A convoy of thousands of cyclists on their way to a South Dakota rally will not be allowed to cross Cheyenne River Sioux checkpoints en route to the event, according to a Native American spokesman.
The spokesman said Saturday that the band would stop traveling on their way to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, in the name of preventing coronavirus from spreading even more.
The seven tribes that make up the Sioux Nation are now in a fight with federal and state officials, who considered such checkpoints illegal.
A duty officer for the Cheyenne River Sioux told the Guardian Saturday that commercial and emergency services will be allowed through the controls, but nothing else. Some reservations have already removed motorcyclists.
Crowds had gathered before the start of the 10-day event on Friday, with many cyclists adopting an attitude of resistance to the COVID-19 restrictions that have drastically changed daily life.
“Screw COVID,” read the design on one of the T-shirts sold. “I went to Sturgis.”
Gov. Kristi Noem, a Republican, supported the Sturgis rally, citing the fact that no infections were reported as a result of the event hosted by President Trump at Mt. Rushmore last month. She also avoided a mask mandate and highlighted the idea of personal responsibility.
For Arizona resident Stephen Sample, 66, who rode his bike to the event, the meeting is a break from the most monotonous routine of recent months.
“I do not want to die, but I also do not want to spend my whole life working together,” he said.
Some of the clusters at Sturgis are composed of retirees and people in the age group who are considered to be at risk of coronavirus.
However, business owners such as bar owner Marsha Schmid are trying to prevent their establishment from becoming a virus hotspot. She washed tables, offered her hand with sanitizer and scaled back the number of employees at the rally in an attempt to contain the disease.
Other residents wanted the rally postponed, but businesses insisted they needed the event to prevent any further economic ruin that occurred as a result of the shutdowns.
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