Coronavirus: Love knows no borders for elderly couple

Inga Rasmussen from Denmark and Karsten Tüchsen Hansendpa

Inga Rasmussen and Karsten Tüchsen Hansen first met two years ago

An elderly couple have become local celebrities amid the coronavirus outbreak for their daily cross-border meeting.

Inga Rasmussen, 85, from Denmark and Karsten Tüchsen Hansen, 89, from Germany meet near the town of Aventoft to chat and share a drink, sitting at the recommended safe distance.

The Germany-Denmark border was closed two weeks ago amid the outbreak.

Germany has some 63,000 confirmed cases of the virus, and Denmark over 2,500.

Europe’s Schengen Area - which allows restriction-free travel throughout vast swathes of the Continent - has seen borders between nations reappear, in some cases for the first time in 25 years.

The BBC’s Gavin Lee took a road trip in Europe's Schengen area to see how free movement has changed

But the octogenarian couple will not let a global pandemic stop them.

"It's sad, but we can't change it," Ms Rasmussen told German public broadcaster Deutsche Welle.

Both have become local celebrities during the crisis after the mayor of the local town of Tonder found the pair while he was on a bike ride.

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The pair first met two years ago, and for more than a year have spent nearly every day together.

Ms Rasmussen drives to the border from her town of Gallehus, while Mr Hansen rides his bike from Süderlügum.

He will sometimes have a glass of schnapps during their meeting, but Ms Rasmussen sticks to coffee. “After all, I have to drive a car,” she told Danish newspaper Der Nordschleswiger.

Dating, sex and relationships during the coronavirus outbreak

Ms Rasmussen and Mr Hansen have taken trips together in the past, and plan to travel again once the outbreak is over.

They are just one couple who have found creative ways to keep their relationship alive during the pandemic.

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