Parental alienation is a term used in family law to refer to efforts by one parent to turn a child against the other parent. It is a common problem. The courts, however, have become more attentive to it and it is much harder to get away with than it was in the past.
The coronavirus pandemic provides a new excuse for parents to interfere with children’s relationship with their other parent. Where one parent is a hospital worker, for example, the other parent may claim that it is unsafe for the child to continue the established schedule for time with each parent. If the parents live in different states, it may be claimed that the other state has a higher number of COVID-19 cases and it is unsafe for a child to travel there to visit with their other parent.
In Florida, a judge suspended a physician’s parenting time because of claims that being in her home put the child at risk of contracting the coronavirus. Hospital workers face special risks in treating COVID-19 patients because often personal protective equipment is in short supply.
Hospital workers are regularly exposed to all kinds of infectious diseases. They are trained in proven methods of controlling infection and preventing its spread to others. In normal times, these measures are adequate and effective.
In the current pandemic, there are shortages that may affect a healthcare worker’s ability to protect themselves and avoid taking the infection home with them. Some have elected to live apart from their families to eliminate all risk of transmitting the infection to them.
There are no easy answers to the problem of balancing children’s need to have time with both of their parents against the need to keep them safe. Although it has been noted that children are the least at-risk age group, there have been a few cases of a child becoming severely ill. The CDC website reports: “Whereas most COVID-19 cases in children are not severe, serious COVID-19 illness resulting in hospitalization still occurs in this age group.”
As in all cases where the parents disagree about what is best for their children, compromise and respect work best. Looking for solutions and workarounds to keep the children safe while preserving their relationship with their parent who works with COVID-19 patients is preferable to trying to get a judge to rule for one side or the other. In many states, the courts are closed and it is impossible to get a hearing.
