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People are clearing out grocery aisle shelves amid the coronavirus pandemic -- but the microscopic enemy's also got folks ready to shoot their way out this problem.

At least two gun stores in the San Fernando Valley -- just outside of L.A. -- had lines coming out the door this weekend, as people flocked to apparently stock up on firearms. The two locations pictured here are Gun World and Guns Direct -- both in Burbank, CA.

It looks like people were actually standing in lines that went down the block and reached surrounding store fronts -- which, of course, begs the obvious question. WHY?!?!?

It could just be the fact they got some pretty good sales going on right now -- a 9 MM SD9VE Smith & Wesson for just $380 ain't half bad -- but the more realistic reason lies in the panic caused by COVID-19. Funny enough, Pete Wentz just talked to us about this on Saturday, and sorta poo-pooed those whose first instincts are to run to their local gun shops.

He said it didn't really make sense for Americans to snap up guns at such a frantic pace, because coronavirus ain't something you can take out with a bullet. That said, Pete also acknowledged that whenever there's public fear of any kind ... 'Murica likes to grip their pistols for some reason.

Dave & Buster's is a place where kids and adults alike love to play -- which, by and large in Cali, has NOT closed its doors up to this point ... but that could change soon.

TMZ spoke to at least 9 different D&B locations up and down California, and they all pretty much told us the same thing ... they haven't closed up shop, but they are seeing way less traffic come through these past couple weeks -- part of which isn't even their own doing.

We're told a lot of these Dave & Buster's have been instructed by their local governments to reduce the number of people they let in the building down to just 100, including employees. That said, it sounds like it's just slow all around in the arcade/bar/restaurant these days.

Still, we're told those who are working shifts have changed their routines a bit. Some locations tell us certain staffers have been designated to just wiping and sterilizing the joint, from individual game stations and tables ... right down to the menus and ketchup packets.

Of course, it appears D&B might be one of several different venues across the state that will be directed to close up shop -- whether it's locally here in Los Angeles or anywhere else. Governor Gavin Newsom on Sunday instructed bars and clubs to shut down.

And, when it comes to restaurants, he says they should start scaling back their capacity by at least 50%. Ditto for L.A. Mayor Eric Garcetti -- so it looks D&B could be on a hiatus, along with many other bar/restaurant locales.

The funny thing is ... it feels like a lot of residents aren't heeding the directive of health officials, because L.A. was pretty poppin' this weekend. Same for Nashville, too, apparently ... viral video of a massive gathering at a bar there proves some folks aren't taking coronavirus all that seriously.

Caesars Palace appears to be the next big Vegas resort to implement mass temporary employee layoffs and furloughs over coronavirus ... and the way workers are catching wind of it is about as dramatic as a Shakespearean play.

Sources within the palace walls tell TMZ ... staffers working at Gordon Ramsay's Pub & Grill -- which is owned and run by Caesars itself -- were notified by head honchos late Saturday furloughs were being instituted effective immediately ... and employees there, including some who were full-time, were told to go home and not return to work for the time being.

We're told the restaurant employees were instructed they wouldn't be coming back with pay for a minimum of 4 weeks -- with no specific return in sight. It doesn't sound like most of these folks were laid off outright ... it's just a provisional measure.

Per our sources, Ramsay's team weren't the only ones to get the temporary boot ... we're told a lot of the hotel maids were given the same talk as well. The reason, according to people who were offered an explanation, the resort's occupancy has dropped like a rock.

We're told, normally, Caesars sits at around 80%-90% occupancy, but these past couple weeks have seen a significant dip -- going as low as 20% and projected to go lower, we're told. Accordingly, our sources say Caesar is planning to keep just one hotel tower open.

Caesars wouldn't be the first resort to do this -- MGM has reportedly notified its workers about coming layoff and furloughs because of coronavirus. On the flip side ... Wynn Resorts assured their own employees they'd be getting paid during any future closures.

The writing might've been on the wall for Caesars to start furloughing next though ... they just suspended all live ticketed entertainment this weekend too.

We've reached out to Caesars Entertainment Corp. for comment ... so far, no word back.

50 Cent is giving a big middle finger to the coronavirus panic by going to a strip club in a heavily affected area in New York City ... and throwing cash like there's no tomorrow.

The rapper was at Starlet's Gentlemen's club in Woodside, NY Saturday night -- just outside of Jackson Heights, and just across the way from Manhattan -- where he was without a mask or a glove ... but had a whole lot of paper on his lap with dancers all around.

Fitty was more than happy to spread the wealth in what looked to be a decently packed venue -- chucking his $$$ on stage while the strippers got all giddy. Eyewitnesses tell us he got even more excited and loose with his dough when the DJ started playing his own songs.

Clearly, the guy isn't stressing about catching COVID-19 ... even though the city is on the verge of locking down and mandating people stay home and away from public spaces.

Meanwhile, back in Manhattan proper ... it appears tons of people are already staying off the streets out of an abundance of caution, not to mention a massive spike in confirmed cases.

The coronavirus has changed the way most of us live in fundamental ways, which made us wonder what was happening with some of the most intimate contacts -- sex in brothels.

We contacted a half dozen of the biggest brothels in the Las Vegas area, and they're all open for business ... with an asterisk. One brothel manager said all customers must wear masks when they walk in and even during sex. It appears the women do not wear masks

Another brothel manager said an enormous bottle of hand sanitizer sits on the bar, and Clorox wipes are used frequently to wipe down doorknobs, bathroom counters and other surfaces. Every brothel we called said they sanitized their joints on a regular basis.

And, one of the places told us they will send any women home even if she has a slight cold.

Heidi Klum is waiting to hear if she's infected with the coronavirus after falling ill earlier in the week, and now her husband has developed symptoms as well.

Heidi posted this video, showing her on one side of a pane of glass and musician Tom Kaulitz on the other. She said, "Like many of you, I also have been sick all week and, unfortunately, my husband who returned from his tour a couple of days ago is also feeling ill.  To be safe, we are staying apart until we get the results of our coronavirus tests."

She says they were able to get tested Saturday.

TMZ broke the story ... Heidi showed up at 'AGT' Wednesday but almost immediately left before going on stage because she was feeling sick.

Heidi now says of her husband, whom she married last year, "As much as I want to embrace him and kiss him, it is more important to do the right thing and not spread further."

There is a mad dash to get back into the U.S. from various parts of the world, and it's causing pandemonium at the nation's big airports and potentially exposing thousands of people to the coronavirus.

This photo is from O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, where a huge crowd is lined up for a passport check. Everyone also had to wait in a separate line to have their temperature checked. The woman who took this photo says she waited 4 1/2 hours before clearing the line.

Trump has restricted entry from 26 European countries, but Americans are allowed to return home. Nevertheless, there has been a mad scramble to come back and it's caused a logjam.

Starbucks customers are being tasked with a tall order -- to leave their reusable cups at home to help stem the spread of the coronavirus.

There are stores all over that have posted signs telling customers it has temporarily paused the use of reusable cups. The store added, "In addition to sanitizing procedures in all our stores, this is one more step we can all take to prevent the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19)."

And, get this ... we're told that at some Starbucks, stores have also pulled the communal milks, creams and sugars. Customers at those particular stores must ask baristas for the additives.

The coffee giant clearly feels minimizing contact between employees and customers -- less customer-to-employee cup exchange -- will help stop spreading germs. Same with the milks, stirrers and sugars ... no need for every customer to literally get their hands on them.

A slew of Coachella-area hotels will take a beating when it comes to their bottom-line after its two famed festivals were postponed ... and the coronavirus, of course, is to blame.

We spoke to employees at various hotels in the region and they tell us losses in April will push well over $1 million ... a huge amount for a sleepy town that heavily relies on revenue from Coachella and Stagecoach's back-to-back-to-back weekends.

The festivals -- postponed due to an outbreak of the coronavirus -- will now take place on consecutive weekends beginning with Coachella October 9. For now, the hotel industry in the desert braces for a tough April.

The Homewood Suites by Hilton La Quinta expects revenue to be down a whopping 60% ... amounting to about $500k in total revenue.

The Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott Palm Desert was expecting to bring in around $450k. The hotel, which has 110 rooms, saw an immediate 10% drop in room cancelations just hours after promoters announced the festival's postponement. Same with Courtyard by Marriott Palm Desert, which had 25 rooms canceled.

The Comfort Suites Palm Desert, with 72 rooms, expects to lose about $200k. Indian Wells Resort Hotel expects to lose about $400k for the 3 weekends, but its bottom-line is also being affected by the famous Indian Wells tennis tournament also getting canceled.

We've been told there's optimism the hotels will make up the revenue -- not to mention TIPS for service workers -- when the festivals return in October, but a lot can happen between now and then too.

As we reported ... Airbnb's also been dealing with this and began issuing refunds.