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Certain parts of LAX are now a "no handshake zone" ... the latest precaution in the face of a daunting pandemic.

Check out this sign from the Delta Airlines terminal at one of the world's busiest airports ... handshaking is a big no-no until further notice. The sign, posted at the airport information desk, also advises folks to be considerate of others and wash their hands regularly.

Remember, Dr. Oz is on a crusade is on a to replace handshakes with fist bumps in the wake of the rapidly spreading coronavirus.

The reason, according to the TV doc -- COVID-19 is 5 times more contagious than the seasonal flu, and handshakes transfer 10 times more bacteria than a fist bump.

Someone might want to alert Donald Trump about the dangers of handshakes ... he's on video shaking hands with foreign leaders on his recent trip to India, and today he decided to lie about it.

Be safe out there, folks ... especially in the airport ... and remember, just pound it.

NBA star Donovan Mitchell has tested positive for COVID-19 -- AKA coronavirus -- just hours after his Utah Jazz teammate, Rudy Gobert, was diagnosed.

The 23-year-old All-Star has not publicly commented, but ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski says players seem to be pointing the finger at Gobert not taking proper precautions.

"Jazz players privately say that Rudy Gobert had been careless in the locker room touching other players and their belongings," Woj says ... "Now a Jazz teammate has tested positive."

Media members are upset with Gobert also after he jokingly rubbed his hands all over mics and recorders while talking with reporters earlier this week (before he was formally diagnosed).

Of course, due to Gobert's health status ... Wednesday night's Jazz vs. Thunder game was postponed just minutes before tipoff and both teams were quarantined while the players were in the locker room.

The NBA has already suspended the season -- and there are rumblings play could resume in August ... but for now, league execs are trying to figure things out.

The coronavirus outbreak is wreaking havoc in the sports world -- several major events have been canceled or postponed ... including La Liga soccer games, ATP tennis tournaments and more.

As we previously reported, Charles Barkley is calling for the NCAA to cancel the March Madness tournament ... but so far, it's still scheduled to move forward.

President Donald Trump has suggested Olympic officials postpone the 2020 Games in Tokyo over coronavirus fears ... saying it's better to delay than perform without crowds.

Trump -- along with Ireland's prime minister, Leo Varadkar -- were taking questions from the media about the global COVID-19 pandemic ... when POTUS was asked directly if Japan should cancel the Games.

"Maybe they postpone it for a year," Trump said ... "Maybe that's not possible. I guess it's never happened with the Olympics."

The Games are currently scheduled to kick off in late July.

Trump says "it's a shame" the outbreak could impact the Olympics because from what he's seen, Japan was doing an amazing job setting up the country for the massive event.

But, POTUS explained ... he thinks it's better to push the games for a year so the world can get a grip on the pandemic.

Plus, Trump says he likes that idea "better than having empty stadiums all over the place ... better than doing it with no crowd."

Trump insisted the United States is handling the crisis well -- and says things will eventually get better and the virus will "go away."

Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson -- who were filming an Elvis Presley movie down in Australia -- have just tested positive for the coronavirus ... TMZ has confirmed.

Tom's reps tell us he and Rita got tested for the deadly virus after feeling like they had a cold -- he says they felt extra tired and had some body aches -- and the results came back positive.

According to Tom, Rita also had some chills that came and went, as well as slight fevers.

Now, Tom says he will follow protocols put in place by medical officials and the rest of his family will also be tested for the virus. Tom says he will be observed and isolated for as long as required for public health and safety.

Tom and Rita are the first A-listers to test positive for coronavirus ... while international soccer star Daniele Rugani has also tested positive.

International soccer star Daniele Rugani -- who plays alongside Cristiano Ronaldo for Juventus -- has tested positive for coronavirus ... the team announced Wednesday.

The team says the 25-year-old Italian is currently asymptomatic ... but he's been quarantined along with all the people he has had contact with in recent weeks.

Rugani is a rising star in the sport ... and has played for Juventus since 2013.

The coronavirus has spread like wildfire throughout Italy ... with reportedly more than 600 deaths and 10,000 known cases.

Juventus has been one of the many football clubs playing without fans in the past weeks ... and most recently played Inter Milan on March 8th. Rugani posted a celebratory pic after his squad won the match.

As we previously reported ... the coronavirus has caused all major American sports leagues to limit the media's access to players -- banning them from locker-rooms and clubhouses.

The NCAA tournament and several Golden State Warriors games will be played without fans in the stands.

The NBA has just announced it's putting its season on hold ... this just minutes after one of its star players tested positive for coronavirus.

The league said in a statement Wednesday ... Utah Jazz star Rudy Gobert had contracted COVID-19 -- and in response, it's pausing its season following the conclusion of Wednesday's slate of games.

"The NBA will use this hiatus to determine next steps for moving forward in regard to the coronavirus pandemic," the league said.

The league had reportedly considered making the move earlier Wednesday ... debating whether to suspend the season or play its games without fans. Ultimately, no decision had been made prior to the tip-off of Wednesday's games.

The Golden State Warriors were set to play their game against the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday in a fan-less arena. However, that game will now take place at a later date.

As for how the league is handling the Jazz and Thunder after it was announced Gobert had the virus ... ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski says players from both sides are being quarantined at Oklahoma City's arena.

ESPN had a camera on Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban when he found out about the cancellation -- and it's obvious he was completely shocked by the news.

Joel Osteen's megachurch services will power through the coronavirus crisis -- which has officially been classified a pandemic -- meaning close to 50,000 people will gather to worship with him this weekend.

Sources close to Osteen and his Lakewood Church in Houston tell TMZ ... its 3 scheduled upcoming services -- one Saturday night and 2 Sunday -- are still on, with expected crowds of 16,000 at each service.

We're told the staff is taking recommended precautions, such as sanitizing surfaces and bathrooms and leaving doors propped open so guests don't have to touch them.

On top of that, our sources say church members and all potential attendees are being advised to stay home if they don't feel well, have traveled to areas affected by COVID-19 or been in contact with anyone who has.

We're told Lakewood's plans could change with the developing news, but as of right now ... it's church business as usual for Osteen and his congregation.

Joel's also set to hold a service in Jackson, Mississippi Friday for roughly 7,500.

As for Osteen's "America's Night of Hope" event at Yankee Stadium in May -- which, as we first reported, will feature Kanye West -- there are no plans to cancel or postpone that either.

However, our sources reiterate ... things could change with those plans too.

Buffet-goers in Vegas are outta luck because of coronavirus, but family-style feasters everywhere else in the good ol' U.S. of A. can still get their fix ... for now anyway.

Four of the biggest buffet restaurant chains in the country tell TMZ they have no plans to close up shop amid what is now a global pandemic -- but they're not blind to the concerns about COVID-19. Meaning, they're taking new precautions.

For instance, Golden Corral says it's installed multiple new hand sanitizer stations in most, if not all, of its 500 locations -- and workers are now on a different kinda clock.

A rep tells us GC employees have been instructed to wash their hands a minimum of every 20 minutes, or between tasks. They're also wiping down all guest touchpoint areas every half hour.

The ever-familiar HomeTown, Old Country and Ryan's buffet chains are also following that spic-and-span approach. A rep for Ovation Brands -- which owns and operates all 3 -- says they're going hog wild on the cleaning and sanitizing as well.

Interestingly, Ovation says the reason it's not panicking just yet is because most of their customers are homegrown in the U.S., and not from overseas. That theory seems flawed, though, since there's no telling where those customers have traveled recently.

We're told if things change over the next few weeks -- and it seems obvious they will -- Ovation says it'll reevaluate.

As coronavirus fears skyrocket and the stock market plummets ... Soulja Boy's making a whole lot of money off a pretty clean gamble.

Sources close to the rapper-turned-entrepreneur tell TMZ ... he's invested in a company called The Soap Shop -- which, of course, sells soap products and the like. We're told Soulja went in on a franchise location in Mississippi last year with his manager, CEO Miami Mike.

Our sources say Soulja's trying to diversify and heard it was a good investment opportunity. What he didn't know is how well-timed it was.

As you know, the COVID-19 pandemic has people frantically looking for soaps, disinfectant products and anything that'll kill germs. That all adds up to a massive profit for Soulja and co.

Our sources say TSS as a corporation has gone from selling 100 bottles of cleaning products per month to well over 3,000-plus cleaning products in the last 2 months. That's about a 3,000 percent increase, and we're told it's record-setting production.

Soulja and Mike's specific Soap Shop location -- in South Haven, MS -- is seeing similar results. Our sources say profits have tripled without changing anything.

One last thing, the soap venture actually benefits the youth. Soulja has linked his Soap Shop location to a charity called Bubbles for Cash.

Steve-O's well aware of all the cancellations due to the coronavirus pandemic, but instead of freaking out ... he's cashing in on an uncrowded market and booking shows.

The "Jackass" star was at Gladstones Restaurant near Malibu, and told us because the South by Southwest Festival in Austin, TX was called off ... a lot of venues suddenly had open dates to fill.

So, Steve-O says his agent asked if he wanted to perform at The Paramount Theatre -- the site of his very first comedy special, and he couldn't turn it down.

Steve-O tells us he's done his due diligence to make sure he wasn't making a poor decision. That meant a call to his good buddy, Dr. Drew.

We broke the story ... Dr. Drew still believes the panic over COVID-19 is overblown and people just need to take precautions and be reasonable.

Sounds like he told Steve-O the same, and gave him his stamp of approval to head deep into the heart of Texas next week.

Steve-O tells us he plans to do meet and greets with anyone who comes to his show, but he's using common sense -- elbow bumps and side hugs only.