Coronavirus prompts Michigan health department to launch free condom delivery service

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If you live in Michigan and need a condom, you’re in luck: The state health department this week launched a free condom delivery service, meaning residents can still get the protection they need — even while coronavirus-prompted lockdown and social-distancing measures continue.

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The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) announced the new condoms-by-mail service in an effort to prevent unintended pregnancies and the spread of sexually-transmitted diseases in communities across the state. The idea was sparked after local health agencies were forced to stop handing out free condoms at government buildings, bars, and other establishments that are now closed due to the coronavirus epidemic.

The coronavirus-prompted lockdown measures in the state sparked the idea for the new delivery service. (iStock)

“We feel that it is extremely important during this public health crisis to continue to support our communities in protecting themselves against unintended pregnancy, STIs, and HIV,” Lynn Sutfin, a spokeswoman for MDHHS, told MLive. 

Residents who send email requests to MDHHS-FreeCondoms@Michigan.gov will receive 10 free condoms as well as 10 packets of lubrication. The package will be in a “plain mailer,” Sutfin said, noting most packages will “likely be hand addressed as staff are working from home and shipping these items out.”

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As of Friday morning, Michigan has reported more than 41,000 cases of COVID-19 and some 3,780 coronavirus-linked deaths, according to estimates.