Delaware has already begun pulling over cars with out of state plates. Police are out in full force. Posted by Karen Bowers Falk on Monday, March 30, 2020

In an effort to stop the spread of the coronavirus, police in Delaware are pulling over people they catch driving into their state with out-of-state license plates and ordering them to self-quarantine or go home.

“Now is not the time to visit Delaware. As a state and a nation, we are facing a serious situation that is getting worse each day,” Master Corporal Michael Austin, spokesperson for Delaware State Police, said in a statement Thursday.

Drivers from other states who get stopped will be required to either quarantine for 14 days in Delaware or return to their home states, Austin said.

The order does not apply to out-of-state drivers on I-95, I-295, or I-495. Out-of-state drivers are allowed to pass through Delaware while traveling to another state.

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News video shot Thursday in New Castle County shows state troopers in patrol cars parked in lots outside liquor stores, where out-of-state motorists were expected to purchase tax-free alcohol, according to CBS Philly.

In New Jersey, where coronavirus is now the most common cause of death, 25,590 people have been infected with COVID-19. The state’s death toll from the virus rose to 537 on Thursday after 182 more deaths were reported.

As of Friday morning in Delaware, there were 393 cases of COVID-19 and 12 deaths.

Delaware Gov. John Carney on Sunday signed a modification to an earlier emergency declaration that addresses out-of-state drivers traveling into Delaware.

“Any individual who enters Delaware from another state, and who is not merely passing through, must immediately self-quarantine for 14 days,” states the order.

The action is “an effort to control and prevent the spread of COVID-19 from other states and cities with substantial community spread to individuals within the state of Delaware,” Carney states in the order.

Delaware’s first coronavirus case was on March 11. Two days later, Carney declared a state of emergency.

The governor later issued nine modifications, which included closing non-essential businesses, ordering residents to stay at home and shelter-in-place and ordering the self-quarantine of out-of-state travelers.

Exceptions to the self-quarantine requirement are healthcare and public safety workers, anyone providing assistance to an essential business or those driving to the state to provide care to family, friends or pets.

The governor said failure to comply with the order constitutes a criminal offense and violators could face fines and other penalties.

Timothy Smith, an attorney from Essex County, questioned the legality of the order.

He said Delaware will likely face legal challenges from drivers pulled over for having out-of-state license plates who are then charged with drunken driving or other, more serious offenses.

“If the original basis for the stop was illegal, then everything is deemed to illegal,” Smith said. “Whether these stops are justifiable or not would have to be litigated. The law is always a balancing act between individual liberties and public safety.”

Delaware State Police say they plan to enforce Delaware's mandatory quarantine rule for out-of-state travelers during COVID-19 emergency. #NetDE https://t.co/wpNM3ebuH5 — Sean Greene (@SeanGreeneWDEL) April 3, 2020

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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