How Coronavirus is Uprooting Custody Arrangements

The spread of coronavirus, and the shelter-in-place orders put into effect to slow the spread, have caused an upheaval in the schedules of parents across the country. This can be even more confusing for parents who split custody with an ex.

If you have a custody agreement, you are probably wondering how quarantine affects these orders. For former couples who get along better, they can temporarily and informally modify custody arrangements to suit the current situation. Since there basically isn’t childcare anymore, parents should try to coordinate around which parent is also working remote, or is not working at all. If anyone is sick in the household, the child should be kept at the other parent’s house if no one in that household is symptomatic. It should be noted that taking your child to their other parent is not a violation of shelter-in-place orders.

If you are less genial with your ex, simply rescheduling your parenting agreement may not be an option. Family courts are currently closed except for extreme emergencies, i.e., abuse, kidnapping. If you don’t already have custody orders in place, you will need to wait until the pandemic has passed before a judge can hear your case. You will also need to abide by any custody orders currently in place. If you are unsure if the child’s other parent is positive for COVID-19 and you refuse to drop the child off with them, it is unclear how the family courts will handle this in the future.

Whether or not you have a custody arrangement in place, you are probably concerned about how the pandemic will affect your child’s custody. If you have questions about your rights, you should speak with an experienced and knowledgeable family law attorney. Our office offers free phone consultations so you can discuss your options 100% risk-free. Call and schedule your free consultation today.