# Travel restrictions: question about driving from NJ to MD **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 23, 2020, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travel-restrictions-question-about-driving-from-nj-to-md/852463 "2020-04-23T19:43:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2020, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travel-restrictions-question-about-driving-from-nj-to-md/852463/1 "2020-04-23T19:43:39Z")
Maybe this belongs in the Quarantine Zone, but I’m just looking for a factual answer. My daughter is living in Maryland and moving to a new apartment on Saturday. We have a bunch of stuff stored in our house in NJ (plates, silverware, etc.) – are we allowed to drive to Maryland, drop off her stuff, and drive back? I’m hearing that Delaware might be a problem. She has one of those letters from her company that she’s an essential worker – could she make the trip from MD to NJ and back easier than we could without the letter? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2020, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travel-restrictions-question-about-driving-from-nj-to-md/852463/2 "2020-04-23T20:39:36Z")
I just spoke to my sister who told me that you cannot drive to DE with PA plates without going into a 2 week quarantine. I don’t know how they can enforce that. You can, of course, go from MD to PA without passing through DE. Try Route 1 which goes over the scenic Conowingo dam (or used to at any rate; I haven’t driven that in 50 years). ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2020, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travel-restrictions-question-about-driving-from-nj-to-md/852463/3 "2020-04-23T21:22:07Z")
That’s for driving **to** Delaware. Looks like there’s no restrictions if driving **through** Delaware on the interstate: > [@https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/10/travel/coronavirus-us-travel-driving-restrictions.html](#): > > Driving restrictions: Anyone from out of state traveling into Delaware is ordered to self-quarantine for 14 days, unless they are just transiting. Law enforcement officers are authorized to stop vehicles with out-of-state license plates to ask about recent travel and inform them of the quarantine requirement, unless they are driving on I-95, I-295, or I-495. A shelter-in-place order is in effect for all but essential activities. In Maryland: Driving restrictions: A stay-at-home order is in place except for essential activities. Residents of Maryland who travel outside of the state are instructed to self-quarantine for 14 days. In New Jersey: Driving restrictions: Statewide stay-at-home order except for essential activities. So… Moving is generally considered an “essential activity” if it can’t be re-scheduled to some eventual time in the future, but driving across a couple states to deliver some household goods is technically not, even if one of those states is about twelve miles wide. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2020, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travel-restrictions-question-about-driving-from-nj-to-md/852463/4 "2020-04-23T21:30:55Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > That’s for driving **to** Delaware. Looks like there’s no restrictions if driving **through** Delaware on the interstate: > > In Maryland: > Driving restrictions: A stay-at-home order is in place except for essential activities. Residents of Maryland who travel outside of the state are instructed to self-quarantine for 14 days. > > In New Jersey: > Driving restrictions: Statewide stay-at-home order except for essential activities. > > So… Moving is generally considered an “essential activity” if it can’t be re-scheduled to some eventual time in the future, but driving across a couple states to deliver some household goods is technically not, even if one of those states is about twelve miles wide. Sounds like we should hold off, in the spirit of the order at least. We are going to have to get it there somehow, someday, of course. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2020, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travel-restrictions-question-about-driving-from-nj-to-md/852463/5 "2020-04-23T21:52:48Z")
Silverware can be wrapped up and shipped. Dishes also, but you need to know how to pack them. Unless you’re dealing with family heirlooms, or your daughter is flat-out broke, it may be cost-effective and time-effective for her to just get new stuff at Target if she doesn’t want to use plastic forks and paper plates for another couple of months. Or you can order online from her local store and list her as the pick-up person. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2020, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travel-restrictions-question-about-driving-from-nj-to-md/852463/6 "2020-04-24T02:09:43Z")
It does sound non-essential at the moment. If you did choose to travel, I suspect you could invoke the “caring for a family member” aspect of the various orders. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2020, 10:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/travel-restrictions-question-about-driving-from-nj-to-md/852463/7 "2020-04-24T10:33:09Z")
> [@Mama\_Zappa](#): > > It does sound non-essential at the moment. > > If you did choose to travel, I suspect you could invoke the “caring for a family member” aspect of the various orders. Yeah, probably. I’d feel like I’m exploiting a loophole that I shouldn’t be. I’ll just suggest she picks up some really cheap stuff until we can get this down to her in a couple of months.