Thousands of cyclists riding after the 10-day Sturgis Motorcycle Rally of South Dakota will not be allowed through Cheyenne River Sioux checkpoints, a Native American group spokesman said on Saturday.
The decision to deny tribal access to the annual rally, which could draw as many as 250,000 cyclists at least feared it could lead to a massive, regional coronavirus outbreak, comes as part of larger Covid-19 prevention policies. The policy has targeted seven tribes forming the Great Sioux Nation against federal and state authorities, both of which claim the checkpoints are illegal.
A duty officer for the Cheyenne River Sioux told the Guardian Saturday that only commercial and emergency services will be allowed through the checkpoints to reserve land.
A number of cyclists tried to enter but were returning, they said. Other reservations in the region, including the Oglala Sioux, also diverted cyclists visiting routes to Sturgis passing through sovereign land.
Under the Cheyenne River tribe guidelines non-residents who operate non-commercial vehicles are never allowed through the reservation. During the rally, non-commercial vehicles with plates from South Dakota are also not allowed.
The fight comes as fears rise that mask-free cyclists visiting Sturgis for the largest gathering of people since the start of the Covid-19 epidemic could spread the virus to tribal groups already experiencing a rise in cases.
Oglala Sioux reported 163 cases last week, while the Cheyenne River Sioux reported 79 cases, according to to the tribe’s website.
The restrictions come as local legislation reports on a convergence of cyclists from all directions. According to reports, many cyclists driving to Sturgis expressed opposition to rules and restrictions that marked life during the coronavirus pandemic.
While South Dakota has outperformed most states – it ranks 38th in Covid deaths per capita, according to a Reuters calculation, cases have been piquant in recent weeks as hotspots move to the Midwest.
During the rally, it is expected that people will renovate bars and pack concerts with at least 34 acts playing. “Screw COVID,” read the design on one T-shirt for sale. “I went to Sturgis.”
Kristi Noem
(@KristiNoem)I trusted my people, they trusted me, and South Dakota is in a good place in our fight against COVID-19.
De #Sturgis motorcycle rally starts this weekend, and we are excited for visitors to see what our amazing state has to offer! https://t.co/UiHvaYviqa
Stephen Sample, who was driving his Harley from Arizona, told the Associated Press that the event was a break from the routine of recent months.
“I do not want to die, but I also do not want to cooperate all my life,” said Sample, 66, adding that he had expected the risks of navigating the crowds, but the same excitement that attracted him to riding motorcycles seemed to win.
“I think we are all ready to take a chance,” he said, but acknowledged the trip “could be a big mistake.”
South Dakota’s Republican Gov. Kristi Noem has supported the Sturgis rally, pointing out that no virus outbreak was documented from the several thousand people who saw Donald Trump and fireworks at Mount Rushmore last month. .
The rally marks its 80th anniversary this year and typically injects $ 800 million into the South Dakota economy. Meade County Sheriff Rob Merwin said: ‘There will be a lot of people and a lot of motorcycles all over the place. People are tired of being penned by this pandemic. ”
On Friday, a worker at the event told the Guardian on Friday people seem to be bigger than in previous years and warned that Sturgis attendees did not pay much attention to medical advice.
“I have not seen any person wearing a mask yet,” said bartender Jessica Christian, 29. “It’s just the mentality that, ‘If I get it, I get it.'”
“In downtown Sturgis, it’s just crazy,” Christian added. ‘People who are not socially distant touch each other. It will be interesting to see how that turns out. ”
More than 60% of Sturgis’ 6,900 residents who responded to a city council survey in May said they want the rally canceled.
A month later, the council voted to move forward, saying it would cancel official events but set up stations for sanitizer. Sturgis Mayor Mark Carstensen said in the wake of the pandemic, “the state of South Dakota has been the state of freedom and the city of Sturgis has remained so.”
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