The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally has been an annual tradition in South Dakota for 80 years, and despite the fears of many residents, it appears that the 2020 edition of the rally will go forward as planned in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic.
Sturgis
expects more than 250,000 people to pass through the city during the Aug. 7 to 16 event, and though that number is only about half of the rally’s typical attendance, it would likely still be the largest gathering in America since the pandemic began. South Dakota has been relatively spared by the coronavirus, recording just 135 deaths from COVID-19, but many are worried that Sturgis could be the cause of an uncontrollable outbreak.
“This is a huge, foolish mistake to make to host the rally this year,” Sturgis resident Lynelle Chapman told city counselors at a June meeting,
according to AP. “The government of Sturgis needs to care most for its citizens.”
The debate over the rally has exposed a divide between citizens worried about public health and business-owners who depend on the rally to make ends meet. In a survey conducted by Sturgis, more than 60% of its residents said that the rally should be postponed. But the pressures of the tourism business — plus the realization that plenty of riders will come to Sturgis even if the event is officially not happening — has prompted the city to attempt a scaled-back version of the original rally.
Sturgis has cut advertising for the rally, cancelled its city-hosted events, planned to conduct large-scale testing, and hoped that restrictions on travel from Canada will limit the size of crowds. But at least some believe that the circumstances surrounding the 2020 rally could draw even more visitors to the area.
“It’s the biggest single event that’s going on in the United States that didn’t get canceled,”
said Rod Woodruff, who operates the campground and concert venue Buffalo Chip, to AP. “A lot of people think it’s going to be bigger than ever.”
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