An assembly at central Missouri's famed Lake of the Ozarks that attracted tens of thousands of motorcycle riders sparked concerns that the state's already rapidly increasing coronavirus infections could rise even higher.
The five-day jamboree that drew motorbike enthusiasts from around the U.S. kicked off Wednesday and ended Sunday. Last year the 14th Annual Bikefest Lake of the Ozarks attracted approximately 125,000 people.
The event is billed the biggest motorcycle festival in the Midwest. It includes rides, concerts, product sales and stops at restaurants and bars. Meanwhile, the state continues to register a rise in COVID-19 cases. Local health authorities reported 1,387 new infections Saturday and, based on a report from The Associated Press, hospitalizations were increasing.
It isn't clear how many people were present during the festival, although AP said tens of thousands showed up. The motorbike festival is among the last and biggest of the season in the lake region. Gerry Murawski, mayor of Lake Ozarks, said in previous years they would see around 100,000 motorcycle aficionados converge for five days of events and other activities.
"It is usually not that bad," he said. But this year he doesn't know what to expect. "There's nothing that's the same," NBC News quoted him as saying.
In the three months since Missouri eased pandemic restrictions - when the state had around 16,000 COVID-19 cases only - the total has ballooned to 106,586. As of Wednesday, 1,740 Missourians had died.
The state hasn't imposed the compulsory wearing of face coverings - although several local governments enforced their own policies. Murawski said he hoped the attendees would wear face masks at the Lake of the Ozarks festival - but he wasn't sure because motorcycle riders typically don't wear masks. "That's the way they are," he said.
Dr. Amesh Adalja of the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security told The Daily Beast that social distancing was "not likely" to happen at motorcycle events like the one at Lake of the Ozarks.
The Ozarks rally follows South Dakota's Sturgis Motorcycle Festival in August. With almost 500,000 participants the yearly fair was considered a COVID-19 "super-spreader." According to research, the event added more than 250,000 coronavirus infections across the U.S.
