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| For Cross-Border Couples, Plans to Reunite Are Still On Hold | For Cross-Border Couples, Plans to Reunite Are Still On Hold |
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| When the border between the United States and Canada closed to nonessential travel on March 21 because of the coronavirus, Savannah Koop and Ryan Hamilton were less than two months away from the wedding they had been planning. | When the border between the United States and Canada closed to nonessential travel on March 21 because of the coronavirus, Savannah Koop and Ryan Hamilton were less than two months away from the wedding they had been planning. |
| The closure derailed those plans, but not their romance. Ms. Koop of Abbotsford, British Columbia, and Mr. Hamilton of Bellingham, Wash., each live within an hour from the border. Both were familiar with crossing for everything from dates to cheaper gas, an advantage when it came to figuring out how to keep seeing each other as the pandemic’s grip tightened. | The closure derailed those plans, but not their romance. Ms. Koop of Abbotsford, British Columbia, and Mr. Hamilton of Bellingham, Wash., each live within an hour from the border. Both were familiar with crossing for everything from dates to cheaper gas, an advantage when it came to figuring out how to keep seeing each other as the pandemic’s grip tightened. |
| “Ryan and I would meet at 0 Avenue in British Columbia, a place that’s famous in this area for having a ditch that separates the U.S. and Canada,” said Ms. Koop, 25, a student at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in British Columbia. Mr. Hamilton, 26, is a brand manager in Bellingham, Wash., at DeWaard & Bode, a retail appliance and mattress chain. The couple, who met on Hinge last summer, drove there several days a week, parked their cars, and talked under border patrol surveillance across the ditch at its narrowest point, about six feet across. | “Ryan and I would meet at 0 Avenue in British Columbia, a place that’s famous in this area for having a ditch that separates the U.S. and Canada,” said Ms. Koop, 25, a student at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in British Columbia. Mr. Hamilton, 26, is a brand manager in Bellingham, Wash., at DeWaard & Bode, a retail appliance and mattress chain. The couple, who met on Hinge last summer, drove there several days a week, parked their cars, and talked under border patrol surveillance across the ditch at its narrowest point, about six feet across. |
| On May 8, their intended wedding day, Mr. Hamilton found a friend on the Canadian side to set up a picnic for Ms. Koop. “There were flowers, fresh coffee, a blanket for me to sit on,” she said. “Ryan read me eight pages of vows he had written.” | On May 8, their intended wedding day, Mr. Hamilton found a friend on the Canadian side to set up a picnic for Ms. Koop. “There were flowers, fresh coffee, a blanket for me to sit on,” she said. “Ryan read me eight pages of vows he had written.” |
| On June 7, they took advantage of a 35-day window of opportunity and made those vows official at Peace Arch Park, situated between Blaine, Wash., and Surrey, British Columbia. The park had reopened May 14 on both sides of the border, allowing Canadians and Americans to intermingle and roam. It shut down again, however, on the Canadian side on June 18. | On June 7, they took advantage of a 35-day window of opportunity and made those vows official at Peace Arch Park, situated between Blaine, Wash., and Surrey, British Columbia. The park had reopened May 14 on both sides of the border, allowing Canadians and Americans to intermingle and roam. It shut down again, however, on the Canadian side on June 18. |
| “We’re so happy just to be together after three months of not being able to be in the same room,” Mr. Hamilton said. | “We’re so happy just to be together after three months of not being able to be in the same room,” Mr. Hamilton said. |
| Couples who live farther from the border aren’t feeling quite as lucky. Some have gone months without seeing each other in person. None have a clear sense of when they can reunite. | Couples who live farther from the border aren’t feeling quite as lucky. Some have gone months without seeing each other in person. None have a clear sense of when they can reunite. |
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| “When they first announced the border would be open only to essential travel, meaning you had to have a reason to come into Canada, they said it would only be a month,” said Dr. David Edward-Ooi Poon, 34, a family physician in Toronto who co-founded the group Advocacy for Family Reunification at the Canadian Border in May. “They have since extended that month to July 21, and we don’t know whether it will be extended again.” | “When they first announced the border would be open only to essential travel, meaning you had to have a reason to come into Canada, they said it would only be a month,” said Dr. David Edward-Ooi Poon, 34, a family physician in Toronto who co-founded the group Advocacy for Family Reunification at the Canadian Border in May. “They have since extended that month to July 21, and we don’t know whether it will be extended again.” |
| Given the spike in coronavirus cases in the United States, Dr. Poon thinks another extension is likely. Many of the 2,400 or so lovelorn people who have joined the advocacy group think so, too. (Some, like Dr. Poon and his partner, Alexandria Aquino, a 24-year-old nurse who lives in Dublin, are advocating to allow people from Europe to come into Canada.) “There’s a lot of pain, and a lot of people who are starting to feel their relationships are invalid,” Dr. Poon said. “In Canada, there’s a big emphasis on promoting mental health. We feel the mental health of many of our members is suffering because of the long separation.” | Given the spike in coronavirus cases in the United States, Dr. Poon thinks another extension is likely. Many of the 2,400 or so lovelorn people who have joined the advocacy group think so, too. (Some, like Dr. Poon and his partner, Alexandria Aquino, a 24-year-old nurse who lives in Dublin, are advocating to allow people from Europe to come into Canada.) “There’s a lot of pain, and a lot of people who are starting to feel their relationships are invalid,” Dr. Poon said. “In Canada, there’s a big emphasis on promoting mental health. We feel the mental health of many of our members is suffering because of the long separation.” |
| The group is not pushing for open borders. “Covid is a challenge that must be taken very seriously, and we’ll do whatever it takes to keep Canada safe,” he said. “We just want to be together.” For now, though, togetherness in Canada requires legal marriage and a mandatory 14-day self-isolation period for anyone arriving from outside the country. | The group is not pushing for open borders. “Covid is a challenge that must be taken very seriously, and we’ll do whatever it takes to keep Canada safe,” he said. “We just want to be together.” For now, though, togetherness in Canada requires legal marriage and a mandatory 14-day self-isolation period for anyone arriving from outside the country. |
| Travel restrictions to the United States are not as stringent. Though the land border within Canada is closed, making driving or walking over for nonessential reasons a violation, flights arriving from Canada are allowed. This has eased the burden of enforced separation for couples like Nuelsi Pales of Pittsburgh, and her fiancé, Louis-Philippe Morand of Montreal. The couple had planned to be married in a Montreal courthouse this summer, though they had not set a date. | Travel restrictions to the United States are not as stringent. Though the land border within Canada is closed, making driving or walking over for nonessential reasons a violation, flights arriving from Canada are allowed. This has eased the burden of enforced separation for couples like Nuelsi Pales of Pittsburgh, and her fiancé, Louis-Philippe Morand of Montreal. The couple had planned to be married in a Montreal courthouse this summer, though they had not set a date. |
| “Flights are expensive right now, but when we heard the closure got extended to July, we decided to spend the money on a ticket for L.P. to visit because we couldn’t hold out much longer,” said Ms. Pales, 37, who met Mr. Morand, 36, whom she calls L.P., last year on a business trip to Montreal. They work in different cities for the same company, PPG Architectural Coatings. “We hadn’t seen each other for 107 days.” | “Flights are expensive right now, but when we heard the closure got extended to July, we decided to spend the money on a ticket for L.P. to visit because we couldn’t hold out much longer,” said Ms. Pales, 37, who met Mr. Morand, 36, whom she calls L.P., last year on a business trip to Montreal. They work in different cities for the same company, PPG Architectural Coatings. “We hadn’t seen each other for 107 days.” |
| Their visit in June, though, has not untangled the knottier issue of how they can move forward with their plan to combine their families, and their lives, in Montreal. “We’ll be a blended family of six,” Ms. Pales said; both have two children from previous marriages. In March, days before the first of the pandemic-related shutdowns, they bought a house together in Montreal. Now Ms. Pales and her children are back home in Pittsburgh, their lives on hold. “For the first couple of months, we thought the closure would be short. Now it feels like there’s no end in sight. It’s been devastating.” | Their visit in June, though, has not untangled the knottier issue of how they can move forward with their plan to combine their families, and their lives, in Montreal. “We’ll be a blended family of six,” Ms. Pales said; both have two children from previous marriages. In March, days before the first of the pandemic-related shutdowns, they bought a house together in Montreal. Now Ms. Pales and her children are back home in Pittsburgh, their lives on hold. “For the first couple of months, we thought the closure would be short. Now it feels like there’s no end in sight. It’s been devastating.” |
| They are not without hope. Whether the border reopens on July 21 or not, they plan to be married July 25. “I’m going to pack up my two kids and my dog and drive up with all my documents,” including their banns, Quebec’s required public announcement of an impending marriage. “If I’m turned away at the border, we’ll find a way to get him here and get married in Pennsylvania.” | They are not without hope. Whether the border reopens on July 21 or not, they plan to be married July 25. “I’m going to pack up my two kids and my dog and drive up with all my documents,” including their banns, Quebec’s required public announcement of an impending marriage. “If I’m turned away at the border, we’ll find a way to get him here and get married in Pennsylvania.” |
| Peter Matta of Milton, Ontario, and his fiancée, Maryann Bishay of Troy, Mich., do not have a Plan B if their Nov. 1 wedding in Troy falls through, which he worries is increasingly likely. | Peter Matta of Milton, Ontario, and his fiancée, Maryann Bishay of Troy, Mich., do not have a Plan B if their Nov. 1 wedding in Troy falls through, which he worries is increasingly likely. |
| “At this rate, with the extensions, I’m concerned the border still won’t be open,” Mr. Matta said. “We’re hoping for it, and also hoping we can reunite beforehand, since getting married without having seen each other for eight months is a terrible thought.” | “At this rate, with the extensions, I’m concerned the border still won’t be open,” Mr. Matta said. “We’re hoping for it, and also hoping we can reunite beforehand, since getting married without having seen each other for eight months is a terrible thought.” |
| The couple, who met at a 2018 event at St. George Coptic Orthodox Church in Milton, have not found a border-straddling park to meet in, like Ms. Koop and Mr. Hamilton. Taking advantage of the loophole that allows flights into the United States also has not been an option, because Mr. Matta, 32, cannot take 14 days off his job as a pharmacist to quarantine upon returning home. Ms. Bishay, 34, is an electrical engineer with General Motors in Detroit. | The couple, who met at a 2018 event at St. George Coptic Orthodox Church in Milton, have not found a border-straddling park to meet in, like Ms. Koop and Mr. Hamilton. Taking advantage of the loophole that allows flights into the United States also has not been an option, because Mr. Matta, 32, cannot take 14 days off his job as a pharmacist to quarantine upon returning home. Ms. Bishay, 34, is an electrical engineer with General Motors in Detroit. |
| Updated July 15, 2020 | |
| The coronavirus can stay aloft for hours in tiny droplets in stagnant air, infecting people as they inhale, mounting scientific evidence suggests. This risk is highest in crowded indoor spaces with poor ventilation, and may help explain super-spreading events reported in meatpacking plants, churches and restaurants. It’s unclear how often the virus is spread via these tiny droplets, or aerosols, compared with larger droplets that are expelled when a sick person coughs or sneezes, or transmitted through contact with contaminated surfaces, said Linsey Marr, an aerosol expert at Virginia Tech. Aerosols are released even when a person without symptoms exhales, talks or sings, according to Dr. Marr and more than 200 other experts, who have outlined the evidence in an open letter to the World Health Organization. | The coronavirus can stay aloft for hours in tiny droplets in stagnant air, infecting people as they inhale, mounting scientific evidence suggests. This risk is highest in crowded indoor spaces with poor ventilation, and may help explain super-spreading events reported in meatpacking plants, churches and restaurants. It’s unclear how often the virus is spread via these tiny droplets, or aerosols, compared with larger droplets that are expelled when a sick person coughs or sneezes, or transmitted through contact with contaminated surfaces, said Linsey Marr, an aerosol expert at Virginia Tech. Aerosols are released even when a person without symptoms exhales, talks or sings, according to Dr. Marr and more than 200 other experts, who have outlined the evidence in an open letter to the World Health Organization. |
| Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. | Common symptoms include fever, a dry cough, fatigue and difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. Some of these symptoms overlap with those of the flu, making detection difficult, but runny noses and stuffy sinuses are less common. The C.D.C. has also added chills, muscle pain, sore throat, headache and a new loss of the sense of taste or smell as symptoms to look out for. Most people fall ill five to seven days after exposure, but symptoms may appear in as few as two days or as many as 14 days. |
| Scientists around the country have tried to identify everyday materials that do a good job of filtering microscopic particles. In recent tests, HEPA furnace filters scored high, as did vacuum cleaner bags, fabric similar to flannel pajamas and those of 600-count pillowcases. Other materials tested included layered coffee filters and scarves and bandannas. These scored lower, but still captured a small percentage of particles. | Scientists around the country have tried to identify everyday materials that do a good job of filtering microscopic particles. In recent tests, HEPA furnace filters scored high, as did vacuum cleaner bags, fabric similar to flannel pajamas and those of 600-count pillowcases. Other materials tested included layered coffee filters and scarves and bandannas. These scored lower, but still captured a small percentage of particles. |
| A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico. | A commentary published this month on the website of the British Journal of Sports Medicine points out that covering your face during exercise “comes with issues of potential breathing restriction and discomfort” and requires “balancing benefits versus possible adverse events.” Masks do alter exercise, says Cedric X. Bryant, the president and chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise, a nonprofit organization that funds exercise research and certifies fitness professionals. “In my personal experience,” he says, “heart rates are higher at the same relative intensity when you wear a mask.” Some people also could experience lightheadedness during familiar workouts while masked, says Len Kravitz, a professor of exercise science at the University of New Mexico. |
| The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth. | The steroid, dexamethasone, is the first treatment shown to reduce mortality in severely ill patients, according to scientists in Britain. The drug appears to reduce inflammation caused by the immune system, protecting the tissues. In the study, dexamethasone reduced deaths of patients on ventilators by one-third, and deaths of patients on oxygen by one-fifth. |
| The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave. | The coronavirus emergency relief package gives many American workers paid leave if they need to take time off because of the virus. It gives qualified workers two weeks of paid sick leave if they are ill, quarantined or seeking diagnosis or preventive care for coronavirus, or if they are caring for sick family members. It gives 12 weeks of paid leave to people caring for children whose schools are closed or whose child care provider is unavailable because of the coronavirus. It is the first time the United States has had widespread federally mandated paid leave, and includes people who don’t typically get such benefits, like part-time and gig economy workers. But the measure excludes at least half of private-sector workers, including those at the country’s largest employers, and gives small employers significant leeway to deny leave. |
| So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. | So far, the evidence seems to show it does. A widely cited paper published in April suggests that people are most infectious about two days before the onset of coronavirus symptoms and estimated that 44 percent of new infections were a result of transmission from people who were not yet showing symptoms. Recently, a top expert at the World Health Organization stated that transmission of the coronavirus by people who did not have symptoms was “very rare,” but she later walked back that statement. |
| Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. | Touching contaminated objects and then infecting ourselves with the germs is not typically how the virus spreads. But it can happen. A number of studies of flu, rhinovirus, coronavirus and other microbes have shown that respiratory illnesses, including the new coronavirus, can spread by touching contaminated surfaces, particularly in places like day care centers, offices and hospitals. But a long chain of events has to happen for the disease to spread that way. The best way to protect yourself from coronavirus — whether it’s surface transmission or close human contact — is still social distancing, washing your hands, not touching your face and wearing masks. |
| A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. | A study by European scientists is the first to document a strong statistical link between genetic variations and Covid-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. Having Type A blood was linked to a 50 percent increase in the likelihood that a patient would need to get oxygen or to go on a ventilator, according to the new study. |
| If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) | If air travel is unavoidable, there are some steps you can take to protect yourself. Most important: Wash your hands often, and stop touching your face. If possible, choose a window seat. A study from Emory University found that during flu season, the safest place to sit on a plane is by a window, as people sitting in window seats had less contact with potentially sick people. Disinfect hard surfaces. When you get to your seat and your hands are clean, use disinfecting wipes to clean the hard surfaces at your seat like the head and arm rest, the seatbelt buckle, the remote, screen, seat back pocket and the tray table. If the seat is hard and nonporous or leather or pleather, you can wipe that down, too. (Using wipes on upholstered seats could lead to a wet seat and spreading of germs rather than killing them.) |
| If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. | If you’ve been exposed to the coronavirus or think you have, and have a fever or symptoms like a cough or difficulty breathing, call a doctor. They should give you advice on whether you should be tested, how to get tested, and how to seek medical treatment without potentially infecting or exposing others. |
| The lack of clarity about the border reopening has taken a toll on the relationship. “When the closure was first announced, we thought, OK, this is only 30 days, we can be strong,” he said. “And something happened that we weren’t expecting. We grew closer. We realized we couldn’t take each other’s presence for granted.” | The lack of clarity about the border reopening has taken a toll on the relationship. “When the closure was first announced, we thought, OK, this is only 30 days, we can be strong,” he said. “And something happened that we weren’t expecting. We grew closer. We realized we couldn’t take each other’s presence for granted.” |
| But as 30 days has turned into multiple months with no end in sight, their resolve is beginning to fray. “We can’t touch each other, we can’t do anything together,” he said. “I don’t think we’re going to break up over it. But we feel alone.” | But as 30 days has turned into multiple months with no end in sight, their resolve is beginning to fray. “We can’t touch each other, we can’t do anything together,” he said. “I don’t think we’re going to break up over it. But we feel alone.” |
| Joining Dr. Poon’s group has helped with that. “It’s good to see we’re not the only ones in this situation, and to hear stories of what other people are going through,” he said. But it also fuels resentment. Advocacy for Family Reunification at the Canadian Border is circulating a petition and writes weekly letters to Canadian members of Parliament, hoping to sway them into allowing unmarried couples to reunite. “M.P.s and governors can read our stories, but they don’t seem to care.” | Joining Dr. Poon’s group has helped with that. “It’s good to see we’re not the only ones in this situation, and to hear stories of what other people are going through,” he said. But it also fuels resentment. Advocacy for Family Reunification at the Canadian Border is circulating a petition and writes weekly letters to Canadian members of Parliament, hoping to sway them into allowing unmarried couples to reunite. “M.P.s and governors can read our stories, but they don’t seem to care.” |
| Dr. Poon doesn’t plan to give up the campaign until Ms. Aquino is back in his arms. “These temporary border restrictions are becoming less temporary as the months pass,” he said. “We support the government’s efforts to help protect Canadians from Covid. We’re not asking for special treatment. We’re simply asking for compassion.” | Dr. Poon doesn’t plan to give up the campaign until Ms. Aquino is back in his arms. “These temporary border restrictions are becoming less temporary as the months pass,” he said. “We support the government’s efforts to help protect Canadians from Covid. We’re not asking for special treatment. We’re simply asking for compassion.” |
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