SINGAPORE, Aug 30 — In the last six months, Andrew Fernandez has been spending his days thinking of how best to get his heavily pregnant fiancee from the Philippines to Singapore.

The Singaporean had written to both the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) and the Immigrations and Checkpoint Authority (ICA) to apply for exemptions and even considered different routes for flights, such as through Brunei.

Now, with five weeks until their baby is due to arrive, the audio-visual supervisor has yet to find a solution and is somewhat resigned to the idea that he will be absent for the birth of his first child.

He had even prepared baby items such as a cot, a stroller and clothes for the newborn child.

"At this point, I don’t think airlines will even let her fly this close to her due date,” he said. The couple had already delayed their wedding, which was supposed to be in July. They had intended to hold a small ceremony with their close friends and families but had yet to book a venue.

To date, Singapore has not allowed travellers to enter the country unless they are residents or long-term pass holders, or come from low-risk countries such as Australia, Brunei and New Zealand.

Fernandez, 35, and his fiancee, 29, are among many couples who are facing the strain of prolonged separations due to the Covid-19 pandemic and travel restrictions around the world.

TODAY spoke to seven Singaporeans on how the circumstances have taken a toll on their relationship and how they cope with it.

One Singaporean, 30-year-old Alicia Ong, had to plan an elaborate route to visit her 34-year-old Spanish boyfriend in Spain. He works as a software developer and they had not seen each other for six months.

When the coronavirus outbreak happened, Ong — who left her job as an executive assistant at a software development firm to move to Europe in July last year — returned to Singapore.

Earlier this month, she went the extra mile for love. She flew to the United Kingdom, where she served 14 days of quarantine, and took a train to France before entering Spain.

Ong said that Singaporeans cannot get into Spain directly, so she flew to the UK and entered the Schengen region — a zone where 26 European countries have abolished their internal borders.

Spain also accepts travellers from countries it has a reciprocal agreement with, such as Australia, Canada and China. Singapore is not one of them.

"Once I was inside the Schengen region, there were no travel restrictions (imposed) on me,” she said.

Ong said that the risk of contracting the virus was a major concern when she left Singapore, because she would lose her insurance coverage and might have to bear the medical cost herself if she fell sick overseas.

"Another concern would be regulations… (as these) can change anytime and with almost immediate effect,” she said. However, she was still adamant about making the trip there because the separation had taken a toll on her mentally.

She had suffered many sleepless nights from the limited interaction with her boyfriend due to the six-hour time difference.

"I felt really lonely as well, especially on bad days or special occasions like birthdays,” she said.

In July, Ong started a petition on Change.org, calling for MFA to ease Singapore’s travel restrictions to allow couples like her and her boyfriend to reunite. Close to 1,000 people have signed the petition by Friday night.

A number of European countries such as Austria, Denmark and Germany have made exemptions to allow unmarried couples to enter their countries and reunite with what is called a "sweetheart” pass. Couples have to provide some proof that they were in a relationship before the pandemic.

What the authorities say

Asked if it is looking to help such couples by providing them with exemptions, MFA directed TODAY’s queries to ICA, which referred to statements it previously released.

While all short-term visitors will not be allowed to enter Singapore, spouses and children of Singapore residents who need to visit due to extenuating reasons may submit an application for entry.

Other visitors must have a valid SafeTravel pass — issued to travellers from countries where Singapore has a commuting agreement with, such as Malaysia and China — or an approved letter of entry from a relevant agency in Singapore, the statement read.

This is the biggest challenge for Fernandez and his fiancee, because they are not married and cannot get an approved letter of entry.

‘Emotionally draining’

Similarly, preschool teacher Nur Amalina Mohamed Alwi, 29, who had to delay marriage plans to her 28-year-old fiance who lives and works for his family business in Morocco, had applied for an exemption from ICA.

The last time they met was in February this year.

"I'm an emotional person, and being apart from someone I love is really not easy, especially when we don’t know how long this will last,” she said.

Amalina Mohamed Alwi and her fiance, Mr Zakaria Mouhtat, cannot get married yet due to travel restrictions keeping them apart. — Photo by Amalina Mohamed Alwi

For yoga instructor Alyssa Kau, 27, it has been six months since she last saw her English boyfriend. The couple used to work and live together in Japan at a ski lodge.

Kau, who signed the petition started by Ong, said: "It is very emotionally draining. This is the longest we’ve been apart and I have no idea when we can see each other again.”

Kau, like others, have been keeping in touch with their partners through daily video calls.

Alyssa Kau has not met her English boyfriend, Mr Oli Chalkley, for half a year. — Photo by Alyssa Kau

Married but living apart

Before Covid-19 struck and set them apart indefinitely, some couples had been used to the long-distance relationships, crossing continents to spend time with their loved ones where possible.

Financial consultant Mahathir Mohamad Abdullah, 43, who works in Singapore, and his flight attendant wife, who declined to reveal her age and is based in Dubai, visit each other at least once a month either in Singapore, Dubai, or a country where her flight had landed. They have been married for eight years and last met in March.

He said: "The relationship can get strained sometimes when you don’t see each other for a long time. Like, during this pandemic, I’ve been busy with meetings while she is unoccupied and stays home all day.” Sometimes, he video-calls her and leaves the camera on just so that they can see each other, he added. 

For Dominic Ying, 44, who is married with three children, it has been eight months since he was last with his family.

His Singaporean wife, 43, who works in the marketing line, and three children aged 14, 10 and eight are based in Adelaide, Australia.

Dominic Ying and his three children have not seen each other since December 2019. — Photo by Dominic Ying

Ying works at a bank here and the last time the family was together was in December last year.

He usually travels to Adelaide every other month, or at least seven times a year, before the borders closed due to Covid-19.

"When the situation got more serious and border restrictions were imposed, it dawned on all of us that we will not see each other for quite a while… and there’s no end in sight.

"I’m most worried if there's an emergency and I can't travel there immediately," he said.

While the family could come to Singapore, Ying said that there are risks to take, such as time away from work or costs incurred by stay-home notices and Covid-19 tests.

He added: "I miss them. I wish I could hold them. And my children… they are growing up so fast and to not see them for months… is a loss.” — TODAY