REVVED BY STURGIS RALLY, COVID-19 INFECTIONS MOVE FAST, FAR

$0.69

"almost $800 'No, (Amy (Washington), - -- 1,300 10-day 14, 16. 20, 2020, 24, 355 4:05 50-state 61% 7,000 80th 81 850 ADVERTISEMENT After Ainslie, Although An Arizona Associated Aug. August BY Barack But By COVID-19 COVID-19. COVID." COVID?’ Camber Center. Chaplin Community Contact D.C., Dakota Dakota, Danial Department Dr. Ehresmann, Eunice FALLS, FAR FAST, FILE File) Friday Friday, From GROVES Gov. Harris/Invision/AP, Harvard He Health Health, Horse Howard Human I I'm INFECTIONS In Iron Jack's Koh, Kris Kristi Linda MOVE Minnesota Minnesota, Monday Motorcycle Navin Nebraska No Noem, North Obama. On One-Eyed PM Peck Peck, President Press Public RALLY, Rally Rally, Republican, S.D. SIOUX STEPHEN STURGIS Saloon Sample, Saul School Services She Some South States. Stephen Sturgis Sturgis, Sturgis." Systems, Systems. The They Thursday, Tourism. U.S. United Vembar, Washington. While Without Wyoming, a about according activity addition adds advised after against aggregates all already also among an analysis and annual anonymous any anybody approaching, are arranged as associated asymptomatic at attend attended authorities available available, avoided back bar bar-hoppers bars, becomes been before bikers bikers, boundaries. brought businesses but by calls came can cancel cases cases. cell city city's city, city. classes co-founded come comparable concern concerned conducting contact contain containing coronavirus could counties country country. couple creating crowds dangerous data dates, days decided defied delayed departed departments destination didn't different difficult." directions director discussed disease distancing distancing, district do doing don't don't, down downtown dramatically drove during each effort elbow-to-elbow employees end ended entire event event, events every expecting experts, exposed. exposure extra face fans far far, federal feel feels file fill finely firm five for former found four from funding. gatherings get give going good growing guys. had half has have he head health heard heavy-lifting her his holding home hopes host how hub hundreds husband if impossible," impossible. in in-person including increase infected infection infections infectious influx invisible is issued it it's it. its know knows large last later leaders least left like limited, limited,” line local long lot made major make manager. many masking masks,” masks. mass massive may measure million money money. month, more morning, most much multiple national nationally-coordinated nearly need news,'" not now.” number objected of off officials on once one oneREVVED opposes or orchestrated other out outbreak outbreak. outbreaks outside ove over over, over. pandemic, parking part participated pay people people. performance phone photo place. popular possible potential previous process, professor public quarantine quarantining quickly rally rally, rally. rallygoer rallygoers rallygoers, really received regard region relief relieved reluctant rented reported reports requirements requiring researchers, residents residents, responding results returned, right rode roughly said said, said. sat say, saying scenario school see seeing she shops signed situation six sleepy so some someone spending, spread staff, start starting state state's state, states states, summer symptoms. system system, take task tasked tattoo test test. tested. testing tests that that,” the them then they thing this thousands three time time, to total tourist town town," tracing track tracking travel traveled trying two under up up," very very, virtually virus visited warned warnings was watching way we we've wear wearing week. weeks welcomed were western we’re what where which who wife will with without witnessing worked would year year. years you your — ———— ‘Well, “For “I “Imagine “It “It’s “Now, “Once “We “We’re

Add To Cart

he hundreds of thousands of bikers who attended the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally have departed western South Dakota By STEPHEN GROVES Associated Press August 24, 2020, 4:05 PM

FILE - In this Friday, Aug. 14, 2020, file photo fans attend a performance by Saul at the Iron Horse Saloon during the 80th annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, in Sturgis, S.D. South Dakota health officials warned Thursday, Aug. 20, that a number of people who attended the 10-day Sturgis Motorcycle Rally this month, including some who came from out of state, have come down with COVID-19. (Amy Harris/Invision/AP, File)

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- The hundreds of thousands of bikers who attended the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally may have departed western South Dakota, but public health departments in multiple states are trying to measure how much and how quickly the coronavirus spread in bars, tattoo shops and gatherings before people traveled home to nearly every state in the country.

From the city of Sturgis, which is conducting mass testing for its roughly 7,000 residents, to health departments in at least six states, health officials are trying to track outbreaks from the 10-day rally which ended on Aug. 16. They face the task of tracking an invisible virus that spread among bar-hoppers and rallygoers, who then traveled to ove half of the counties in the United States.

An analysis of anonymous cell phone data from Camber Systems, a firm that aggregates cell phone activity for health researchers, found that 61% of all the counties in the U.S. have been visited by someone who attended Sturgis, creating a travel hub that was comparable to a major U.S. city.

“Imagine trying to do contact tracing for the entire city of (Washington), D.C., but you also know that you don't have any distancing, or the distancing is very, very limited, the masking is limited,” said Navin Vembar, who co-founded Camber Systems. “It all adds up to a very dangerous situation for people all over the place. Contact tracing becomes dramatically difficult."

Health departments in four states, including South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska and Wyoming, have reported a total of 81 cases among people who attended the rally. South Dakota health officials said Monday they had received reports of infections from residents of two other states — North Dakota and Washington. The Department of Health also issued public warnings of possible COVID-19 exposure at five businesses popular with bikers, saying it didn't