BAKER CITY — Baker County Commissioner Mark Bennett, acting as incident commander under the county’s coronavirus emergency declaration, has extended the ban on camping and other overnight use, including fishing, on public areas along the Snake River corridor in Baker County until April 30.

The initial two-week closure order was issued on April 4.

The order does not affect private property along the river. Snake River Road between Richland and Huntington remains open, and daytime activities, including fishing, are open.

“The concerns for protecting our communities haven’t changed in the time the order has been in place, and continuation of this order provides consistency with other restrictions currently in place,” Bennett said in a press release Wednesday. “It’s important to emphasize this order is temporary, and the county will lift it as soon as the situation changes in a way that recreation can continue like normal without putting our local residents at risk.”

County officials issued the closure order after receiving complaints from local residents about groups gathering along the river, many of them arriving in vehicles with Washington or Idaho license plates, and not complying with social distancing guidelines or using proper sanitation.