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Apr 20, 2020

Coronavirus Quarantine Divorce Cases will Surge

Apr 20, 2020 - Family Law by |

Pandemic Divorces Due to COVID-19 Sheltering in Place Policies Will be Huge

The world has ground to a halt in the past several months, as the novel coronavirus has swept across the globe. Entire countries have been locked down, while in other areas, such as the United States, there’s been state-by-state closures and varying degrees of shelter-in-place and lockdown policies. With tens of thousands of deaths in the U.S. and tens of millions of job losses, there’s been more than enough for everyone to try to sort through already. On top of that, there’s the prospect of the coronavirus quarantine divorce.

When you’re sheltering in place or locked down with your spouse and family, the manner in which you’re able to get along with one another is of course of the utmost importance. These aren’t normal conditions, though. There are no other outlets, no prospect of leaving the home or seeing other people, socializing, blowing off steam with friends, or pursuing individual pursuits elsewhere.

Instead, everyone is locked down together in the same space. Adults who are used to going into the office everyday have to relearn how to work from home, and when married, how to share space with someone else who’s doing the same. When those married couples have children, they also have to walk the tightrope of how to help their kids with online learning from home, not to mention watching over them and juggling all of this while pursuing their own work, too. That still may be better than it is for the people who’ve lost their jobs, and while not being forced to work from home, have to manage the stress of that lost job and income.

All of this to say that there are a ton of factors in play that are elevating the risk of disagreement, and eventually, divorce. The surge in cases after this will likely be a statistical anomaly that stands out for years and perhaps decades, and is remembered specifically as the coronavirus quarantine divorce.

There are real risks involved too in terms of the safety and well-being of spouses and children. That’s because there’s also a very elevated potential of domestic violence and abuse, and along with that elevated threat, a lack of safety measures along the lines of being able to leave the home and stay elsewhere.

That’s why even if this topic may seem humorous — the notion of the quarantine divorce — the risks involved must be acknowledged and taken seriously as well. Quarantine divorces may not be at the top of the list for the most telling consequences from the novel coronavirus and the COVID-19 disease, but it’s a “trend” that’s going to be worth watching nevertheless.

If you find yourself in any such scenario or have further questions, please go ahead and call our offices at 240.395.1418. We’re available by phone and will also be providing virtual consultations during the ongoing crisis.