Stock phrases as public policy (it is what it is)

Guardian:

At least 100,000 people are expected to attend the 10-day annual Sturgis motorcycle rally in South Dakota’s Black Hills from Friday, as opportunities for the local economy have overridden concerns it could become a coronavirus superspreading event.

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“I’ve not seen one single person wearing a mask,” said Jessica Christian, who is working at a bar at the sprawling event.“It’s just pretty much the mentality that, ‘If I get it, I get it.’”

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“I’m sitting here and I’m watching people walk up and down the street, watching people ride up and down the street. A few have masks – most don’t,” he said. “There’s not much we can do. Everybody is coming here with their eyes wide open. They know what they’re getting into.”

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Mayor Mark Carstensen said throughout the pandemic, “the state of South Dakota has been the freedom state and the city of Sturgis has stayed true to that”.

Carstensen emphasized that public health could not be pitted against the economy and people’s ability to maintain livelihoods.

“It’s a situation where those can work together. It’s not easy,” the mayor said, “but we’re all in this together.”