Around 300,000 people are expected at a Florida motorcycle rally despite the pandemic
A bike rally underway through the weekend in Florida is expected to draw more than 300,000 people over the 10-day event, despite the coronavirus pandemic, a chamber of commerce official said.
Bike Week in Daytona Beach, which includes concerts, races and bike shows, started Friday and is scheduled to end this coming Sunday.
“Typically in the past (attendance) was estimated between 400,000 and 500,000 for the 10 days over this entire area,” Daytona Chamber of Commerce Executive Vice President and COO Janet Kersey told CNN in an email Tuesday.
“This year we know because of continued Covid-19 concerns and the loss of income many have had over this past year, it will be less. A reasonable estimate would be around 300,000+,” Kersey wrote.
Good weather and increased vaccinations could drive that number even higher.
“We know our hotels are doing well with strong occupancy numbers reported to the Volusia County Hotel & Lodging Association,” Kersey wrote.
Kersey said the City Council considered canceling the event because of the pandemic, but was “very meticulous in its decision to move forward.”
Daytona Beach officials said they were altering the event to help prevent the spread of the virus. That includes limiting some merchants to 60% indoor capacity.
The city also is asking residents and visitors to wear masks indoors, and when physical distancing isn’t possible. Florida does not have a statewide mask mandate.
Kersey said the city also has introduced more signage urging precautions like masking, and is implementing motorcycle-only traffic zones to allow for better social distancing.
The Daytona Police Department has implemented safety precautions as well. The department is using drones instead of people for surveillance in certain places, and limiting the number of officers responding to a situation.
As for masking at the events, a spokesperson for the department said there has been very little.
“I spent some time on Main Street last week. I didn’t see many people masking up. The vast majority of the crowd was not,” police spokesman Messod Bendayan told CNN Tuesday.
Main Street has been packed with people, CNN affiliate WESH reported.
“Main Street is … a crazy party,” Lucas Martino, an Argentine man who planned to compete in a Supercross event, told WESH.
The city said it expects large crowds, especially at night, in several locations including Main Street, International Speedway Boulevard, and North Beach Street.
Last August’s Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in South Dakota, which attracted about 460,000 people over 10 days, was linked to dozens of Covid-19 cases in neighboring Minnesota alone, according to a report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
This year marks the Daytona Beach event’s 80th anniversary.
