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They whistled over Corona and met anyway. More than 460,000 motorcyclists came to the small town of Sturgis in the US state of South Dakota from all over the United States. The largest motorcycle festival in the world takes place there in August for ten days. So this year too, despite Corona and without any measures. Distance? Mask? Nothing! The bikers spent their days as usual. They presented their machines, they sat together in restaurants and bars, they just had a good time together.
Now it’s clear: the motorcycle rally became a wide-spread event for the crown. A good fifth of new infections in the US between August and September can be traced to cyclists. In plain language: Over 250,000 corona infections!
This is the result of a study by the Institute of Labor Economics (IZA) that has already been published. The 63-page report claims that the gathering and the resulting infections could cost the healthcare system approximately $ 12.2 billion. For their estimation, the scientists assume that a patient with a crown generates costs of US $ 46,000.
But why were motorcyclists allowed to gather like this? In short: the government did nothing. There were no security measures. Kristi Noem (48), governor of South Dakota, relied on personal responsibility. A strategy that did not work, as we see now.
“This report is not a science”
The governor now defends herself against the accusations. This report is not science. It is pure fiction. Under the guise of academic research, this report is nothing more than an attack on those who have exercised their personal freedom to visit Sturgis, ”the 48-year-old said in a statement on Twitter.
South Dakota health authorities are also critical of the study. They also accuse scientists of dramatizing the effects of the motorcycle encounter, according to US media.
The fact is, Corona hit America hard. Especially since the president of the United States, Donald Trump (74), minimized the virus and the associated danger.
Especially at the beginning of the pandemic, Trump had repeatedly compared Covid-19 illnesses to the flu. He also publicly claimed that the death rate was lower than that of the flu and held several campaign events with thousands of supporters in the spring. He repeatedly promised that one day the virus would just disappear again. The result: Corona spread like wildfire across the country. (jmh / SDA)
