DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The 79th Bike Week kicked off Friday in Daytona Beach. Despite many other big events canceling due to the coronavirus, organizers decided to go on as planned with some precautions in place.
Over the next 10 days, about 500,000 people are expected to coast into the area. Event organizers are taking extra precautions to prevent the spread of the virus, like making hand sanitizer available.
Here are five things to know about the precautions in place for the event.
- No Cancellation: Organizers decided not to cancel, as this event is spread out and mainly outdoors.
- Event Precautions: The Chamber of Commerce is making hand sanitizer readily available for bike week participants. They also posted phone numbers for local health resources in the Bike Week welcome tent.
- Hotel Precautions: Some hotels like The Shores Resort and Spa are making changes to ensure the health of their guests. The Shores started using a new surface cleaner that's more suited for killing the coronavirus.
- Cancellations: So far, hotel managers claim they have not seen many cancellations but are worried that could change. “It could all change tomorrow. And that happened in some markets. Some markets are seeing big groups that are canceling and they are not traveling, or they are doing internet meetings,” said Robert Burnetti, General Manager of The Shores Resort.
- Economic Impact: According to the Daytona Regional Chamber of Commerce, Bike Week generates about $75 million for the area. If bikers stay home this year, it could be devastating for local businesses.