Health care workers and emergency response employees such as nurses, doctors, firefighters, law enforcement and paramedics, etc., continue to show up for work despite the risks of exposure to Covid-19. Consequently, there are a growing number of parents across the country who have begun to deny child visitation to their former spouses providing these crucial services over fears of Covid-19 infections.
Concerned parents have gone so far as to get court orders for sole temporary custody of children after convincing judges their children’s parent poses a Covid-19 exposure risk. A number of healthcare professionals and emergency responders working the front lines of the pandemic have faced the prospect of losing custody of their children when an ex-spouse takes their concerns over Covid-19 exposure to court.
Healthcare workers, firefighters and police are not the only ones grappling with custody issues during the Covid-19 pandemic; there are battle lines being drawn among parents across the country who may not agree on whether children should be permitted to play at a playground during a weekly visit or even if shifting home environments during the pandemic is a good idea in the first place. Some parents are refusing to participate in the parenting exchange fearing the other parent will not protect their kids – cutting off mothers and fathers from regular contact with their children with or without the backing from the courts.
Few guidelines to address current safety concerns in a co-parenting context exist in these unprecedented circumstances. Some courts have issued orders that primary residential parents retain sole custody if shelter in place orders exist while other courts urge parents to cooperate so that kids can continue to see both parents under existing orders. What should happen in cases where one parent works the front line of the pandemic has not been directly addressed and parents are worried.
Get Your Questions Regarding Sharing Custody During the Covid-19 Pandemic Answered
Co-parenting in the pandemic has resulted in a tug of war between parents sharing custody of children. Parents concerned that their ex-spouse poses a risk to the family because of their work or because they simply ignore precautions have sought emergency orders to gain sole custody of the children with success. Attorneys to parents who have been denied access to their children, informally or by court order, are working feverishly to restore their rights. If you are an emergency or healthcare worker facing child custody or visitation issues over Covid-19, it is important to seek the help of an experienced Wisconsin family law attorney for immediate assistance at 414-210-3135.