Rita, a 23-year-old psychology student, found herself locked down at home with her parents after Lebanon declared a full lockdown due to the coronavirus. She could only communicate with her boyfriend of three years in secret since her Christian parents would never approve of a Muslim boyfriend.

Rita usually met with her boyfriend at least once a week. But like many couples around the world, the pandemic has forced them to deal with the struggles of separation. Rita also has to deal with extra pressure due to the secrecy of her interreligious love life.

“The worst part is that in this hard time we are living, I can’t tell my parents that I miss him or tell them about all the good things he does for me to make me feel better about the situation,” Rita said. “We also don’t have the privilege other couples have, which is to talk on the phone or video call each other, so it leaves us with texting, which causes unnecessary misunderstandings, making an already hard situation worse,” she added.

On March 15, Lebanon declared a general mobilization that includes shutting down all nonessential institutions, including Beirut’s international airport, as well as putting in place nightly curfews and a host of other measures to encourage people to stay home in an effort to contain the spread of the coronavirus.