On March 30, 2020, Governor Hogan issued a mandatory stay and home order and mandatory self - quarantine for 14 days for out of state residents traveling to Maryland.
What does that mean for those who have custody orders and the custody exchanges are between parents who live in other states, such as between Maryland and Virginia?
Any time a child who visits an out of state parent would have to self-quarantine upon return to Maryland for 14 days before leaving his or her home.
Although custody orders are not to be affected by the “stay at home” provisions, the current self-quarantine will affect custody exchanges.
What should parents who have current custody orders do?
The best advise at this point is try, to the best of your ability, to communicate with the other parent to decide what is best for the minor child and so that the child is able to continue his or her relationship with both parents while not having to be subjected to mandatory self-quarantines. Facetime, Skype or Zoom visits are some options that would be alternatives to out of state visits and then arrange for make-up time after the quarantine is lifted.
If it would be best for the child to continue the out of state visits, then it might be possible for the parents to agree to modify the custody during this time so that the minor child can see the out of state parent for longer periods of time prior to the self-quarantine, in case a visit would be missed due to the mandatory 14 day period.
These are just suggestions. Every situation is different and requires working together as best as possible and some creativity, but always with the best interest of the child in mind.
For any questions about custody or any other legal matter, please feel free to call us at (484) 769-5855 or by email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
