Canada's chief medical officer Dr Theresa Tam has a message for anyone looking to have sex during COVID-19: wear a mask.
You may swipe until your heart's content but when you leave the "bubble" of your household to find love in the time of corona, you'll need extra protection.
"Like other activities during COVID-19 that involve physical closeness, there are some things you can do to minimize the risk of getting infected and spreading the virus," Dr Tam said.
"The lowest risk sexual activity during COVID-19 involves yourself alone."
Dr Tam advises if you're going to engage in a sexual encounter with someone outside of your household or "close contact bubble" there are some things to keep in mind to reduce the risk of transmission.
The tips given by Canada's top doctor include avoiding kissing, limit close contact, wear a mask, limit alcohol intake, practice safe sex, and keep track of both yours and your partner's symptoms.
"Even if the people involved do not have symptoms, sexual activity with new partners does increase your risk of getting or passing COVID-19 through close contact, like kissing," she said.
"Remember as with all social interactions, try to keep your number of close contacts low if possible."
It’s not the first health advice to come from Canada’s medical professionals regarding sexual activity in these unprecedented times. In July, British Colombia’s Centre for Disease Control recommended the use of glory holes for sex workers to limit close contact.
“Use barriers, like walls (e.g., glory holes), that allow for sexual contact but prevent close face-to-face contact,” the BC Disease Control Centre said.
What do experts in Australia think?
Professor Catherine Bennett is an epidemiologist at Deakin University and specialises in the transmission of superbugs.
Wearing a mask before causal sex is something she feels isn’t so relevant in Victoria, because of the state’s stage four lockdown which Prof Bennett says limits access to people outside of your household. She says it might be worth taking a precaution like this in NSW but the risks in other states, she says, are “incredibly low”.
“The issue here is whether or not people are going to comply, and whether or not it’s clearly something you can't police,” Prof Bennett told The Feed.
There are good scientific reasons to suggest wearing a mask during causal sex might add extra protection but Prof Bennett believes the chances of compliance are so low and could leave people more frustrated by other coronavirus-related restrictions.
"It's something that you might have in regulated places, like brothels for example," she said.
The risks associated with going a "step too far" in restrictions is something Prof Bennett is mindful of amid the anti-lockdown protests in Victoria. She believes there are more important and effective ways to manage safe-sex during a pandemic.
"If you know that you have casual sex with someone, the important thing is, you know who they are," she said, "so they can be followed up as a close contact if necessary."
"I think it's about keeping people mindful that they need to know how they could contact someone, should they be a close contact, and vice versa."
Masks aren't the only things to keep in mind: The novel coronavirus can spread on contaminated surfaces, including our own skin, after a sexual encounter - which Prof Bennett says means hygiene during and after sexual encounters is critical.
"Masks only offer marginal risk reduction by partially protecting the nose and throat from the intake of virus particles," she said.
People in Australia must stay at least 1.5 metres away from others. Check your state’s restrictions on gathering limits. If you are experiencing cold or flu symptoms, stay home and arrange a test by calling your doctor or contact the Coronavirus Health Information Hotline on 1800 020 080. News and information is available in 63 languages at https://sbs.com.au/coronavirus.
