This archive report was first published on 9 June 2020.
Lockdowns Ease, But Travel Bans Remain Tight ¶
As countries in Asia begin to lift domestic lockdowns to curb the spread of the coronavirus, international travel restrictions remain in place, causing heart-wrenching separations for families.
Julie Sergent, a 29-year-old foreign resident in Japan, was forced to miss her father's funeral in France in April due to the country's strict travel ban. Sergent, who lives in Japan, was told she might be able to apply for a humanitarian exemption, but with just two days before the funeral, there wasn't time.
"I might lose my job, my apartment, my income for quite a while," Sergent said, describing the impossible situation she faced.
Yukari, a half-American, half-Japanese woman living in Tokyo, faces a similar situation. She is separated from her son and husband if she travels to the United States, where her mother is battling cancer.
"I'm... (the) only immediate family that she has. There's no one else... in the US," Yukari told AFP in April.
Her mother was diagnosed with bile duct cancer in March, and in April her doctor warned she might have just weeks to live.
Ordinarily, Yukari would have taken the first flight out, but instead, she was forced to rely on friends of the family to help her mother.
After a touch-and-go period, her mother's health has stabilised, though the cancer has not gone away.
"I talked to her helpers, and one of them said 'I think she's holding on, to see you one more time.' That was hard to hear."
"I might lose my job, my apartment, my income for quite a while," Sergent said. — Julie Sergent, 29-year-old foreign resident in Japan
