Parent-child contacts during the corona crisis

Can separated parents see their children during these times?

updates:

April 03, 2020 KOKES and BAG publish statements on domestic visitation rights
April 23, 2020 SEM publishes directive on cross-border visitation rights.
11 Feb 21 KOKES updated their information

It is now clear that visiting contacts are still possible and permitted during this time.
This has now been clearly confirmed both in Switzerland and in the surrounding countries. If there is no illness or infection, contacts should remain possible within the framework of visiting rights. Corona alone is therefore no reason for refusing contact. Of course, we also appeal to the parents to think carefully about whether contact poses a health risk or not. Nevertheless, it must be clear that these contacts are a very high and important asset - they are therefore absolutely worth protecting.

Accompanied visitation rights
A major difficulty is that all visitation centers and all accompanied offers are currently not available. Parents who see their children under such conditions are therefore currently experiencing great difficulties.

Binational families
Unfortunately, things are also looking bleak for binational families at the moment. Border crossings in order to exercise the right of contact are obviously not possible, neither from Switzerland nor into Switzerland. Reference is made to the overriding interest.

This is understandable, but solutions still have to be found here. Especially if this crisis lasts for a long time, we cannot simply put the relationships between children and their separated parents on hold.

It is also important to pay particular attention to the potential danger of alienation during this time. If contacts between child and parent are interrupted, conscious or unconscious alienation can take effect very quickly. Here, too, the authorities are asked to be particularly careful.

Activities of GeCoBi

March 24, 2020: Contacts with various KESB officials to determine the assessment of the situation. Responses received same day.
March 25, 2020: Request to the Federal Office of Justice. April 02, 2020 - Response received.
March 26, 2020: Request to KOKES for a clear statement. April 03, 2020 – Statement published
April 02, 2020: Request to the Federal Council . April 09, 2020: Response from the Federal Office of Justice
April 03, 2020: Request to the Federal Office of Public Health FOPH. April 03, 2020 – Statement published
April 23, 2020: SEM publishes supplementary directives and regulates cross-border visitation rights.

Information on visitation rights within Switzerland
Information from the Federal Office of Public Health (FOPH
) that is continuously

Information on cross-border visitation rights
On April 16, the State Secretariat for Migration SEM issued more precise instructions.
This explicitly allows entry into Switzerland for the purpose of exercising visitation rights.
Here are the instructions

Article in the Swiss magazine

Current information on visiting contacts
Germany (source: Väteraufbruch for children)
Austria (source: Federal Ministry for Social Affairs, Health, Care and Consumer Protection)

Scientific texts
France: Confinement: que faire pour les enfants?