The Daily Beast
Biker Week is a sick joke for those not vaccinated in Florida
Phelan M. Ebenhack / APMIAMI – Over the weekend, Sean Doyle was in his backyard in Daytona Beach, Florida, when he saw hundreds of motorcycles roaring across Seabreeze Bridge. The parade of two-wheeled iron machines indicated that the annual meeting of motorcyclists known as Daytona Beach Bike Week was in full swing. While Doyle has been under the motorcycle for the past six years he has lived in the city, the 56-year-old transplant in New York has put off the 2021 edition. ‘I love Bike Week, but I will not go near it this year. “Doyle told The Daily Beast. “I just think it’s going to be a superspreader event, so I stay away.” On social media pages of local newspapers, dozens of Daytona Beach residents like Doyle express their own intention to avoid the motorcycle parades, races, concerts, parties and street parties that accompany the ten-day event that began last Thursday. As Florida experiences a chaotic and stand-alone vaccine development, Bike Week could spark a new wave of infections in the state’s Fun Coast region, residents and experts say. The threat is exacerbated by the fact that Florida is leading the country in new cases of the United Kingdom and other variants of the coronavirus. The organizer of Bike Week, the Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce, estimates that 300,000 to 400,000 motorcyclists will be in town by March 14th. according to the Daytona Beach News Journal when the event ends. In recent years, the event has attracted around 500,000 participants. But even though officials are determined to avoid it, some residents fear that Bike Week may reflect what happened during the Sturgis rally in South Dakota last August. The state health department reported 124 new cases among South Dakota residents who fell ill after attending the protest, and at least 290 people in 12 other states tested positive after attending the event, according to USA Today. (There was also a controversial study that suggested that the Sturgis motorcycle rally eventually infected 250,000 people nationwide.) ‘[Bike Week] is still not worth the risk, ”Doyle said. ‘I do not see many people take [COVID-19] serious. I’m not yet eligible to get the vaccine, but as soon as I can get it, I will. ‘Florida is one of the few states that has been largely open to business during most of the pandemic, thanks to Governor Ron DeSantis. He mocks the introduction of a mandate across the country, bans provinces and municipalities from enforcing mask fines, allows cases to open fully and promises never to close the Sunshine States again. But the prospect of a superspreader event unmatched in the already ugly coronavirus history of the state – just as the end of the vaccine pandemic was in sight – emerges. “Florida is a COVID nightmare – even for vaccinated people.” The concern is largely around Spring Break, but almost any major event can cause problems, “said Dr. Jill Roberts, a professor of epidemiology at the University of South Florida, told The Daily Beast. “The spread of the variety in Florida is more contagious, and it is predicted that tribes other than the dominant infection will be replaced if given the chance to spread.” Although cases in Florida are declining, they are significantly higher than desirable to disrupt the spread of the community, Roberts said, “It’s clear that events like Bike Week and Spring Break could make this happen,” said Susan Cerbone. spokeswoman for Daytona Beach, told The Daily Beast that the city has a mask requirement for indoor businesses if social distance is not possible. . But it cannot be enforced with fines due to DeSantis’s executive order. “The city has started traffic patterns that use only motorcycles, and limited parking in Main Street during Bike Week,” Cerbone added. “It will provide more space to distance oneself socially.” She added that businesses are up to 60 percent inside within the bike week. The governor’s office and the health department in the Volusia district, where Daytona Beach is located, did not respond to requests for comment. Janet Kersey, executive vice president of the Chamber of Commerce, said most businesses have already put in place a lot of security measures. in the past year, in addition to the parking and capacity constraints for Bike Week. There is also a marketing campaign that uses posters, billboards and media ads to encourage participants to wear their masks and disinfect regularly, Kersey told The Daily Beast via email. “There was a lot of discussion about the fact that the event is not being held this year,” Kersey said. ‘With the increase in the benefits of vaccine distribution, a reduction in numbers and the real need for people to work to pay their bills, maintain their homes, feed their families and completely ruin the economy due to large losses in tourism, it was a very engaged conversation with many considerations to move forward. ‘Kersey added that Daytona Beach and the entire state have “worked tirelessly over the past year to protect citizens and tourists” by following specific safety guidelines in the industry and CDC. Predictability, even with the city’s restrictions, which rule nearly half a million cyclists to party, is difficult. Bike Week’s official Facebook page shows daily videos of motorcyclists roaming the city’s main street, Main Street, as they are encouraged by mostly maskless pedestrians walking on the sidewalks. In a March 7 clip posted by a local musician, a pair of gray-bearded cyclists bump into a busy local bar with another trio of maskless showers while a band plays an acoustic cover version of ACDC’s “TNT” . A video posted on Twitter and taken at another watering hole shows how a rock band stole Steppenwolf’s “Born to be Wild” in front of a packed crowd. Because of the unbridled atmosphere, Doyle said he would not walk up and down Main. Street to view motorcycle parades and outlets. He also does not do groceries until things get settled next week. “I usually shop early in the mornings,” Doyle said. “But during tourist events like this, I do not go to Publix,” he added, referring to the everyday grocery chain. Doyle’s decision to stay indoors during Bike Week underscores what critics say was an influential train wreck. of a vaccine under DeSantis. The governor’s strategy to get shots in the arms of Floridians was damaged, among other things, by a non-offer agreement with Publix to administer vaccines to people 65 and older after the chain donated $ 100,000 to its campaign. Also involved: developers with ties to major Republican donors, chosen by the governor to set up pop-up vaccination centers in various communities in a pattern that the Democratic official of the state told the FBI to investigate. because in recent weeks the vaccine supply in Florida has accelerated, DeSantis has become slow to expand the list of qualifying people outside of senior citizens. Last week, the governor allowed firefighters, teachers and police officers 55 years and older, as well as people with high-risk medical conditions under the age of 65, to get vaccinated at any vaccination site in the state. On Monday, DeSantis signed another executive order that could vaccinate anyone 60 and older from next week. Meanwhile, anxious residents who are not yet eligible are appearing on sites set up by the Federal Emergency Management Agency in hopes of getting remaining vaccinations. shots. Over the weekend, hundreds of people were vaccinated at a FEMA site in Florida city of Miami-Dade County, which deviated briefly from DeSantis’ protocol due to a low turnout of eligible residents. The website stopped vaccinating anyone 18 and older after FEMA staff members instructed them to meet the criteria set by DeSantis. At another FEMA site in the Overtown area of Miami, local documentary maker Alfred Spellman received his first dose of Moderna by sheer luck. On Sunday morning, he went to the website to inquire about the protocol for distributing leftover shots, Spellman, who is 42 and does not have a medical condition, told The Daily Beast. “It was completely empty when I got there. , ”Said Spellman. ‘When I asked [the staffer] what the policy was on remaining vaccines, he told me to wait a moment and go inside. The man comes back and tells me to keep going. “He was informed that the site had thawed a pallet of Moderna vaccines that had to be used within six hours,” Spellman said. “The staff there are eager to vaccinate people,” he said. “I’m lucky.” The Spring Break COVID-19 Mayhem Comes for Florida Spellman, who said he caught COVID-19 in June, believes Florida has reached the point where sites can have VIP lines for senior citizens and people with medical conditions and regular rules for anyone who wants to get vaccinated. But Roberts argued that it was still too early to deviate from the state’s strategy to focus on Floridaians at greatest risk of becoming ill – even though vaccine supply had “drastically increased” in recent weeks, and even though DeSantis’s priorities have been questioned. The governor has been sharply criticized by epidemiologists in his own state for failing to prioritize vaccinations for essential workers in the hospitality and retail industry, who come into contact with hundreds of people daily and are more likely to catch and spread coronavirus. “Attempts to obtain the vaccine before it is eligible should be discouraged because there are a significant number of high-risk individuals who still need to be vaccinated due to many problems such as access to care and unnecessary barriers,” Roberts said. Daytona Beach, said he did not want to overtake anyone. Once vaccinated, he and his 76-year-old partner, who have both had two shots, can start dating again and meet without masks with other vaccinated friends, according to new guidelines recently released by the CDC, Doyle. he said. Meanwhile, he got stuck in a possible disaster. “I’m frustrated because I can not get the vaccine,” Doyle said, adding: “Until then, I will do my best to stay away from everyone.” Read more at The Daily Beast. Do you have a tip? here at The Daily Beast Get our top stories in your inbox every day Sign up now! Daily membership of The Beast: Beast Inside delves deeper into the stories that matter to you Learn more.