Outdoorsmen and women who wish to social distance in the wilderness should not be held back because they believe their fishing and hunting licenses or stamps expired March 31.

Normally, annual licenses would expire March 31, but by executive order, Gov. Eric Holcomb extended their validity to May 22. The action was taken due to the public health emergency caused by the COVID-19 and coronavirus outbreak ravaging the state and nation.

This order was applied to 2019 annual hunting and fishing licenses, the game bird habitat stamp and trout-salmon stamp.

Those who wish to engage in fishing and hunting should carry a printed or electronic copy of the license with them when they go out in the field. For those whose licenses are not up to date through 2019-20, new ones must be obtained and they must be purchased online because other offices are closed due to the pandemic.

As the governor extended his stay-at-home order Monday afternoon, he announced campgrounds previously allowed to stay open would close at midnight Tuesday.

While department parks, forests, fish and wildlife areas, nature preserves and state recreation areas remain open, offices, inns and restaurants in state parks, family and camper cabins, playgrounds, welcome centers, nature centers, visitor centers, historic buildings, shooting ranges and other facilities are closed.

As with all activities nationwide, governmental responses have been fluid. Holcomb has updated various executive orders in public addresses, so it is possible to contemplate a change to the May 22 extension, though that has yet to be talked about.

“It would be improper for me to speculate about any additional extensions,” DNR spokesman Marty Benson said.