STURGIS, S.D. – Muck like Governor Kristi Noem’s response Tuesday, a release by the city of Sturgis today shows disappointment in a study released by an IZA study that indicates the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally resulted in more than 250,000 coronavirus cases nationwide.
Sturgis City Manager Daniel Ainslie in the release called the report ‘blatantly faulty.’ Those are similar words used by Governor Noem in her reaction to the report yesterday.
Researchers from the Center for Health Economics and Policy Studies at San Diego State University came up with the numbers by reviewing anonymized cell phone data.
State health officials, however, say the study hasn’t been peer-reviewed and it doesn’t account for an already increasing trend of cases in South Dakota. State epidemiologist Dr. Joshua Clayton says the study doesn’t follow the cases directly linked to Sturgis.
In today’s release, the city of Sturgis says the report’s conclusion is ‘anti-ethical to actual case data as numerous state officials across the country have been actively seeking to tie an COVID-19 case to the event.’
State health officials so far have reported fewer than 300 fewer cases have been identified nationwide.
You can read the city’s full response to the study here:
