KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — In an abundance of caution, downtown Knoxville events are being canceled due to concerns over the spread of COVID-19.
This weekend's St. Patrick's Day festivities are among that list, as well as the Big Ears Music Festival slated for later this month.
All of these events draw in large crowds, boosting the tourism economy.
Within 24 hours, Airbnb owners around Knoxville said they've had cancellations coming in clumps.
Some are hosts on the side, but others depend on that money to support their families. They said these cancellations could force them to look elsewhere for income.
"A lot of people don't realize for many Airbnb owners it's their livelihood," said Lynne Randazzo. She's a stay-at-home mom of two children, and also an Airbnb owner. She is one of many who is facing an influx of cancelations.
"This is how we pay our mortgage," she said.
On Wednesday, the bad news started rolling in, "We had 3 cancellations come in within an hour." Before then, Randazzo had not seen any major changes.
"In the last 48 hours everything is dynamically different than the 48 hours before that," said Kim Bumpas with Visit Knoxville. "It's kind of a big moving project right now we're actively working on."
She said everything is being looked at day by day. "We're well getting close to 10 cancellations of groups that vary from 100 rooms to several hundred rooms or maybe a thousand rooms. The impact is being felt."
RELATED: List of cancellations, closings in Knoxville and East Tennessee due to coronavirus concerns
Bumpas said she and other industry partners across the state are staying positive.
"We're looking at this like it's a storm we have to weather," she said. "We'll weather it then start anticipating what does the end game look like."
As for Randazzo, she's not sure what to expect and hopes to find a silver lining sooner rather than later.
"I am a little concerned about running out of toilet paper for our rentals, but just one day at a time," Randazzo said.
Officials with the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon said they're monitoring the situation. As of right now, that event is still planned for March 29.