First coronavirus death linked to Sturgis Motorcycle Rally reported

Man who died after attending rally was in his 60s with underlying conditions

Graig Graziosi
Friday 04 September 2020 16:52 BST
Comments
Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson reveals he had coronavirus

The first coronavirus death has been linked to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

The 10-day rally featured several concerts, including one in which Smash Mouth performed to thousands of attendees.

According to the New York Times, the man who died was a rally attendee from Minnesota. Health officials said the man was in his 60s and had underlying health conditions. He had been in the hospital for a few weeks prior to his death.

In the days immediately after the festival, Meade County, South Dakota - the location of the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally - only had 71 cases of the coronavirus. Since the beginning of September, that number has grown to more than 300.

The state's governor, Kristi Noem, is an ardent supporter of Donald Trump and has said she is unlikely to change the state's response to the virus.

"I won't be changing my recommendations that I can see in the near future," Ms Noem said. "I think this is where we expected to be. None of this is a surprise, and we will continue to evaluate and see what the future looks like."

South Dakota reported more than 2,000 new cases of the virus last week. South Dakota's State Fair is scheduled to take place over Labour Day weekend.

Despite the motorcycle rally taking place while coronavirus cases were steadily increasing, video footage of the Smash Mouth show suggests that there was little to no enforcement of face mask use and social distancing.

"We're all here together tonight! F*** that COVID s***!" Smash Mouth frontman Steve Harwell said during the concert.

Smash Mouth was not the only band to appear at the rally. Kenny Wayne Shepard, Trapt, Buckcherry, Drowning Pool, Quiet Riot and Trapt, among others, played sets as well.

There's no indication the band regrets participating in the rally. Smash Mouth took to social media to share images of the hate mail they have received since the event, including a handwritten note that said "selfish f******" scrawled onto a broken CD.

Variety reported that thus far, more than 100 coronavirus cases have been linked to the motorcycle rally. Individuals who were infected at the rally carried the virus back to their communities. Infections from Sturgis travelled to Minnesota, Wisconsin, Nebraska, Montana, North Dakota, Wyoming and Washington.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in