COVID-19 Testing Encouraged For Attendees of Motorcycle Event in Central Missouri

Bikefest, held September 16-20, brings more than 100,000 individuals to the Lake of the Ozarks region each year.

September 26, 2020 | 2 min reading time

This article is 4 years old. It was published on September 26, 2020.

The City of St. Louis Department of Health is encouraging anyone who attended an annual motorcycle event in the Lake of the Ozarks region to be screened for COVID-19. The event, held last week, brings more than 100,000 individuals to Central Missouri each year.

“We know that health and safety mitigation measures like wearing face coverings and social distancing have helped to slow and even reduce the spread of COVID-19 in the City of St. Louis,” says Dr. Fredrick Echols, acting director of health for the City of St. Louis. “Media coverage of the event revealed very few people wearing masks or practicing social distancing.”

Anyone from the City of St. Louis who attended the event may be at a higher risk for COVID19. Facial coverings are not currently mandated in the Lake of the Ozarks region where the recent Bikefest event occurred. Since it appears social distancing recommendations were not followed, attendees were at a heightened risk of contracting and spreading the virus. The City of St Louis Department of Health is alerting anyone who attended the event that it would be in their best interest and the best interest of their families, friends and the community to get tested.

No-cost COVID-19 testing is available through the Federally Qualified Health Centers in the St. Louis region. For information on testing locations, please visit stlouis-mo.gov/covid-19 or contact the Department of Health’s COVID-19 Hotline, 314-657-1499 between the hours of 8am-5pm, Monday-Friday. 

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