Following alarming scenes of maskless bikers packed into the small South Dakota town of Sturgis for a motorcycle rally, the slightly scaled-down East Coast alternative, Laconia Motorcycle Week, may not be going ahead full throttle, but it is still expected to attract masses.

Chris Sununu (R) announced that face coverings would be mandatory for gatherings of more than 100 people ahead of the week-long event that begins Aug.

Laconia’s rally brought an estimated 250,000 people last year to the New Hampshire town and is one of the largest motorcycle events in the country.

Clair, executive director of the Laconia Motorcycle Week Association, said the New Hampshire event won’t be like the Sturgis rally: There will not be vendors’ booths at which rallygoers may gather.

He said organizers are not sure how many people will attend, as they “have never held the rally under these conditions.”.

After the event was delayed for two months due to the coronavirus pandemic, New Hampshire officials promised an abridged gathering.

Like Sturgis residents, 60 percent of whom disapproved of holding the rally in their town this year, many people in Laconia have said the event should not take place at all, the Laconia Daily Sun reported.

While riding his black 2000 Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail motorcycle to his 44th Sturgis rally, St.

Clair heard reports that Sturgis was anticipated to attract about 250,000 motorcycle enthusiasts this year, about half of last year’s estimated attendance.

“We hope people come,” Noem said of the motorcycle rally.

Meanwhile, health officials have already cited the Sturgis rally as a cause for concern.

“One of the things we’ve been very transparent about is any time you’re bringing people together — especially if you’re bringing individuals together from areas that might have higher risk of covid-19 in their general communities — that does pose a risk for covid-19 transmission,” state epidemiologist Joshua Clayton said in a news briefing last week.

South Dakota has reported 1,136 confirmed cases per 100,000 people, compared with New Hampshire’s 513 infections.