Updated March 15, 7:12 p.m.
With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issuing new guidelines for canceling events Sunday evening, Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum has updated a directive to cancel city events and gatherings at city facilities.
Now, scheduled gatherings of 50 people or more are being canceled and new ones prohibited through April 15 in order to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The action originally took effect at 5 p.m. Saturday and at that time applied to gatherings of 250 or more. It applies to events at City of Tulsa facilities and ones that require a permit from the city.
In an update from Tulsa-area officials on Friday, Bynum said he would not cancel city events until there was evidence of community spread of COVID-19.
He said he decided to cancel and postpone events because there are too many unknowns about how the illness caused by the coronavirus is spread and because testing is not widely available to help track person-to-person transmission.
"While standard guidelines indicate that we could wait until evidence of community spread before restricting event size, we see cities across America being proactive and getting ahead of that guidance. When it comes to public safety, I want Tulsa to be abundantly cautious and proactive too," Bynum said in a statement.
Bynum’s direction does not include school- or county-led events. City locations that are included are the BOK Center, city Hall and other city facilities, city parks and recreation centers, Convention Center, Gilcrease Museum, Performing Arts Center, stormwater detention areas, and the Tulsa Zoo. Special events permitted by the city that close streets and right of ways are also included.
Bynum is also recommending organizers of other events involving 50 people or more cancel, postpone, modify them or offer online streaming services. Examples include concerts, conferences, sporting events, faith-based events and other large gatherings.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is currently recommending a 50-person threshold for restricting events. Bynum said limiting event sizes now will limit the pace of COVID-19's spread and help Tulsa's health care system keep up.
