Sturgis motorcycle rally attendees lounge in bikinis, pack into bars, and mock mask wearers: 'It's like COVID does not exist here'
https://www.insider.com/sturgis-motorcycle-rally-covid-19-attendees-pack-bars-2020-8
- Sturgis Motorcycle Rally attendees are packing bars, wrestling in bikinis, and scoffing at the few who wear face masks.
- Some attendees have taken a cavalier approach to the deadly virus, which has engulfed the United States, killing more than 163,000 people as of August 10.
- One recovering coronavirus victim at the rally told Insider that he expects an uptick in cases after the event.
Bill Converse had never attended the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally before, but this year he drove 29 hours from Georgia to sell his conservative pro-second amendment novelty T-shirts at the famous annual South Dakota event.
The 10-day rally brought hundreds of thousands of bikers to the small city of Sturgis, in the middle of a pandemic. While more than half of the
local residents wanted the event to be canceled, city officials knew people would show up anyway and did their best to prepare.
Since Friday, visitors have packed into bars, used communal Slip n Slides, and — for the most part — flouted advice from local officials to wear masks.
Between the event kickoff Friday and early Monday morning, there were nearly 90 drug arrests and 286 total citations within city limits, according to
statistics provided by the South Dakota state highway patrol.
"It's like COVID does not exist here, to be honest with you," Converse told Insider Monday.
Converse said he enjoys the "refreshing" camaraderie at the rally, where attendees "love our country, love our flag, and love our president."
"From my perspective, I feel that Sturgis is like America used to be," he said. "I could go up to anyone around me, I've never met them before, and say 'Hey, I need an extension cord, you got any?' and they'll fall over to get something for me. It's fantastic."
Converse is one of the many visitors to Sturgis who believes that concerns about the novel coronavirus, which has killed more than
163,000 people in the United States and more than 732,000 globally, are overblown.
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