Photo by Deb Gau Notices posted at the doors of the Lyon County Government Center warn that county offices are closed to the public until April 10 due to COVID-19 concerns. Southwest Health and Human Services says their offices will still be open, but they are encouraging people to limit in-person visits where possible.

MARSHALL — It’s a time when many area residents are already being ordered to stay home. But on top of that, Lyon County employees are taking additional measures to cut down on face-to-face interactions with people, starting this week.

Due to health concerns from COVID-19, Lyon County announced that it will be closing its facilities to the public from March 30 through April 10. The facilities affected include the Lyon County Government Center, the county public works building and the Lyon County sanitary landfill.

The closure is happening in response to Gov. Tim Walz’s order for people to stay at home over the next two weeks, said Lyon County Administrator Loren Stomberg.

“All public service counters in all county departments will be closed during this two-week period. County offices are staffed at minimum levels to help maintain the social distancing needed to slow the spread of the virus,” Stomberg said. While county residents can’t do business at county offices in person, county employees will be responding to phone calls and emails, he said.

Access to the landfill, and the county’s household hazardous waste drop-off site, will also be closed to the public over the next two weeks.

Lyon County is far from the only area county to close its government offices to the public over COVID-19 concerns. Some area counties, including Murray County and Yellow Medicine County, closed their county buildings as early as March 17-18. In the Lyon County area, Redwood County and Lincoln County have also closed their government offices to the public until further notice.

On Monday, Lyon County Auditor/Treasurer E.J. Moberg said employees at county offices were still answering phone calls, and county drop boxes for property taxes were still operational.

“We definitely are still trying to do our best to serve the public,” while socially distancing, Moberg said.

One county service that members of the public were concerned about — driver’s licenses — is also on hold, Moberg said. However, Gov. Walz ordered an extension for people whose driver’s licenses expire during the peacetime emergency, he said. The federal REAL I.D. enforcement deadline has also been extended until Oct. 1, 2021, because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Earlier this month, Lyon County had one of about 50 driver’s license offices that were still open in Minnesota, Moberg said. The office was getting calls from people as far away as the Twin Cities metro area. Last week, before the government center closed, “We had to put some restrictions on it,” to prioritize local residents, he said.

Protecting the health of the public and county workers also means temporarily closing access to the Lyon County landfill, said county Environmental Administrator Roger Schroeder.

“We’re still open to support the garbage haulers and businesses,” Schroeder said, but individual county residents won’t be able to drop off waste, to help cut down on personal interactions. “We really want people to just hold on until (April) 10th,” he said.

Schroeder said Lyon County parks and trails, on the other hand, remain open for residents. The governor’s order allows people to go out for exercise and outdoor activities, as long as they follow social distancing.

While the government center in Marshall is closed to the public, the building isn’t completely shut down. Beth Wilms, director of Southwest Health and Human Services, said SWHHS offices will remain open, although people are asked to limit in-person visits if they can.

“We serve our most vulnerable populations,” on issues ranging from nutritional assistance to mental health care, Wilms said. That means that SWHHS’s doors will remain open if needed.

Wilms said the same would go for the SWHHS office in Lincoln County. However, the Lincoln County government center is locked, she said, so people will need to call ahead for assistance.

One part of the government center that has already taken steps to reduce coronavirus risk is the Lyon County District Court. On March 23, courts across Minnesota started limiting in-person courtroom access, under an order from Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie S. Gildea. The order calls for Minnesota courts to hold in-person court hearings only in certain circumstances — for example, if a criminal defendant is appearing in custody, or if there are safety needs involved, as with an order for protection. Otherwise, hearings will be held remotely through interactive television or other technology.

Jury trials will not be held before April 22, the order said.