NYC judge blocks unvaccinated father from visiting daughter in custody dispute

The order specifically states that the father, in order to see his daughter, must either be fully vaccinated or submit to weekly COVID-19 testing. He must also get an antigen test within 24 hours of his every other weekend visits with his child.

According to the Daily Mail, the father, who as of yet is not identified, is embroiled in a bitter custody battle for the girl, and has been seeing her every other weekend.

"In-person parental access by defendant is not in the child's best interests, and there are exceptional circumstances that support its suspension," wrote Cooper.

He continued in his comments: "The dangers of voluntarily remaining unvaccinated during access with a child while the COVID-19 virus remains a threat to children's health and safety cannot be understated."

"Unfortunately, and to my mind, incomprehensibly, a sizable minority, seizing upon misinformation, conspiracy theories, and muddled notions of 'individual liberty,' have refused all entreaties to be vaccinated," Cooper concluded.

Cooper is also the presiding judge in their custody battle and the couple's divorce. He famously has presided over many high-profile divorces of the rich and famous.

Lloyd Rosen, the attorney representing the father, fired back:

"My client is not a conspiracy theorist. He has concerns about the vaccine. He's heard about side effects. He once had a bad reaction to a flu vaccine."

The father has already had COVID-19 and recovered, and he and Rosen believe that that is a factor that should be taken into account.

New York City is one of the areas of the country that has the strictest vaccine-related controls. Currently, residents are not allowed to even go to a restaurant without having been vaccinated against the coronavirus.