Nebraska links seven coronavirus cases to Sturgis, SD, motorcycle rally

At least seven coronavirus cases in Nebraska have been linked to the Sturgis motorcycle rally in South Dakota, public health officials announced this week.

The Panhandle Public Health District announced Wednesday that some cases were tied to the Sturgis rally, where thousands of bikers gathered in one of the largest public gatherings in the country since the pandemic began. 

The annual 10-day gathering began Aug. 7 and ran until Sunday. It drew more than 365,00 vehicles, according to South Dakota’s Department of Transportation.

“These are actually people who live in our Panhandle Public Health District area and that we have investigated, who went to Sturgis, and that was the point of exposure,” Paulette Schnell, Scotts Bluff County Health director, said at a Thursday press briefing, according to the Star Herald.

The South Dakota Health Department said in a notice published Tuesday that a customer at the One-Eyed Jack’s Saloon in Sturgis on Aug. 11 has tested positive for coronavirus. 

Health officials instructed people at the bar between noon and 5:30 p.m. that day to “monitor for symptoms” for 14 days after the possible transmission date.