been talking to several single people who are grappling with the new reality of self-quarantine and trying not to go stir-crazy, and she says the best way to deal with it ... wake up with a plan!!!

Dr. Jenn says for those working from home, this means starting each day with a purpose and a schedule -- as if you were still going into the office -- and to continue focusing on hobbies, creative endeavors or self-care when work hours are over.

For the newly unemployed or furloughed, she recommends using the time to improve one's health ... through exercise, self-reflection and intellectual stimulation.

That's all great, but obviously, people still need to engage socially with the outside world -- and Jenn highly recommends reaching out, but not the way ya used to do it.

The coronavirus has pregnant women turning back the clock -- with increased fears about entering jam-packed hospitals, those about to pop are making alternate plans.

Several stand-alone birthing centers across the country tell TMZ they are seeing a massive influx of inquiring moms-to-be looking to deliver their babies -- either at their facilities or even at home ... just like in the old days.

Birthing center employees and directors in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Tennessee, Seattle, Minnesota and elsewhere say a lot of third-trimester moms-to-be are freaked out about possibly delivering in hospitals that are getting more and more inundated with coronavirus patients.

Fortunately, most of the birthing centers we spoke with say they're adapting their policies to meet the frenzy -- now, they're taking in gals near full-term pregnancy ... but we've been told if someone is days away from their due date, they'll probably be turned away -- as these centers need time to set up and take measures to guarantee a safe birth.

That's not the only solution that's being considered in light of the crisis. The director of Seattle Birth Centers (a city now considered a major coronavirus hot spot) tells us their community is seeing retired midwives come back into the workforce because some folks are opting to push through right at home.

Of course, that usually means no epidural. Ouch ...

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles is closing its doors to most visitors during the coronavirus pandemic ... TMZ has learned.

As of early Wednesday morning, the hospital put the new rules in place to severely restrict the number of outside people entering the hospital. We're told surgery patients, and emergency room patients will be allowed one visitor.

Additionally, anyone who's given birth at the hospital is allowed one visitor. Sorry ... aunts, uncles, grandparents might have to wait until the newborn gets home.

Cedars is following in the footsteps of several other major hospitals around the country -- including ones in San Francisco and New York City.

Celebs are clamoring for plastic surgery while everyone's outta the public eye during the coronavirus pandemic ... but Dr. Terry Dubrow says some procedures just aren't smart.

The "Botched" star joined us on "TMZ Live" Wednesday and told us our hunch is correct ... Hollywood's biggest stars are using the outbreak as the perfect cover for some cosmetic work.

Dr. Dubrow says his Orange County practice is fielding tons of calls from huge movie stars and rich folks in Beverly Hills, where no one is allowed to get elective beauty treatments or cosmetic surgeries during the pandemic, and the flavor of the month is a facelift.

Movies are not filming, so it seems like the perfect time for celebs to go under the knife for a major overhaul ... but the doc says not so fast.

Dr. Dubrow's advising against facelifts for his famous clients, because they could run into all sorts of problems if they encounter complications. Remember, the hospitals have their hands full dealing with COVID-19.

Instead, Dr. Dubrow says the smart move is to get some fillers and botox ... and he tells us why it's really dumb to try plastic surgery at home.

This happy couple is never gonna forget their first kiss as husband and wife -- that'll happen when ya get married in the middle of a pandemic, while wearing surgical masks!!!

Yes, it's a legit pic ... the bride and groom, Christopher and Tessa, just tied the knot down in New Orleans ... and they took every possible precaution, which meant a masked smooch after their "I dos."

Even Rev. Tony, the pastor at the French Quarter Wedding Chapel, wore full protection from the outbreak.

The masked kiss is pretty similar to what we've seen over in the Philippines, where hundreds of brides and grooms kissed through masks last month as coronavirus spread through that country.

It's gotta be true love for Christopher and Tessa ... the couple braved today's scary world of air travel, flying into New Orleans from their home in Colorado.

New Orleans and masks kinda go hand-in-hand ... it's woven into the city's history, from Mardi Gras masks to masquerade balls, but this image takes the wedding cake.

There's not gonna be much of a reception either ... New Orleans already shut down all the bars and casinos, and public gatherings of more than 50 people are banned, with police patrolling the streets.

Might wanna hold off on that honeymoon too.

NBA rookie Tyler Herro's shooting percentage just went WAYYY up during the NBA's coronavirus suspension ... pulling up from half-court with an absolutely stunning model -- and he SWISHED!!

The 20-year-old Miami Heat rising star is known for being a sharp shooter on the court ... but the youngblood decided to test his range on Twitter ... hitting Katya Elise Henry with the "wyd" (which means "what you doin'" for all the old readers out there).

As it turns out, the bold move worked out for Herro -- 'cause the fitness guru responded "quarantine n chill?" with the side-eye flirty emoji!!!!

Of course, all the NBA players have been told to practice social distancing during the COVID-19 break ... but for Henry?? Might be worth risking it all.

KEH has been tied to guys like Austin Mahone and Kyle Kuzma in the past ... but it's unclear if she's really pursuing Herro or if they're joking and we're all idiots.

Nail salons from coast-to-coast are full of empty chairs, and way fewer employees are waiting to provide mani-pedis ... because COVID-19 is already killing businesses.

The general consensus among salon owners and employees we spoke to is they're totally screwed with next month's rent coming due in a couple weeks. Angela Yi owns Ivy Nail & Spa in NYC, and told us all scheduled appointments the past few days have canceled and there have been no walk-ins. She is, understandably, panicking. She says normally they'd make $1,500 to $2,000 per day off about 20 customers, but now they're earning zilch and will be for the foreseeable future.

Angela's already cut her staff from 15 to 3, but says that $15k rent train is coming down the tracks. She says people are comparing the business decline to after the September 11 attacks, but this is way worse ... with no end in sight.

Same story for Tina's Nail and Spa near L.A. -- owner Tina Tran says she only saw 3 customers Monday and made $120. Her rent alone is $2,500, and it's due next week.

Tina says they're a small shop with only 3 employees, and despite making sure they are careful with cleanliness, the reality is nobody's coming. Nails, and other cosmetic services, just ain't top of mind.

The manager for ZaZaZoo Nail Salon in Chicago says biz is down 95 percent, and staff hours are slashed in half to make sure they follow the guideline of 10-person gatherings.

Ditto for Luv Nail Shop in Miami, where they have ONE scheduled appointment for the rest of the week, and they're considering shutting down immediately.

Kevin Love wants his NBA brothers to step up and lead the community during the coronavirus suspension ... calling for everyone to be "more than athletes" and follow his lead.

As we previously reported ... the Cleveland Cavs champ was the first player to lead the charge and donate $100k to support Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse employees who are without work during the NBA suspension.

K. Love spoke about his generous donation on the "Today" show Wednesday morning ... and he wants more players to get involved.

"It's been an incredibly stressful time for number of people ... a lot of people living paycheck to paycheck," Love says. "So I felt this is a really good time, especially for NBA players, to walk-the-walk and be more than athletes."

Love continued ... "We see people in the community, we see people working in our arena work at least 41 nights out of the year, us playing home games, so it was way for me to try and help navigate this incredibly stressful and anxiety-ridden time to just pay it for and really help them."

The 5-time All-Star -- who is outspoken about mental health awareness -- emphasizes it's a time for his NBA family to help relieve the stress arena staffers may have when they don't know when the next paycheck will come through.

Paris Jackson says it's understandable people might slip into depression while isolated away during the coronavirus quarantine -- but there's a simple solution ... or possibly several.

We spoke to MJ's only daughter Tuesday on the streets of L.A. -- where it felt about as busy as ever with the cars (and loud ambulances) zooming by -- and picked her brain about ways people can deal with the solitary confinement several folks are being subject to right now.

She actually had a super thoughtful answer for us -- check it out. Paris says humans, by nature, are social creatures ... and that the current conditions certainly work against that innate feeling of wanting to belong and interact with us in person. The easy fix, according to her, is to continue chatting ... virtually if necessary. Just don't emotionally disconnect.

As far as self-help techniques ... PJ goes through a few examples with our camera guy, who you can tell is pretty star-struck talking to her. Chip of the old block much? We'd say so.

Nelly says Kevin Durant's positive coronavirus test is a real REALITY CHECK for the world -- because it proves "nobody's exempt" when it comes to COVID-19.

"Our thoughts and our strengths are with him," the hip-hop star told us in Calabasas ... "Nobodys exempt. We're all the same right now."

He added, "Nobody's bigger than the other right one. I think we're all one at the same time right now."

"It's affecting the world, man, not just the music industry. And, anybody who feels like this is personal, basically got they head in the sand."

Nelly's message echoed Nevada governor Steve Sisolak -- who didn't mince words when addressing the people of the Silver State earlier this week.

"I don't know how to make this any clearer ... this is affecting the lives of our citizens. People are dying."