Trying to establish a “friends with benefits” relationship amid the pandemic? You might want to have your COVID test results handy.
A growing number of unattached singles are seeking out coronavirus-free partners amid the crisis in order to incorporate a bit of worry-free intimacy into their quarantine routines, if online forums and personal accounts are to be believed.
HALF OF AMERICANS ARE HIDING A SEXUAL FETISH FROM THEIR PARTNER, SURVEY SUGGESTS
Available singles have long used dating apps like Hinge or Tinder for casual hookups, but only over the past few months have some been boasting about the results of their antibody tests in their profiles. And while it’s never a guarantee that the results of an antibody test are completely accurate — or whether the app users are even telling the truth — the idea of a coronavirus-free hookup is still very attractive to singles looking to mingle.
Two singles who recently spoke with the L.A. Times claimed that their recent personal ads on Reddit had netted huge responses, from which they narrowed down the suitors who seemed the most serious about quarantine.
“They want to testify that they’ve been safe, that they aren’t hospital workers,” said one of the women, who identified herself as Mila to the L.A. Times.
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On the opposite coast, an anonymous 24-old-woman in Brooklyn told New York Magazine that lockdown has forced her and her two roommates to start spending more time with the three quarantined men who live upstairs — an arrangement that has resulted in hookups between some of the roomies.
“You can connect the dots on what happens on the messy Friday nights when the six of us drink our faces off and dance in the living room — because what else is there to do when you’re on lockdown,” she wrote. (The woman did mention, however, that her building's “bubble” situation has resulted in deeper feelings for one of the men, as well as a little bit of drama.)
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The need for a coronavirus cuddle-buddy has actually been addressed by some government agencies. Last month, the National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) in the Netherlands has amended some of its coronavirus guidelines to advise that single residents find one willing sexual partner to help them weather the pandemic.
“It makes sense that as a single you also want to have physical contact,” reads a message posted to the Center for Healthy Living resource site.
Back in April, the Oregon Health Authority shared its guidance for those looking to have sex, a few weeks after the NYC Department of Health did the same thing, recommending masturbation or “sex with someone you live with” as the safest options.
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Still looking to hook up with someone outside of your personal quarantine bubble? A study out of Harvard suggests all participants leave their masks on (among other precautions) for the duration of the act. But who knows — maybe it’s a kink you’ll learn to love.