STURGIS — With the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally just a few short weeks away, notices have gone out offering vouchers for free COVID-19 testing following this year’s event.
Sturgis City Manager Daniel Ainslie says the notices have gone out electronically to businesses that are in the qualifying categories as well as Meade County and the Meade 46-1 School District.
The city will work in cooperation with Monument Health to offer the testing the week following this year’s Rally at a location yet to be determined somewhere in Sturgis.
Ainslie says the forms sent out will need to be filled out and sent back to the city. He says they will start accepting those forms beginning Tuesday.
Although exact details about the testing are still being finalized, Ainslie says what is known is that testing will most likely be done in a drive-up, first come – first served basis.
The Sturgis City Council voted unanimously at its July 6 meeting to contract with Monument Health to administer up to 1,300 COVID-19 tests after concern was raised about the rally being held during a pandemic.
Processing of the tests wil take place locally and results should be ready in a couple of days.
The tests will be administered in the following fashion:
150 city employees, 400 Sturgis residents who work frontline jobs such as restaurants, gas stations and grocery stores; 200 employees of other entities, such as the county and school district who have requested testing and 550 general residents of Sturgis.
Ainsie says each test costs approximately $150 and the $195,000 total cost will come from the city’s general fund. The city hopes it will be reimbursed the cost through the state’s Local Government COVID Recovery Fund.
