86 COVID Cases In Minnesota Tied To Attendance At Sturgis Motorcycle Rally
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO/AP) -- The Centers for Disease Control report that there have been 51 cases of COVID-19 among Minnesotans who attended the Sturgis motorcycle rally earlier this year.
The rally was attended by about 460,000 people for a span of 10 days.
Of those 51 cases traced back to Sturgis, three were hospitalized and one person died of the virus.
In addition, there were 35 COVID-19 cases confirmed from household, social or workplace contact with people who had been at Sturgis, making for a total of 86 cases tied to the rally.
"Although these findings did not capture the impact of the motorcycle rally on residents of other states, they demonstrate the rationale for consistent mitigation measures across states," the CDC reported.
The CDC reiterated that gatherings of people not from the same household are contributing to the uncontained spread of the virus, and that all Americans should be wearing masks in public, staying at least 6 feet away from anybody outside of your household, and washing hands regularly.
CDC officials did not immediately answer a question about any other research assessing the Sturgis rally's impact on other states.
The rally has been a source of contention between the governors of Minnesota and South Dakota. Earlier this month, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz criticized South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem for not taking more aggressive steps to slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Walz, a Democrat, said the Sturgis rally was "absolutely unnecessary." Singling out Noem, who is a Republican, he said he wished the state had canceled the rally and imposed a statewide mask mandate, as Minnesota has.
In September, The Associated Press found that at least 290 people in 12 states tested positive for the coronavirus after attending the rally.
(© Copyright 2020 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
