South Dakota's Sturgis rally roars back as delta rising

[George II]

Source: Associated Press

STURGIS, S.D. (AP) — The Black Hills of South Dakota roared with motorcycles and crowds Friday as the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally started amid a rise in COVID-19 cases in the state.

Organizers expect at least 700,000 people during the 10-day event. On Thursday, the eve of the official opening, downtown Sturgis was clogged with Harleys, rallygoers packed shoulder-to-shoulder at bars and rock shows, and masks were nowhere in sight.

The rally is a rendezvous for bikers, who connect over their love for motorcycles. For some, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime goal to make it to Sturgis; others faithfully make the pilgrimage year after year.

“It’s just nice to see everybody out and about, being able to just be friends with everybody,” said Pam Williamson, a rallygoer who came from Kansas.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/lifestyle-health-coronavirus-pandemic-south-dakota-sd-state-wire-b729c1e92cb7e0f74c12343c483f9474

---

[NCjack]

1. From this rally, some strong Darwin Award candidates will emerge.

[WhiteTara]

4. my thoughts exactly

[StClone]

17. Sadly, Darwin doesn't always win (so far)

Three SOB's where I work refuse to wear masks, refuse vaccination and one caught Delta and spread it to me and dozens of others! He had almost NO effects, whereas others were, and are, severely affected. The two other anti-vaxxers SO FAR have avoided getting the virus, I don't know how or why (or maybe they did get it, and won't get tested, or talk about it).

But, it really pisses me off!

[samnsara]

2. two people i know are attending.. i hope they stay safe

[Ziggysmom]

3. It will be nice in a few weeks to go to all their funerals, huh Pammy?

"Just nice to see everybody out and about, being able to just be friends with everybody,” said Pam Williamson, a rallygoer who came from Kansas.

[Rorey]

5. It'd be fun to quickly build a wall around Sturgis

We could keep them in for a couple of months until the virus has run it's course through them. Oh, and no medical help. They're on their own.

[Talitha]

23. I like the way you think!

[FarPoint]

6. They are all about themselves...

Trumpism behavior was a success for Trump.....they are following Trumps lead....Death to their constituents means absolutely noting to them...they view people as necessary for power only....

[NickB79]

7. A coworker is leaving tomorrow from Minnesota

Thank God my factory brought back mask requirements

[Yonnie3]

8. Friends to the end ... n/t

[tanyev]

9. I'm sure it will be a once-in-a-lifetime event for quite a few of them.

[hay rick]

25. And a last-in-a-lifetime event for others.

[dalton99a]

10. Live views:

[royable]

13. Thanks for the video links! I people-watched for about 10 minutes and saw zero masks.

One woman had a handkerchief on her face for a moment but I think she was wiping her covid-nose.

[Warpy]

21. Bikers are amazingly conformist for a bunch who consider themselves to be rebels

and free thnkiers and rugged individualists.

They're going to be hilarious as the country moves more toward EVs, including the fastest, baddest crotch rockets.

[jmowreader]

26. Harley already makes an electric crotch rocket

Problem is, it's got less than 200 miles range...so the "freedom of the open road" types will have to settle for the freedom of the road that's got charging stations every 100 miles.

[Warpy]

30. Good, I'm glad to see them ahead of the curve

Now they have to figure out how to make them LOUD.

Yeah, I know why they're loud and I sympathize. I just wish there was a way to muffle the damned things as soon as they turn off the main roads.

[GoneOffShore]

42. They'll sell well in Europe where charging stations are popping up like mushrooms.

And Harleys and Indians are very popular here in the south of France. A couple of years ago there was a rally in Nice that attracted over 20K bikers.

[Politicub]

29. This looks like an exceptionally boring event.

[Auggie]

11. The recklessness blows my mind ...

Bikers and those supposedly of "authority."

I'll never understand it.

[sheilahi]

12. Go South.

Hey Sturgeons, stay out of Oregon PLEASE, Just head South, Florida will welcome you nimrods.

[Beachnutt]

14. More rethugs dropping off the voting rolls

Oh well..

[FarPoint]

15. Delta variant spreads at warp speed...

The hospitals there will be over run with COVID 19 as it starts symptoms by day 4 or 5. This event is 10 days.

[Raftergirl]

41. This

[solara]

16. What happened at last year's Sturgis event?

There was a lot of talk about the recklessness & and actual danger of attending last year's event during Covid, then I remember hearing that there were some who got sick, but never heard the grand total, if there was one. There was some talk of tracing any outbreaks.

Does any of this ring a bell?

Thanks

[BumRushDaShow]

19. See here

https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1014&pid=2781463

Included is this assessment recently published last month - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33912907/

Clin Infect Dis

. 2021 Jul 15;73(Suppl 1):S106-S109.
doi: 10.1093/cid/ciab321.
Widespread Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Transmission Among Attendees at a Large Motorcycle Rally and their Contacts, 30 US Jurisdictions, August-September, 2020
Rosalind J Carter 1 , Dale A Rose 1 , Rebecca T Sabo 1 , Joshua Clayton 2 , Jonathan Steinberg 1 2 3 , Mark Anderson 1 , CDC COVID-19 Response Team
Collaborators, Affiliations

PMID: 33912907 PMCID: PMC8135316 DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciab321

Free PMC article
Abstract

The 2020 Sturgis motorcycle rally resulted in widespread transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 across the United States. At least 649 coronavirus disease 2019 cases were identified, including secondary and tertiary spread to close contacts. To limit transmission, persons attending events should be vaccinated or wear masks and practice physical distancing if unvaccinated. Persons with a known exposure should be managed according to their coronavirus disease 2019 vaccination or prior infection status and may include quarantine and coronavirus disease 2019 testing.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV2; Sturgis; mass gathering; transmission.

Published by Oxford University Press for the Infectious Diseases Society of America 2021.

ETA - link to full paper- https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/73/Supplement_1/S106/6257584 and it notes this -

Although the number of cases identified is sizable—140 cases per 100 000 attendees—it is likely that the true national impact of the Sturgis event is underestimated because attendees with asymptomatic or mild illness may not have been tested for SARS-CoV-2, attendees may not have reported attending the Sturgis rally, and because of variability in health department resources to identify and interview all COVID-19 cases, identify sources of infection, and conduct contact tracing and detailed outbreak investigations.

[BumRushDaShow]

18. I was looking at info from last year

and based on what they are expecting this year, they are looking to having almost twice as many attendees (last year they had 462k).

The super-spreader event ended up jacking up SD and doing damage to MN.



From CDC


https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33912907/

Now we have Delta that can reproduce twice as fast and generate over 1000 times more particles.

[solara]

34. Geez.. Thank you for doing the research

I knew it was probably pretty bad last year, but damn..and there's no way to know for sure how accurate these numbers are.

As you said "Now we have Delta that can reproduce twice as fast and generate over 1000 times more particles"


Hard to believe how insanely stupid & selfish people can be.

[BumRushDaShow]

35. I remember the news reports back then

as some of the media were tracking what the ultimate increases were over the couple weeks following that and they were seeing which states seemed to have been impacted most - whether by residents who traveled within the state there and back or others who traveled through other states to attend and then returned to their home states.

There were a number of sponsored "rides" that were tours to and from the event, both within SD to go to tourist locations and/or to/from their home states, taking them through a variety of states as part of a loop.

At the time, they knew there were probably more cases that just weren't being reported as associated and SD, for its tiny population, did take the brunt.

But what also happened a few weeks after that event, was that the Presidential conventions were going on. And as we know the Democratic party's convention was virtual, but the GOP's mostly wasn't and was scattershot between NC & D.C. (after attempting to go to the COVID hotspot of FL when NC started requiring mask mandates at their facilities), and they also had a huge super-spreader at the WH at the end of it.

[kimbutgar]

20. Sorry, I'm at the point that if they sick it's their problem

And I have no sympathy for their stupidity.

And if they die oh well…

[nycbos]

22. Bring out your dead.

[roamer65]

24. ...

[Dakota Flint]

27. I fear for my red-neck state

Right next door to these idiots. Let the deaths begin... sadly. Noem is a monster, plain and simple. She needs to be locked up for the benefit of real humans.

[Polybius]

28. Why do bikers, mafia, weightlifters, and tough guys in general hate masks?

Seriously, if someone wore a mask they would get made fun of (or worse) at Sturgis. When I go to my gym (where masks are encouraged but optional), I'm the only one with a mask on. When I go to Walgreens, the number jumps to 50%.

[Phil the Kilibuster]

31. Well, since most bikers are right-wingers. . .

I say, "Party On!"

[OAITW r.2.0]

32. Stay in Sturgis. Control the outbreak. On SD's dime. nt

[oasis]

33. "A hard head makes a soft tail"

Be my guests knuckle headed mofos.

[BumRushDaShow]

36. My mother always used to say it as

"A hard head makes a soft behind".

[Roy Rolling]

37. Moronapalooza

Morons from all over will be there.

[Roisin Ni Fiachra]

38. Expect a steep decline, nationwide, in the meth user community over the next 6 months. nt

[twodogsbarking]

39. They should wear ear protection. It will be loud.

[keithbvadu2]

40. Santa Claus Convention

[Bengus81]

43. Come for the bikes,stay for the Covid and then BEG for the vaccine

All in 10-14 days time...........

[NickB79]

44. Given Delta's increased transmission rate, being outdoors is less protection

Than it was last year.

If you're shoulder to shoulder outdoors, it's not safe.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

45. For this thread

Link to tweet

?s=20