Celebrity Health

Snitching is in when it comes to social distancing anyway -- people have been blowing the whistle on violators, and now police everywhere are cracking down.

Cops across the country tell TMZ ... they've been flooded with complaints about large gatherings where people are clearly defying coronavirus safety precautions. How flooded? An NYPD spokesman says, "Cops have visited tens of thousands of locations on their social distancing patrols & also have responded to thousands of 311 calls.”

We're also told from March 17 through April 8, they arrested 13 people and issued 61 tickets. Keep in mind, Gov. Cuomo's given the green light to $1,000 fines for violations, so ... it's no cheap ticket.

We're told the folks who were arrested showed reckless disregard for social distancing and refused to listen to police orders. Despite the crowds in Central Park last weekend ... cops say the majority of NYers are following the rules, or quickly adhering when officers remind them to maintain the 6-foot spacing.

There have been NO arrests or tickets in L.A. County as of last weekend ... but our law enforcement sources tell us the City Attorney is reviewing 37 cases of alleged social-distancing violations. So, there could be citations coming.

We're told cops in L.A. are trying to avoid hitting people with expensive tickets right now because people are outta work and struggling during the pandemic. Much like NY, we're told L.A. cops are mostly seeing people follow orders when told to disperse.

Appropriately, Chicago falls in the middle of L.A. and the Big Apple. CPD spokesperson Maggie Huynh says they made 3 arrests and issued 11 citations related to social distancing last week -- but also had to disperse gatherings more than 1,500 times.

Sounds like Miami, at least, is recovering from Florida's spring break madness because Miami-Dade PD says they've made one arrest, but not for social distancing. We're told it was a boater anchored in an area restricted due to pandemic closures.

There's equally good news in New Orleans -- a COVID-19 hot zone -- where NOPD says they've issued a "minimal" number of citations since March 20.

While the crowds seem downright dangerous from the standpoint of spreading the virus, by and large, these scenes are limited in scope ... at least according to law enforcement, they're limited events.

Todd Chrisley says the coronavirus "made me the sickest I've ever been on this earth" ... and forced him to get his ass to an ER, stat!!!

The "Chrisley Knows Best" star revealed his diagnosis Wednesday, and said he's been battling COVID-19 for 3 weeks. He says his treatment required 4 days in the ER. Seems like he's back in decent spirits for a couple reasons: He was able to record his podcast, and referenced the virus by asking, "Can we talk about this bitch called corona?"

He went on to reveal he'd been battling high fevers -- from 100 to 103 degrees -- and added, "Hopefully, I will get better every day, but as of right now, folks, I still am not clicking on all cylinders. I am probably about 70 to 75% of what I normally am, but that last 25% is kicking my ass."

Todd's daughter Savannah opened up in great detail in an Instagram post saying, "I have never been so scared in my life ... After a couple of days mom and I talked him into going to urgent care."

Savannah said Todd was eventually tested and sent home to self-quarantine. But, the test came back positive a week later. As if things couldn't get any worse ... Savannah said Todd finally woke up one Sunday and "He woke mom up saying he has to go to ER [because] he couldn't fight it any longer."

Seems Todd's back on the mend, but Savannah urged her fans ... "The point of me telling u all this is so that u take it seriously...STAY HOME! SOCIAL DISTANCE! And most importantly...LOVE HARDER THAN EVER! Life is so short."

Amazing moment from Steph Curry ... who found out about an ICU nurse on the front lines of the COVID-19 battle who wears his jersey for inspiration.

AND HE FACETIMED HER TO THANK HER!!

The video is awesome ... Steph hit up Shelby Delaney right before she started her shift at the Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Oakland on Wednesday.

"I can’t thank God enough for what you’re doing and just the sacrifice, the selflessness and the way everybody’s coming together," Steph told her.

"Thank you so much for what you do, your heart and the inspiration you provide for everybody.”

Shelby got Steph's attention after she posted a photo on social media last week showing she wears his Warriors jersey under her scrubs fro inspiration during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"I found myself feeling powerless and defeated," Shelby had written last week ... "It was in that moment that I knew I needed to summon my inner warrior. So I threw on my Steph jersey under my scrubs and started brainstorming how I could be part of the solution."

Steph clearly appreciated it -- and felt compelled to thank her personally.

Oh, and when he called ... she was still rockin' Curry gear -- all the way down to the shoes.

“I see you still have my jersey on,” Curry said.

Delany smiled -- and then thanked Steph.

"I wanted to thank you for how much you inspired me ...  especially when I first started my job here, it’s a really steep learning curve, you have two people that you’re trying to make sure they don’t die on shift, and a lot of tough stuff going on with family. There were times I wanted to quit, give up.”

"That’s when I started wearing the jersey. That was like, just my way of kind of gathering my strength, reminding myself I’ve got this."

After the call, Delany went to work at the hospital.

Two men shopping at an Illinois Walmart claim a cop kicked them out for wearing protective face masks, but police say that's not how it went down.

Here's the deal ... video posted on social media shows 2 black men wearing surgical masks being tailed by a police officer as they head for the exit of the Walmart in Wood River, Ill.

The men claimed the cop told them a city ordinance bars people from wearing masks at businesses. In the video -- which was posted on March 18, but is just now going viral -- the men said they were being forced to leave.

At the time of the incident, Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker told residents to only wear masks if a health care professional recommended it. The directive broadened at the end of the month, and now other cities are ordering folks to cover their faces in public.

Wood River Police Chief Brad Wells responded Wednesday to growing criticism ... and said the officer was trying to identify the individuals because he felt they were acting suspiciously before entering the store.

The chief admits the officer told the men a city ordinance prohibited the masks -- even though such an ordinance does not exist. He adds, however, there is an Illinois law prohibits wearing a mask to conceal your identity from cops ... without written permission from the property owner.

The police chief says it's understandable why someone would wear a mask to protect themselves in the current pandemic, but he says not many people were wearing masks back when the video was shot -- and claims no one else in the store was doing so.

Wells adds, the men refused to provide ID, and said they were leaving. He claims the men left on their own and were not ordered to leave the store.

According to police, the men in the video have since made a formal complaint and it's under internal investigation. Wells says the NAACP and FBI will also review the incident.

Jussie Smollett's reacting to a dangerous byproduct of the nearly nationwide quarantine -- a spike in domestic violence -- by supporting a group he says is very dear to him.

The ex-"Empire" star says, sadly, safe-at-home orders in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have created unsafe domestic situations for many vulnerable women and children. We're told Jussie got word from a friend the Jenesse Center -- which aids victims of domestic violence -- had an influx of new emergency cases in recent weeks.

So, Jussie's now lending his support to the org, and encouraging others to do the same. We're told he's already donated money for welcome bags handed out to new families at the shelter.

He's also shouting out the Black AIDS Institute for its efforts to care for anyone who needs medical care right now and vows to keep supporting COVID-19 relief causes as well.

As we reported ... Smollett broke his social media silence a couple weeks back after 9 months of not posting anything and said he's looking to move on from the alleged racist attack in Chicago back in January 2019.

Of course, that's gonna be difficult with his pending criminal trial after getting recharged for allegedly lying to police about the attack.

The WWE is moving forward with "SmackDown" and "Raw" -- and they've sent out a memo to wrestlers and staffers telling them how they plan to keep everyone safe from COVID-19.

We're told WWE honchos were so happy with the way things went down at WrestleMania over the weekend, they plan on using a similar protocol for the upcoming events including "SmackDown" on Friday and "Raw" on Monday.

Both events will take place at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando -- just like 'Mania -- with a medical team screening EVERYONE before they can walk in the door.

The email outlines protocol ... saying the medical team will take each individual's temperature before they enter the building -- which is expected to cause some delays -- so arrive early.

Once inside, everyone is encouraged to wear a face mask -- and if you can't get one, make one!

WWE explains how to McGyver one together by sewing fabric, wearing a bandanna or ripping off an old t-shirt sleeve. The org. does note that masks should come off when cameras are rolling.

The guidelines sound pretty similar to how the WWE handled WrestleMania this weekend ... remember, Drew McIntyre told us he had the whole locker room to himself for some serious social distancing.

"If they die ... they die."

Yes, a now-infamous Louisiana pastor got all "Rocky IV" on us ... saying, if any of his church members die from the virus, they'll have done so in the name of God and freedom.

Tony Spell, leader of Life Tabernacle Church in Baton Rouge, tells TMZ ... he thinks true Christians do not mind dying from COVID-19. He insists that what they fear instead is living in fear. As he puts it, "People that can prefer tyranny over freedom do not deserve freedom."

He's also not flinching at medical experts suggesting most of the nation will eventually contract the virus, even if only mildly. Spell's reaction is, "Let's get on with life."

As you've probably heard ... Spell's been defiant of Louisiana's shelter-at-home order. He opened his church last week for Palm Sunday where over 1,000 members attended. He had previously been arrested and charged for violating the state mandate.

Watch the video, Spell is sticking to his guns for Easter Sunday too. He was totally unswayed by our producer suggesting a different approach.

The Jacksonville Jaguars found a way to help out during the coronavirus pandemic AND share some team pride at the same time -- whipping up some team-themed masks for those in need.

The team announced the #Masks4Jax initiative on Wednesday ... saying the plan is to distribute 45k masks featuring their logo to local companies in the community.

Of course, Jaguars legend Tony Boselli just survived a frightening battle with COVID-19 -- he spent time in the ICU and thought he was going to die.

The team was clearly moved by Boselli's situation ... and even shared his impactful PSA on wearing a mask in public to prevent spreading COVID-19.

"When you go out in public, here in Jacksonville or anywhere, put a mask on," Boselli said in the vid.

"It will protect you, it will protect your family and those you come in contact with. If we wash our hands, if we do our social distancing and we wear a mask, we'll get through this faster, safely and together."

On top of the masks, Jags owner Shad Khan personally donated $1 million to relief efforts in Florida.

''Jeopardy!'' had a clue about a pandemic ... more than a month before the World Health Organization did -- or so it appears to befuddled fans of the show.

The totally eerie coincidence played out Tuesday night's episode of the College Championship tournament. Yale sophomore Nathaniel Miller selected the "Health & Medicine" category, and Alex read, "From a Greek word for people, it describes a disease that affects many people at one time."

Of course, Yale was all over it ... "What is a pandemic?"

Naturally, viewers -- sheltered at home in the middle of the coronavirus PANDEMIC -- freaked the hell out. Thing is ... the tournament was reportedly shot on February 3 and 4, long before the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11.

One viewer tweeted, "Did anyone else get a lump in their throat when they realized 'pandemic' was an answer on #Jeopardy tonight or just me?" And, another said ... "#Jeopardy knows too much. They were ready for this pandemic two months before the US even was."

We've all heard that a Chinese bat got the coronavirus ball rolling, but that doesn't mean our domestic bats are a problem -- and if anything, we're a bigger threat to them.

U.S. federal wildlife workers have been talking amongst themselves about a so-called bat fear that's spreading due to the pandemic -- and they're saying it's misguided. They're also warning bat catchers to lay off for a while.

TMZ obtained an email sent by Dr. Michelle Verant -- a wildlife veterinarian with the National Parks Service -- to her colleagues, warning them humans could potentially infect bat colonies here at home with a strain of COVID-19.

The email reads in part, "The actual outcomes of this scenario are unknown, but the concern is that it could result in sustained transmission of the virus among wild bat populations in North America, which could have consequences for the health of bats as well as humans." It goes on to instruct her colleagues who might be partaking in any bat-catching studies right now to refrain, or at the very least ... take great precautions.

Dr. Verant confirmed she sent the email and expanded by telling us there needs to be a clear distinction between the horseshoe bat (the species blamed for transmitting the virus in Wuhan) and North American bats. She says they're much different and there's NO evidence the virus lives in the American species.

To sum up Verant's concerns: Bats here are virus-free right now, but if they catch it from humans -- then there might be potential for them to pass it back to livestock or humans. Talk about vicious cycles!

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.

Los Angeles is implementing a new coronavirus mandate that could eventually become standard across all major cities ... everyone at an essential business is being ordered to cover their faces.

Workers and shoppers in L.A. will be required to wear non-medical grade face coverings starting Friday ... as ordered by Mayor Eric Garcetti. It's called the Worker Protection Order.

People can cover their faces with fabric, such as bandannas and scarves. The mayor says any essential business owner can deny admission or service to folks who aren't covering their face.

The rules apply to essential businesses such as grocery stores, banks, convenience stores, warehouses, restaurants, laundromats, taxis, etc. The mandate is in addition to social distancing measures, and the mayor is encouraging retailers to install plexiglass to separate cashiers and customers at points of sale.

Employers are also required to provide face coverings or reimburse employees for the cost of coverings, provide access to clean and sanitary restrooms on-site, allow employees to wash their hands every 30 minutes and implement physical distancing measures.

Failure to comply with the order constitutes a misdemeanor subject to fines and imprisonment, according to the Mayor.

The goal is pretty clear ... continuing to slow down the rapid spread of COVID-19.

This is a sad and alarming sign of the times -- residents packed together, risking coronavirus exposure to line up for unemployment benefits.

The city of Hialeah handed out paper unemployment forms at 4 different locations Tuesday in order to help those who were unable to file through Florida's website or hotline ... and created this troubling scene.

The line was full of desperate folks -- many wearing face coverings, but some not -- waiting for their applications, but clearly not following social distancing guidelines of keeping 6 feet apart.

Florida currently has more than 14,500 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and its death total is approaching 300, so it certainly calls into question the decision to make residents wait in line for unemployment forms.

Meanwhile, food banks across the country -- from Central Texas to Pittsburgh -- have been overburdened far this week with miles-long lines of cars waiting to pick up food for their families.

Feeding South Florida has reported a 600% increase in the number of people asking for food, and it's a similar story for food banks across the U.S.

Joel Osteen's still going big with his Easter service amid the coronavirus pandemic, but of course -- for safety purposes -- all the big names he's recruited will be performing remotely ... for a virtual service.

Sources close to Osteen tell TMZ ... his Lakewood Church in Houston will welcome Kanye West, Mariah Carey and Tyler Perry on Easter Sunday to deliver messages of love and support to his massive audience.

Our sources say Mariah will be part of a special tribute to medical professionals and first responders putting their lives on the line in the battle against COVID-19. We're told she's going to sing her song "Hero" via webcam.

Perry's plan is to deliver words of encouragement to the viewers during this trying time, and Kanye will be back with his choir to provide music for the service ... all while practicing proper social distancing.

Our sources say Kanye and his Sunday Service crew will be performing in L.A. and it will be broadcast over Osteen's megachurch feed.

It's unclear if all these performances will be live or prerecorded, but either way ... it will be one of the most star-studded church events ever.