UPDATED 8/27/20, 9:55 p.m. ET: The number of COVID-19 cases linked to the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota earlier this month continues to rise, and have eclipsed the 100 mark.
CNN reports over 70 new cases can be traced back to the annual event, which draws as many as 500,000 people every year, and branched off to Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. At least 35 infections in Minnesota are tied to two people who said they either worked or volunteered at the rally. Last week, the Scottsbluff Star Herald reported at least seven new cases in the Nebraska area were linked to the event.
The North Dakota Department of Health has identified 17 cases that can be attributed to the rally, while an additional 40 cases have been reported by a spokesperson for the South Dakota Health Department.
Among those confirmed cases in South Dakota include someone who worked at a tattoo shop in Sturgis, and another individual, who spent hours working at a bar during the rally.
See the original story below.
Apparently undeterred by COVID-19, which was made quite clear when their lead singer told the crowd, "We’re all here together tonight! Fuck that COVID shit," Smash Mouth performed at the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota this past Sunday night.
Before making some "ain't the sharpest tool in the shed" joke note that's already been made about 1,000 times. Also, those in attendance seemed unconcerned.
As TMZ wrote of the gathering:
Though the venue, The Buffalo Chip, was reportedly at half capacity -- and Smash Mouth's manager says the promoter did a "fantastic job" with COVID-19 protocol -- video of the event seems to tell a different story.
Support for said video telling "a different story" can be seen above.
USA TODAY adds that locals are expecting 250,000 motorcyclists to attend this year's version of the event, which is down from the roughly 500,000 that have come in previous years. The 10-day fest will run through next weekend.
The NY Post adds that those who made the journey from virus hotspots to Sturgis weren't required to go through quarantine (you probably could've guessed that). Attendees were also encouraged to put on face masks/coverings, but that also isn't required.
In an email to Billboard the band behind "All Star" and other hits that have been overshadowed by "All Star" said they felt safe with the precautions taken by the venue.
“Everything backstage was sanitized, etc. The band has their own Covid addendum to their rider as well and the promoter and venue adhered to all of our requests,” said their band manager in that email.
“We spent endless hours advancing this event to make sure that it was pulled off as safely as possible and we are very happy with the outcome.”
The performers were not in control of what those in attendance did. So keep that in mind when determining levels of potential outrage.
“The Smash Mouth organization is taking this pandemic very seriously and has taken measures to keep our band, crew and fans as safe as possible during this time,” the band manager added.
Consider that quote in the tweet a temporary lapse.
