MARSHALL — Social distancing is still important for fighting the spread of COVID-19, but Minnesotans will still be able to take part in outdoor activities, including golfing and fishing.

Gov. Tim Walz issued an executive order on Friday that will allow golf courses, marinas and parks to stay open, provided people follow social distancing guidelines.

“It’s important for us to stay active and enjoy the outdoors while preventing the spread of COVID-19,” Walz said. “This measure will allow Minnesotans to take advantage of more opportunities to get outside, while still doing their part to keep their neighbors healthy.”

The new provisions will go into effect today at 5 a.m.

Under the new Executive Order 20-38, facilities including bait shops, outdoor shooting ranges, public and private parks, golf courses, and boating and off-highway vehicle services can reopen or stay open. The guidelines for people using these facilities include keeping a six-foot social distance, avoiding crowded areas and staying close to home.

Recreation facilities and activities that could attract groups of people, like campgrounds, outdoor equipment stores, charter boats and guided fishing will remain closed.

Golf courses in Marshall, Lynd, Cottonwood and Tyler will all be opening back up today or in the next few days. The Marshall Golf Club will be open at 5 a.m.; the Cottonwood Country Club will open at 10 a.m.; and the Tyler Golf Club will be open at 9 a.m.

The Savannah Oaks Golf Course near Lynd will not be open today, but it should be open in the next couple of days, said clubhouse manager Troy Holien. He is updating social media daily. Holien said the superintendent of grounds, John DeLong, said there is still snow on the ground and if people step on the snow, it will harm the grass.

“We want our grounds looking fantastic, Holien said.

COVID-19 cases still rising

While Walz was lifting some of the restrictions on outdoor businesses on Friday, the number of COVID-19 cases across the state is still rising. On Friday, the Minnesota Department of Health said Lyon County was now at 6 confirmed cases. Nobles County jumped to a total of 12 positive cases, the MDH reported.

While the MDH’s tally was 12 COVID-19 cases in Nobles County, the union representing workers at the JBS pork plant in Worthington said there have been 19 cases confirmed at the plant. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported Friday that officials with the UFCW Local 663, the union representing 1,850 workers at the JBS plant, are calling for the company to slow the production line to let employees work farther apart.

“JBS USA has had team members test positive for COVID-19 in some of our U.S. facilities,” said JBS spokesperson Cameron Bruett. However, Bruett did not say where those facilities were. “We are offering support to those team members and their families, and we hope they make a full and speedy recovery. Out of respect for the families, we are not releasing further information.”

Bruett said JBS has implemented enhanced safety measures at its facilities, including daily deep-cleaning of facilities, staggered shift starts, temperature testing employees, providing extra personal protective equipment like masks to employees, and relaxing attendance policies so people don’t come to work sick.

Marshall council takes pay cut

While the city of Marshall is still in a state of emergency due to COVID-19, city officials decided they also needed to try and minimize the impact on the local economy. On Tuesday, city council members voted unanimously to reduce elected officials’ pay by 10%.

“The current state of emergency due to pandemic disease will have a long-term impact on our local economy, so it is prudent for the City Council to reduce their compensation prior to making any other reductions,” said Marshall Mayor Bob Byrnes.

Starting May 12, the mayor’s salary will be $737.18 a month, and council member salaries will be $466.28 a month until the end of 2020.