The 10-day Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota in August, which drew more than 400,000 people, has now been linked to more than 250,000 coronavirus cases, according to a study by the IZA Institute of Labor Economics.
Using anonymized cellphone data from the rally, researchers in Germany found the bikers, who were filmed and photographed in crowded bars, restaurants and outdoor venues mostly without face masks, allowed for many of the “worst-case scenarios” for “superspreading.”
The event “was prolonged, included individuals packed closely together, involved a large out-of-town population, and had low compliance with recommended infection countermeasures such as the use of masks,” the researchers wrote.
The event will cost an estimated $12.2 billion in health-care costs, they wrote.
The cellphone data showed foot traffic at restaurants, bars, hotels and shops in census block groups where the events took place rose by up to 90% during the event. At the same time, stay-at-home behavior declined among residents of Meade County with an up to 10.9% decline in median hours spent at home. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found cases spread both locally and in the home counties of those who attended and then traveled home.
Last week, the Washington Post reported the first COVID-19 death from the event, a Minnesota biker in his 60s.
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