Upcoming Expo Square Events Draw Safety Concerns For Indoor Gatherings

With the state well into reopening, the Tulsa fairgrounds are hosting a number of large events.

An Affair of the Heart typically draws tens of thousands of shoppers over three days and there are concerns about how they'll keep people safe.

They don't know how many people will show up, but the event organizers, and the fairgrounds - believe they're taking the best precautions they can.

In the last couple of weeks, the Fairgrounds has hosted some equine events, a home and garden show, and a gun show. Outside on the fairgrounds, the water park is open and busy, and live horse racing has returned.

However, An Affair of the Heart event could easily be the largest crowd since the pandemic started.

Mark Andrus, Tulsa Fairgrounds CEO, said hand sanitizing stations will be throughout the building and they have thousands of masks on hand. The horse shows are filling up the barns, but there people are widely scattered and there is a renewed emphasis on cleaning.

"I think we've already been clean, but now we're cleaner than ever and there's a real aggressiveness to our cleaning techniques," Andrus said.

Event organizers said they are requiring masks for the staff and vendors, while highly encouraging them for the shoppers.