Bike Week is known as a Volusia county tradition with tens of thousands of bikers rolling into town every year, event will go on this year

Thomas Metevia

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Bike Week is known as a Volusia county tradition with tens of thousands of bikers rolling into town every year.

For years, owner George St. Pierre at Jungle George’s on Main Street had to prepare for the annual influx in people.

“It’s a definite noticeable bump,” St. Pierre said. “You work a lot more hours and you rotate a lot more money and everyone is making a lot more money.”

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After a 6-1 vote from the Daytona Beach city commission on Wednesday, businesses with the event will have to comply with a 60% capacity limit indoors.

A bar not part of the masterplan can stay at 100 percent capacity.

Bike week would normally allow for popular streets to shut down to make room for the crowds. Several businesses submitted plans that include precautions, such as requiring masks and promoting social distancing.

Last year, the final days of Bike Week were called off after COVID-19 started to rapidly spread across the country. Biketoberfest 2020 permits were denied in Daytona Beach but not elsewhere.

Some commissioners have expressed serious concerns about the event after a recent uptick in cases.

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Florida’s total coronavirus cases have climbed to over 1.6 million.

Before the meeting, Mayor Derrick Henry said talked about limiting the capacity for indoor businesses.

“We will live with the decision we will make and hope and pray for the best,” Henry said. “In an ideal world, COVID-19 is gone and we have Bike Week. That’s not where we are so we have to try to make an adjustment and accommodate Bike Week and do what we can in the rule of law to be as safe as possible.”