tonight, lovers forced apart by the pandemic, an expectant mother rush being ing to the ho. she a u.s. citizen but her foreign-born fiance stranded overseas. >> i would have loved to been there. >> kept apart by covid-19 for six months, now forced to watch and wait. >> so i'm just praying that sean can get here and we can be a family. >> plus, long-distance couples half a world away, taking extreme measures to reunite. >> you don't know when you're going to see your partner next, when you haven't seen them in five months. i think you would be ready to do a lot of things you wouldn't do otherwise. this is a special edition of

"nightline." love under lockdown. >> good evening. thank you for joining us, a voice on the phone from oceans away. no substitute for the arms of a loved one. couples across the globe divided by covid-19, reunions uncertain but love undiminished. maggie rulli has the story. >> hey, babe, i actually just spoke to the lawyer. good news. she said we should be good to go with everything. that's good. >> hey, babe, it's me. i just want to let you know that i'm thinking about you all the time and i'm so proud of you. everything you're doing for me and the baby is amazing. >> i'm looking forward to seeing you. give me a call whenever you can. >> i just love you and can't wait to see you. goodnight. >> reporter: she didn't think she'd be in labor, racing to the hospital like this. >> oh. >> reporter: it's terrifying and isolating. >> my water has broke. i'm so cold.

i keep like getting the shakes. >> reporter: her fiance, sean donovan, is trapped thousands of miles away, banned from travel together united states thanks to covid-19. >> i'm so nervous. >> reporter: in the modern world, increasingly interconnected, relationships are no longer bound by borders, but as coronavirus swept the globe governments around the world invoked travel restrictions, separating binational families and couples leaving them in limbo, not knowing the next time they'll be able to see each other. since february, america has closed its doors to foreign visitors traveling from a growing list of nations. >> at the beginning, i think most people wouldn't argue with the fact that there needed to be some system in place to contain the spread of covid-19. but the impact, the ripple effect has gotten out of control, okay. and it's gotten out of control because of the unintended

consequences. >> reporter: as couples wait for answers, thousands are taking to social media, pushing for action with campaigns like love is not tourism, and love is essential. making the case that we are not tourists. we do not wish to travel and sight see. we have one destination. the arms of our loved ones. >> we are in the middle of a pandemic. so i actually understand the travel bans. tourism isn't necessary right now. but love is not tourism. you have a group of people who are willing to quarantine upon arrival. you have people who are willing to present negative covid tests at the gate and do temperature checks at the gate. they're willing to follow every cdc guide line that has been suggested thus far. >> reporter: facebook groups have now become a safe space for lovers around the world to offer support and guidance, as they navigate new roadblocks to their long-distance relationships. >> what, are we 4,000 miles away?

>> i miss you. >> reporter: for coursy and sean, this struggle has been going on for months. >> we never went six weeks or so without seeing one another. i didn't start to panic really until mid to end of april. >> reporter: that left coursy in texas, going through nearly all of her pregnancy alone. >> he always doted on the fact that he would have loved to take care of me during this time. and i just feel like he's missing out on so much. >> reporter: the dad-to-be stuck in ireland. sean had already filled out his k-1 visa application, also known as a fiance application. but it was at a stand still since processing was put on hold due to the pandemic. even visas are not directly exempt from entering the u.s., but coursy says she should have been married by now under normal circumstances. >> even in the best of times, even in the best of situations, it's extremely difficult. then you add the layer of the

covid-19 restrictions, then it's amplified. >> this is the nursery. it's just a corner of the room. all of his little swaddles are down there, his diapers and picture of daddy right there. >> reporter: time ticks which, days turn into weeks, weeks into months. >> the stress, anxiety, depression, if sean could have been here i could have avoided months of turmoil. >> reporter: nearly half of americans report covid-19 has harming mental health. the cdc has issued guidelines on dealing with stress during the pandemic. >> there is so much pressure and pain in my back and groin area. i don't think people understand just how hard it can be to do it alone. >> reporter: with coursy so close to her due date, the mental and physical strain is starting to add up. >> just any day now.

can't believe i've made it this far without sean. >> reporter: thousands of separated couples are desperately awaiting reunions inside the u.s., others are losing hope and patience. some are meeting up on the border of the u.s. and canada, in a park that's shared territory. >> this is it, guys. this is peace arch park for you. home away from home. >> it looks like everyone here is having a really nice time with their loved ones and family and friends. >> reporter: other couples stuck oceans apart are embarking on more extreme journeys. with much of the world still shuttered, croatia has emerged as a tourist destination, welcoming visitors in the country if they can show proof of a negative covid-19 test. >> going to get a covid test, loads of fun. >> reporter: i traveled there and met some couples using croatia as a safe haven.

>> a lot of people aren't traveling to gallon event. this is the only way we can see each other. rememb . >> reporter: she is a u.s. citizen. her boyfriend lives in the czech republic. >> i thought, maybe it won't be that long. and i'm sure it will work out. but there was really, it was looking like there was very little hope. >> reporter: the pair plans to move to europe together, but for now that's all on hold. did you ever feel helpless? >> absolutely. >> all the time. >> reporter: another couple, joshua from philadelphia, naomi from slovenia had plans to marry when the pandemic hit. determined to walk down the aisle, they booked their flight to croatia. >> it's important to not put anyone anyone in jeopardy with this pandemic, that's why we made it a small circle with just family. >> do you agree to marry?

>> yes, i do. >> reporter: with only the bride's parents and best man in attendance, they tied the knot. >> you can now congratulate. >> reporter: a growing number of countries are starting to hear these couples' cries. on july 27th, the netherlands joined the list, welcoming partners who can prove they are in a long-term relationship with a dutch citizen. >> it is essentially a documentary on what my relationship looks like from start to finish. >> reporter: they have prepared a binder to verify her re>> i was aut to hav r tuy to decide whether or not i'm eligible to travel. >> reporter: she got on a plane on the very first day the exempting went into effect, after 11 months away from her partner chris. >> she just called me, and she ended my nervous break down by telling me the good news. >> i haven't seen him in 11 months. i'm so excited. i made it through customs.

>> there you go. jfk has landed just now, and now it's just going to wait for hannah to walk through these gates. >> ah, i'm so happy! >> we made it! >> we made it! >> reporter: despite their happy reunion, hannah says governments have to do better. >> it's kind of a blow to all the people who are not married, because their relationships are basically being classified as less than. tourism. >> reporter: sometimes being with the one you love means bending the rules. >> all right, it's 6:00 a.m., time to go to mexico, i guess. >> reporter: when we come back, couples finding loopholes in those travel bans. >> all right, this is the moment of truth. hope it goes well. going to have to go through customs. >> reporter: plus, sean in a race against time to reach the u.s. as coursy faces an emergency delivery. >> oh, my god, the phone is shaking, because i can't stop.

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>> reporter: emily and her girlfriend's love story has spanned continents, emily is from paris, amelia lives in san francisco. >> i met up with emily in ireland, where her grandparents live. and was in paris, and then she was set to come back here in late march, and that never happened. >> yeah, never happened. >> reporter: when covid-19 hit, they weren't ready for countries to close borders and ban travel. the united states doesn't allow foreign visitors to fly in directly from the european union or other parts of the world like china where infection rates have been high. >> she was asleep when the news hit, so i had to wait a few hours before talking to her about it. >> for some reason, it didn't feel like an emergency, and then it kept going on and on and on and on. we didn't know when it was going to end. and there's something about going through such a hard time

and not be able to be there, and you kind of realize that there's a limit to what words can do. >> reporter: after six months, being forced to connect only virtually, the young couple had enough. >> all right. it's 6:00 a.m., time to go to mexico, i guess. >> reporter: now emily's embarking on a long, roundabout journey from france to california. >> that's if they let me in. we'll see. >> reporter: emily had learned through a facebook group about other people successfully traveling to mexico in order to get into the u.s. >> we created a group chat because we're taking the same flight to cancun. >> reporter: multiple buses and planes to get to mexico where emily will have to quarantine for 15 days. only after that will she be able to try to go to california. there was no option to drive across the border. >> it's official. i made it to cancun, mexico. >> the travel ban forced people

to rethink how they're going to be reunited. even though at first dthey may have the process in mind, now they have to think outside the box. do they need a business visa? should they go to a different country? >> reporter: emily made it to mexico, staying in a lohostel. >> this is the dorm. we have lockers here. all the top bunks are closed down. and we share a bathroom. and we share a shower. >> probably every other person i meet here same thi am. a ser to r: emilyhe reunite. mexico currently has about twice the number of covid cases compared to france. >> apparently, everyone is supposed to be wearing a mask, even in the car. >> reporter: emily says these travel bans end up putting people at a higher risk. they need to be revised.

>> i can see how people who see us do this, travel to mexico, take planes, share a dorm, share a shower, might think that we're be being pretty irresponsible in the time of a pandemic, and i don't disagree with that. it's risky, but when you don't know when you're going to see your partner next, i think you'd be ready to do a lot of things that you wouldn't do otherwise. >> reporter: after 15 days in mexico, she finally lands in san francisco. >> this is the moment of truth. i hope it goes well. goning gonna have to go through customs. i'll let you know. >> reporter: now, just a short walk away. amelia is waiting anxiously. 45 minutes later. the face she's been waiting to

see. >> it's okay. i'm sorry you had to wait so long. >> you're out, though. >> we kind of made the promise to each other that we weren't going to let this happen again, and once we'd be reunited we'd stay together and stick together. >> reporter: the pair head home together, for the first time in half a year. down in texas, coursy is waiting for reunion just like that with her fiance, sean, but it turns out there was no way for him to make it before the baby comes. >> like the one i just had, that was pretty gnarly. >> reporter: the u.s. does allow for some, exemptions to the travel ban, including parents, but sean doesn't qualify as a parent until the child born. that means he will have to watch the baby be born over face time. >> he's six hours away from me,

he's been so supportive, the phone is shaking. i can't stop, i'm freezing. i'm so nervous. i'm so nervous. >> i would have loved to be there, just hold her hand or talk to her, give her encouragement. >> reporter: coursy labored for a grueling 24 hours. eventually, the doctor makes the call, an emergency c-section. >> i just really remember wishing sean could be there for that, because i needed. i needed him, and it was terrifying. >> it was, it was terrifying for me as well, and watching her have the c-section, and then she was, she was exhausted after it, and she actually, you know, passed out after it, after the baby was delivered. so i could hear the baby crying, and then the doctors kind of just shut off the laptop and hours passed before i knew if

coursy was okay. and i didn't know where my son was. >> say hi, daddy, we love you, and we miss you. >> so i'm just praying that sean can get here and we can be a family. >> reporter: now officially a father, sean finally jumped a flight to america, and a day later, he met the baby for the first time. >> i just walked in, seen coursy's face, and we both broke down crying, and it was just one of the best feelings i've ever experienced in my life. >> reporter: coursy and sean realized they're the lucky ones, maybe most separated couples are still stuck in different locations. >> i still want our story to be heard, because we've been robbed of something we are never getting back. it should be family first. family over politics. family is essential. >> reporter: they know in the end love wins, but even this reunion is temporary. sean will have to go back to ireland eventually until they can get a visa. >> we just want to enjoy this

moment together. >> i am not being separated from my family. i will fight as hard as i have to fight keeping us all three together, nothing else matters. >> our thanks to maggie. we'll be right back with a final note. motorcycle riders love the open road. and geico loves helping riders get to where they're going, so to help even more, geico is giving new and current customers a fifteen percent credit on their motorcycle policies with the geico giveback. and because we're committed for the long haul, the credit lasts your full policy term. the geico giveback. helping riders focus on the road ahead. struggling to clean toughm mr. clean. the geico giveback. bathroom messes with sprays? then you gotta try mr. clean magic erasers. just wet.. squeeze.. and erase tough messes around your bathtub and shower. mr. clean magic erasers. there's no clean like mr. clean

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the european commission today urged all eu members to permit unmarried partners of their citizens and residents to enter their territories despite the pandemic entry ban. as of tonight, only eight eu countries have relaxed their restrictions. that's "nightline" for this evening. see you back here next week same time. goodnight, have a safe weekend. hello. i'm craig kilborn. and welcome to the "jimmy kimmel live" summer bash pool party. >> it's the "jimmy kimmel live" summer bash pool party. with guest host, joel mchale. tonight, russell wilson. and music from billy strings. and now here's your host, joel

mchale. >> that was not a crew member, and i'm not lying. unfortunately, this is what a pool party looks like now. instead of jimmy kimmel, you have a guy who used to host a basic cable clip show. yes, the despair of covid continues. but the good news is, i'm currently relieving myself on national television, and there isn't a damn thing the fcc can do about it. i'm kidding. i have a terrible urinary tract nothing comes out. you know, guest hosting a talk show in a global pandemic isn't a job many people would say yes to, but it could be worse. i could be hosting the people's choice awards again. >> no! >> okay. nice crew you got there, jimmy. they're yelling through masks, by the way. a lot of soft droplets are flying. it was a dark time. i apologize. i'm here because jimmy is gone for the summer. he bought part of wyoming, and it's way more responsibility than