Friday Health Order is Second to Shutter NM Golf Industry
Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham‘s new health order has locked New Mexico down again, and that means golf courses will close on Monday and remain closed at least until Nov. 30.
The state’s golf industry was shut down in April. The closure lasted several months.
Here’s the section of the governor’s announcement today that affects the golf industry:
“Outdoor recreational facilities – such as outdoor golf courses, public swimming pools, outdoor tennis courts, ski basins, youth programs, youth livestock shows, u-pick produce operations and corn mazes, horse racing tracks, botanical gardens, outdoor zoos, and New Mexico state parks – will close for through Nov. 30 for the duration of the public health order.”
The amended health order came as New Mexico saw a dramatic increase in COVID-19 cases and deaths. On Thursday, the New Mexico Health Department reported 1,753 new cases in a single day for a total of 60,776 and 18 additional COVID-19 deaths.
The governor’s order restricted restaurants. Food and drink establishments may provide curbside pickup and delivery services; on-site dining is prohibited, she said.
Essential businesses identified as “retail spaces” may not exceed either 25 percent of the maximum occupancy as determined by the relevant fire marshal or more than 75 customers in the business space at any given time, whichever is lesser.
She said, “Essential businesses” may operate during the next two weeks if they reduce their operations and in-person workforce to the greatest extent possible.Businesses that violate the order face fines up to $5,000 a day, and the law allows the state to shut down repeat offnders.
Essential businesses, as defined in the state of New Mexico’s operative emergency public health order, means any business or non-profit entity falling within one or more of the following categories:
- Health care operations including hospitals, walk-in-care health facilities, pharmacies, medical wholesale and distribution, home health care workers or aides for the elderly, emergency dental facilities, nursing homes, residential health care facilities, research facilities, congregate care facilities, intermediate care facilities for those with intellectual or developmental disabilities, supportive living homes, home health care providers, drug and alcohol recovery support services, and medical supplies and equipment manufacturers and providers;
- Homeless shelters, food banks, and other services providing care to indigent or needy populations;
- Childcare facilities;
- Grocery stores, supermarkets, food banks, farmers’ markets and vendors who sell food, convenience stores, and other businesses that generate the majority of their revenue from the sale of canned food, dry goods, fresh fruits and vegetables, pet food, feed, other animal supply stores, fresh meats, fish, and poultry, and any other household consumer products;
- Farms, ranches, and other food cultivation, processing, or packaging operations;
- Infrastructure operations including, but not limited to, public works construction, commercial and residential construction and maintenance, self-storage facilities, airport operations, public transportation, airlines, taxis, private transportation providers, transportation network companies, water, gas, electrical, oil drilling, oil refining, natural resources extraction or mining operations, nuclear material research and enrichment, those attendant to the repair and construction of roads and highways, gas stations, solid waste collection and removal, trash and recycling collection, processing and disposal, sewer, data and internet providers, data centers, technology support operations, and telecommunications systems;
- Manufacturing operations involved in food processing, manufacturing agents, chemicals, fertilizer, pharmaceuticals, sanitary products, household paper products, microelectronics/semi-conducto
r, primary metals manufacturers, electrical equipment, appliance, and component manufacturers, and transportation equipment manufacturers; - Services necessary to maintain the safety and sanitation of residences or essential businesses including security services, towing services, custodial services, plumbers, electricians, and other skilled trades;
- Veterinary and livestock services, animal shelters and facilities providing pet adoption, daycare, or boarding services;
- Media services;
- Automobile repair facilities, bike repair facilities, and retailers who generate the majority of their revenue from the sale of automobile or bike repair products;
- Utilities, including their contractors, suppliers, and supportive operations, engaged in power generation, fuel supply and transmission, water and wastewater supply;
- Hardware stores, “big box” stores, and other large retailers;
- Laundromats and dry cleaner services;
- Crematoriums, funeral homes and cemeteries;
- Banks, credit unions, insurance providers, payroll services, brokerage services, and investment management firms;
- Businesses providing mailing and shipping services;
- Laboratories and defense and national security-related operations supporting the United States government, a contractor to the United States government, or any federal entity;
- Professional services, such as legal or accounting services, but only where necessary to assist in compliance with legally mandated activities; and
- Logistics, and also businesses that store, transport, or deliver groceries, food, materials, goods or services directly to residences, retailers, government institutions, or essential businesses.
“Retail spaces” may not exceed either 25 percent of the maximum occupancy as determined by the relevant fire marshal or more than 75 customers in the business space at any given time, whichever is lesser.
By New Mexico Golf News staff
