Stephanie Durant, 31, is one such person. Born and raised in Kuala Lumpur, she last saw her boyfriend Darren, 31, in October 2019 when he left for work in New Zealand.
Following the pandemic, Malaysian travel regulations prevented him from returning, while the Kiwi government’s strict immigration rules meant that should he leave the country he would not be allowed back in.
“He was basically in limbo,” Stephanie explains.
The heartache doesn’t end there. The nature of Darren’s work means he lives in a remote area that has little to no phone signal.
“We only recently discovered that if he left his phone on the bathroom windowsill, he could get just enough signal to send and receive WhatsApp messages.
“Before that, he’d have to travel to a different building to text me,” she said, adding that video calls are made only once or twice a month, though they text daily.
“He’s also four hours ahead of me, so our schedules don’t exactly line up. I’ve had to go to bed ‘alone’ for the past two years,” she adds tearily. “It’s really tough. I can’t even call him to say goodnight.”
The couple recently celebrated their fourth anniversary, settling for exchanging presents since they can’t be together in person.
“I miss Darren the most in the mornings. I’m an early bird, and he’s the opposite,” she shares.
“I fell into the habit of making him coffee every morning to coax him out of bed. For our anniversary, I got him a coffee mug with photos of us on it – a stand-in for me until I get to do it for him again,” she says, overcome with emotion.
New Zealand is also the setting for another pandemic heartbreak.
Carol Yong, 53, hasn’t seen her daughter, Sabrina Shahaniz, 19, since February of 2020 when she left to pursue her studies.
New Zealand’s decision to close all borders to all non-residents has meant that the country has one of the lowest Covid-19 cases in the world, and are mostly operating as normal within their bubble.
“While we’re in lockdown, she’s out having fun with her friends,” Carol says. “We try calling her but she’s always busy,” she says good-naturedly.
It’s clear Sabrina’s presence is sorely missed, with Carol commenting on how quiet it is at home without her.
“She always has her K-pop songs at full volume, and she’s constantly going on about who’s released new music, the latest K-drama… I miss that a lot.”
The longing goes both ways, with Sabrina commenting that being apart from her family has been incredibly difficult.
“I’ve never been more than two days without them. Suddenly being away from them for over a year has been really hard.”
She explains that visiting Malaysian eateries brings her brief comfort, but this doesn’t compare to having breakfast with her dad or going on drives with her siblings.
“But it’s okay! I try to keep myself busy with work and my friends to think about it less. I hope I get to come home soon.”
So has any good come out of the pandemic?
Suresh Nanda Kumar thinks so. The 55-year-old sales and marketing rep, who lives alone, has grown much closer to his feline friend Anya since the first MCO.
Suresh rescued Anya as a kitten from a Subang toll one night in 2016, where he found her cowering during a particularly nasty storm.
“I messaged all my friends about adopting her…but she was such an ugly kitten, no one wanted her!” he recalls, laughing.
“She was so vicious and unfriendly at the beginning, but I didn’t have the heart to give her up. She just needed some love, that’s all.”
Five years later, he can’t imagine life without her. Since the pandemic forced everyone indoors and introduced an era of working from home, Suresh has come to appreciate Anya’s company more than ever.
“Before the pandemic, I’d be out from morning to night. I didn’t realise how much Anya missed me while I was gone.
“Now, when I leave to do the groceries or visit my mum, she gets so upset,” he says fondly.
“I’m luckier to have her than she is to have me,” he adds. “I live alone. She’s my only companion, more like a daughter to me.”
When asked what he would tell her if she could understand English, Suresh says: “I want to thank her for all the unconditional love she’s given me, especially over a lonely couple of years. You just can’t get that kind of devotion from a human.”
While each tells a unique story, Stephanie, Carol and Suresh are united by a common thread: they are proof that love can persevere under the toughest conditions, whether across oceans or their own living room.