Tulsa Regional Chamber Says Virus Scare May Impact Economy

All the recent event cancellations in Tulsa are having an impact on the local economy as groups try to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The Tulsa Regional Chamber said it's too early to have an exact figure of what the impact will be here and said fortunately we've had a strong, rising market for the last decade.

The Chamber said the recent events and tournaments that have been canceled or postponed are still fresh, so they haven't really had time to assess what it will mean to the community.

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The Chamber's Senior Vice President of Economic Development, Bill Murphy, said everything has happened so quickly.

He said they can use other areas as examples for how businesses are affected but, he said they still need time to analyze the changes.

He said they are communicating with the business community here in Tulsa about the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We are reaching out to our member businesses and the businesses community in general to talk about what they can do to be best prepared for this outbreak and the resulting economic impact," Murphy said.

Another thing they'll be keeping an eye on is spring break tourism. Murphy said tourism is a significant driver of economic activity in Green Country.