The Sturgis Numbers are Out
September 9, 2020 6:30AM EDT
(This is NOT a local bar). People crowded around bars in Sturgis, S.D., on Friday, Aug. 7, 2020 during the 80th anniversary of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. (AP Photo/Stephen Groves)
- This is not the viral hit that Sturgis organizers hoped for; a new study links more than 260,000 new Coronavirus cases in the U.S. to August’s motorcycle rally in South Dakota.
- Germany’s IZA Institute used anonymous cellphone data, data from the CDC and local health records to conclude that Sturgis was a “super-spreader” for Coronavirus.
- Over 400,000 attended the rally in August. Pics and video shared to social media showed little social distancing or mask-wearing at Sturgis.
- One Coronavirus death has been attributed to the bike rally. In all, Sturgis cost public health agencies more than $12 billion.
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