NYC health officials: Practice safe sex with 'kinky' Zoom parties, wearing coronavirus masks
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}What is love in the time of coronavirus?
After a period of tragedy and isolation, New York City just came out with new recommendations for how its residents can have sex.
The health guide urged New Yorkers to practice safe sex with “kinky” Zoom parties and to wear coronavirus masks while engaging in acts of intimacy.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CLICK HERE FOR COMPLETE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE
“Video dates, sexting, subscription-based fan platforms, sexy ‘Zoom parties’ or chat rooms may be options for you,” the guide said.
“Make it a little kinky,” the Health Department advisory added. “Be creative with sexual positions and physical barriers, like walls, that allow sexual contact while preventing close face to face contact.”
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“During COVID-19 wearing a face covering that covers your nose and mouth is a good way to add a layer of protection during sex,” the agency said. “Maybe it’s your thing, maybe it’s not.”
New York tallied 53 deaths from COVID-19 Tuesday as the state reopens, and there are signs that commuters are returning with caution to New York-area buses, subways and rail lines.
Compared with the flu or a common cold, COVID-19 symptoms may appear more slowly — between two and 14 days after exposure.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Some people never feel sick or notice any symptoms, even though they’re infected and can still spread it to other people.
For mild symptoms, like a slight cough or a mild rash, health experts say you may not need to rush to the emergency room. They recommend self-isolating and monitoring your symptoms to see if they become more severe.
New York’s death toll from COVID-19 climbed to over 24,400 Tuesday, as the state reported 53 new deaths of individuals who tested positive for COVID-19 in hospitals and nursing homes. That figure doesn’t include nearly 6,000 additional deaths reported by New York City officials.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}About 380,000 of the nearly 2.7 million New Yorkers who have been tested for COVID-19 were positive — or about 14 percent.
Over the last three weeks, the weekly positive testing rate has declined from 3 percent to less than 1 percent in the past week.
As many as 40 to 45 percent of New Yorkers getting tested had the virus in late March, when testing was just ramping up and limited to sick individuals.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CORONAVIRUS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
The sex guide recommended people be as safe as possible, even if they have tested positive for coronavirus antibodies.
“Be cautious in using these tests to make decisions about who you have sex with and what kind of sex you have since antibody test results are not definite proof of immunity,” it says.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Associated Press contributed to this report.