How bikers at big rally spread bug

The Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, which drew some 460,000 people to smalltown South Dakota in August, has been linked to dozens of COVID-19 cases across state lines in Minnesota, according to a study released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday.

The report builds on evidence that the enormous 10-day biker rally powered COVID outbreaks far beyond Sturgis, a city of about 7,000 people in western South Dakota.

A separate study published in September estimated that the rally could have been connected to more than 265,000 total cases. The report was harshly criticized by South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem, who called it “fiction” in a tweet.

The Associated Press reported in September that at least 290 people across a dozen states had tested positive for coronavirus after attending the crowded, largely mask-free motorcycle celebration held amid a oncein-a-century pandemic.

The new CDC study said cases cropped up among at least 51 Minnesota residents who attended the rally and at least 35 who made secondary contact through work, social life or their homes.

Three Minnesotans who attended event wound up hospitalized, and one died, according to the CDC.

“The impact of gatherings as a source of virus transmission underscores the importance of reducing the number of attendees at gatherings, using face masks, and encouraging physical distancing,” the study authors wrote.

“These findings highlight the far-reaching effects that gatherings in one area might have on another area,” the report added. “The motorcycle rally was held in a neighboring state that did not have policies regarding event size and mask use, underscoring the implications of policies within and across jurisdictions.”

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz called the Sturgis rally “absolutely unnecessary.”