Can I Pass Through Virginia On My Way To Another State? (hotels, law)

[LauraC]

Can I pass through Virginia on the Interstates (I-81, I-66, DC Beltway) on my way to Delaware?

[Bigfoot424]

I am a little unclear on what you mean. Of course these roads are open. Mind clarifying?

[choff5]

Yes, there’s no one stopping people at the borders, although I would suggest to watch you speed closely.

[luo2013]

We traveled from Virginia through North Carolina to South Carolina a couple of weeks ago. It was no problem (we took 66 to 81 down, and 95 back).

Just mind your speed. We saw quite a few cops, probably speed traps. Otherwise there aren’t any restrictions traveling into, or around, the state of Virginia.

Virginia started phase 1 a few weeks ago, and starting phase 2 this Friday. Northern VA just entered phase 1 last Friday. So things are slowly reopening here. Safe travels!

[VA Yankee]

Just have your passport ready...

[Bigfoot424]

Ah. Now I understand. I really didn't think there were people who actually believed they could not travel from state to state during Covid-19.

[LauraC]

Thank you for answering. Reps for all.

I spent a long time looking at Virginia websites to find the answer to a simple question. On the Interstates that go through the state, are the restrooms open? I found info for truckers not out-of-state tourist-type travelers. But, as I read info on those VA websites I discovered maybe I am asking the wrong question. Maybe I should be asking if I can drive through the state on my way to some other state without being stopped by law enforcement and/or either being told to quarantine for 2 weeks or go home. I-81, for example goes through multiple states. Is there a different policy for different stretches of that Interstate depending on what state I'm in? Can I go off the highway and spend a single overnight in a hotel on my way to some other state the following day?

If you look at the various Virginia websites they only address restrooms for truckers at weighing stations and that info is not recent (within the last week). VA websites say nothing about police stopping out-of-state plates on Interstate exits or at bridges, yet up until June 1, Delaware was doing just that and a week or two earlier, Maryland was too. They were asking you to quarantine for 14 days or turn around and go home. Who in their right mind would pay to quarantine for 2 weeks in a hotel? That was just ridiculous but at least both of those states made it clear what they were doing, as ridiculous as it was. Delaware put its info on the State Trooper website. But, guess what? Although their Governor lifted the quarantine on out-of-state visitors effective June 1, the State Trooper website still has the old quarantine info for out of state visitors on it. It has an early April date. Do you see why out-of-staters are confused about changing policies in various states?

Calls to the Virginia hotels produced zero info as the people answering the phone had no idea what was going on and said as much. Virginia's official travel and tourism website doesn't address it either. There are people who vacation in Virginia and people who spend one night in Virginia on our way to a destination in another state. As far as the latter goes, we don't need to listen to a 1 hour plus speech by a governor on every facet of the state's operation or rules due to Covid 19 on a daily or weekly basis just to get a sentence or 2 on whether we can pass through, will we be stopped by police for out-of-state plates when we exit the Interstate, will restrooms be open on the section of the Interstate that is in their state and whether we can stop for 1 night on our way to someplace else the next day.

I just don't think these governors know who is the audience for their information. It is not just their residents who would want a heck of a lot more info than what we need to know.

So, I figured I would ask people who might have been on the Interstates in Virginia, what is the state's policy on pass through out-of-state traffic to another state. Thanks, again.

[columbusboy8]

Originally Posted by VA Yankee

Just have your passport ready...

Watch out for falling Civil War statues!

[choff5]

Coming from your direction I can’t speak to the rest stops but I know I was impressed with the Va Visitors center stop on I-95 north at the N. Carolina line back in mid April. There were few people there but the doors were automatic so I didn’t have to touch anything, including going in and out of the restroom. My guess is you won’t have problems. I would suggest making hotel reservations ahead of time, preferably a higher end chain that you trust. If you request first floor you won’t have to deal with buttons on an elevator.

[luo2013]

Rest stops were open in VA, to answer part of your question. We were able to stop for bathroom breaks no problem. Granted we have in state plates for Virginia, but people are still traveling.

Virginia never required a 2 week quarantine for people entering. I heard Delaware did, and Hawaii, but not aware of any others. You should be fine.

I understand the hesitation and wanting to be prepared. We called our two hotel stops before booking last month, to make sure they were open without restrictions. Only restriction was they wouldn’t let people from NY, NJ, or CT book due to hot spots. And this was a couple of weeks ago when we went on our trip.

Again, you should be fine at least in VA. Watch your speed. And masks are required in public now, so if you stop in VA keep that in mind.