LYNDEN, Wash. — Officials have announced another 30-day closure of the U.S./Canada border to help curb the spread of coronavirus, but that hasn't stopped some loved ones from connecting however they can.
In Lynden, families are lining a smelly irrigation ditch to be close to one another.
The 10-foot wide divide separates the United States and Canada.
On Monday, Jodi Pears brought her newborn baby, Willow, to meet her Canadian grandparents for the first time.
"It's just sad. They were there for the births of our other two daughters," Jodi said, wiping away tears. "It's just really hard."
"I wanna give you a hug," shouted Jodi's mom Kathie from across the ditch as Jodi's daughter Capri sang the Beatles song, "I Want to Hold Your Hand."
It's a bittersweet time for families with loved ones in Canada. The border closure is now entering its second month, with no end in sight.
Bill and Kathie made the 30-minute drive to the border from Chilliwack.
"I wouldn't be surprised if it went the whole summer," said Jodi's father Bill.
Those two months could feel like an eternity to a newborn baby and a grandmother yearning to be close.
"I just want to hold her," said Kathie. "I wish we could just pass her over the border."
The stretch of road in Lynden is becoming the new place to "face time" -- and actually do it face-to-face.
Families are holding cross-border picnics. Couples are reconnecting.
All under the watchful eye of the U.S. Border Patrol.
"It's a scary time for everyone I think," said Bill.
"Better safe than sorry, I guess," added Kathie.
And this is how it will have to be for the foreseeable future for baby Willow, born into a world of coronavirus.
"We just can't wait for it to open back up," said Jodi. "I have all kinds of brothers and sisters up there who have to meet her, too."