Pandemic separates couple, though just miles apart

Suzan Mubarak visits with her boyfriend, Mitch Domier, from a distance during a weekly drive-by visit outside Mubarak’s group home in Bozeman. They don’t talk long — that’s saved for their nightly video chats, the only place they see each other's face without a mask. (Louise Johns for KHN)

Suzan Mubarak and Mitch Domier wave goodbye after a drive-by, distanced visit outside Mubarak’s group home in Bozeman. Mubarak’s residence is only a few miles from the group home where Domier, her boyfriend, lives, yet the pandemic has limited their ability to see each other in person. (Louise Johns for KHN)

Mitch Domier stands outside his group home in Bozeman on Dec. 20, 2020. Aside from Domier’s weekly drive-by visits to girlfriend Suzan Mubarak’s group home a few miles away, the couple’s interaction during the pandemic has been limited to video chats. (Louise Johns for KHN)

Suzan Mubarak met her boyfriend, Mitch Domier, at their group homes’ work center in Bozeman. Since the COVID-19 pandemic began last year, though, the homes have largely been in lockdown. Once a week, Mubarak sees Domier during a Sunday drive-by, where they stay at least 6 feet apart, wearing masks. (Louise Johns for KHN)