Emergency Executive Order 20-104

Last week, as daily case numbers slowly began to decrease, Gov. Tim Walz made adjustments to the dial back with Executive Order 20-103.

Many athletes are eager to return to organized sports activities, which similarly provide many physical and social benefits. Executive Order 20-103 permitted athletes and coaches to resume one-on-one training and small outdoor group workouts and skill building.

The Executive Order reopens pools for a narrow range of activities in compliance with industry guidance—including lap swim, lessons, and organized sports—beginning on January 4, 2021.

Public pools are closed to ingress, egress, use, and occupancy.

Venues providing indoor events and entertainment (whether permanent, temporary, or mobile) such as theaters, cinemas, concert halls, festivals, fairs, vendor fairs, museums, performance venues, stadiums, arcades, trampoline parks, party buses, and bowling alleys are closed to ingress, egress, use, and occupancy by members of the public. Such establishments may, and are encouraged to, use their facilities to provide virtual or remote programming.

For professional and intercollegiate athletes and teams authorized to practice and compete, this closure of event and entertainment venues to members of the public means that only athletes, coaches, and essential staff are authorized to be present.

Gymnasiums, fitness centers, recreation centers, indoor sports facilities, indoor climbing facilities, indoor and outdoor exercise facilities, martial artfacilities, and dance and exercise studios may be open for individual exercise in accordance with the applicable guidance available on the Stay Safe Minnesota website (https://staysafemn.gov/) and the following requirements:

Occupancy of any indoor space and the entire facility must not exceed 25 percent of the normal occupant capacity as determined by the fire

marshal, not to exceed 100 people in the entire facility.

Physical distancing of at least 12 feet is maintained in any area that one or more persons are exercising. Physical distancing of at least six feet must be maintained in all other situations.

Face coverings must be worn by all persons at all times, except when participating in activities that involve soaking or submerging a face covering in water.

The establishments covered by this paragraph include shared or communal facilities serving more than a single household.

Public pools may be open for lap swim, lessons, and Organized Youth and Adult Sports.

Occupancy of public pool areas must not exceed 25 percent of the normal occupant capacity as determined by the fire marshal, not to exceed 100 people. If a pool is located within a place of public accommodation that has limited occupancy—such as a fitness center—occupants of the pool must also be included as occupants of that place of public accommodation.