As countries restrict travel to help slow the spread of

coronavirus, some separated couples are meeting each other

at their nations’ closed borders.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, many

couples are being forced to discover if
distance really does make the heart
grow fonder. Government efforts to
slow the coronavirus’ spread have left
many lovers apart and uncertain of
when they will next be able to unite.
The closing of borders in places where
travel was previously restriction-free,
such as in Europe’s Schengen Area,
has also resulted in some couples
suddenly finding themselves in long-
distance relationships, despite living
close by.
Some couples suddenly find themselves in long-
distance relationships, despite living close by

One couple navigating this new

relationship territory is Andrea Rohde
and her partner of more than a
decade, Markus Brassel. Rohde calls
the city of Konstanz in southern
Germany home, while Brassel lives
 just a few kilometres away in the
Swiss village of Tägerwilen. A 10-
minute car ride usually divides them,
but since the border between
Germany and Switzerland closed on
16 March, the short journey has
become impossible.

However, Rohde and Brassel have

found a way to still see one another.
Several times a week, they each head
to the German-Swiss border that
divides the cities of Konstanz and
Kreuzlingen, to catch up in person
through the newly installed border
fences. Rohde says Skyping her
partner doesn’t compare to being able
to have him in front of her. “It’s just
something else, even if we’re 2m
apart,” she said. 
More than 100 couples headed to the Kreuzlingen-
Konstanz border to come as close to one another as
presently possible

The in-person meetings also allow

Rohde to have some contact with the
couple’s dog, Niro. The seven-year-
old Parson Russell Terrier usually
splits his time between his owners’
homes, but the pandemic has meant
that he, too, is stuck in Switzerland.

Rohde and Brassel are far from alone.

In fact, on a recent weekend, more
than 100 couples split between
Switzerland and Germany headed to
the Kreuzlingen-Konstanz border to
come as close to one another as
presently possible. The rising
temperatures are likely to draw even
more lovers in the coming days and
weeks.