Before the Covid-19 pandemic, Mohammad Faris Abdullah's daily commute between his home in Malaysia and his job in Singapore took just 30 minutes.

But when the countries' border shut without warning in March 2020, the 37-year-old food delivery driver was left stranded and homeless in the city-state. Almost two years later, an easing of restrictions this week finally allowed him to see his family again.

"It is like you have been locked up in prison...