What impact does coronavirus have on public events?

COVID-19 impact on public events

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HOUSTON - With fears and concerns over coronavirus and rising questions about its impact on the economy, FOX 26 dug into the latest attendance numbers at events across Houston.

At Tuesday’s Rockets game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, team officials said 18,055 tickets were sold – marking another sold-out game this season. Rockets officials said so far, every game this season has sold out.

Fans said they brought their hand sanitizers to the game and will remain vigilant about maintaining healthy hygiene habits.

Some families said they were there as a substitute for their canceled spring break trips.

“We were actually going to go to Florida and our trip got canceled. I work in the medical field and I have responsibilities. The kids were disappointed, but we're trying to make it work in Houston,” said Heiba Bell.

TIMELINE: How the Coronavirus COVID-19 unfolded in the greater Houston area

A few blocks away at the Alley Theatre, a live adaptation of George Orwell's classic ‘1984’ debuted last weekend.

Alley Theatre organizers said attendance was at 85% capacity for opening weekend-- an average number for a March timeslot at their venue.

While neither of the live entertainment events downtown seem to have been impacted by Coronavirus fears, Rodeo Houston at NRG, appears to be seeing a slight dip.

Total paid rodeo and concert attendance numbers are down roughly 20,000 compared to this time last year, but higher than this time in 2018.

Totals for paid rodeo/concert attendance to date:

- 2016: 437,915

- 2017: 476,820

- 2018: 428,563

- 2019: 459,255

- 2020: 439,023

However, attendance from cook-off two weekends ago actually went up this year, compared to last year and the year before.

Totals for World’s Championship BBQ Contest attendance:

- 2016: 247,491

- 2017: 226,369

- 2018: 215,476