10 Couples Separated By The COVID-19 Pandemic Share Their Stories

10 Couples Separated By The COVID-19 Pandemic Share Their Stories

Long-distance couples are used to making the best out of a less-than-ideal situation — but the COVID-19 pandemic is a whole other beast.Since March 2020, millions of couples across the globe have been further separated by coronavirus-related travel restrictions. By and large, partners who aren't married have been barred from visiting each other's home countries.The couples have banded together online, pushing their governments to allow exceptions using hashtags such as #LoveIsEssential and #LoveIsNotTourism. A Facebook group called Love Is Not Tourism has more than 43,000 members who opine the social distancing rules they feel unfairly target them. “We are not tourists,” the “About” section of the Facebook group reads. “We do not wish to travel and sightsee. We have one destination: the arms of our loved ones. We are willing to go into quarantine for however long it takes. We are willing to get tested as many times as it takes.”Some countries have begun to allow cross-border lovers to meet again. In Germany, long-distance couples need to show an invitation by the partner who lives in the country and sign a statement confirming that they're in a relationship. Countries such as Austria, Norway and Denmark now allow non-European Union partners