On the 12th of March 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) classified the COVID-19, an infectious respiratory disease caused by a virus, as a pandemic. According to the WHO, a pandemic is the worldwide spread of a new disease. Essentially, it is an epidemic that has spread over several countries or continents, usually affecting a large number of people. This single outbreak has redefined relationships, the new rule being self-isolation. But it will only take a matter of time before we begin to ask what this means for our sex, sexual health and our sexual life. Already, the Human Rights Campaign estimates that LGBTQ+ persons are more vulnerable to the virus and the effects of the outbreak.
Welcome to sex and intimacy in the time of COVID-19.
As a result, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has compiled a list of common questions about sex in the midst of a pandemic like COVID-19 and provided answers to them too. This guide covers questions and answers on how to have safe sex even in view of the pandemic, how one can contract the virus from a partner, what to do in the event that it happens, and what exactly safe sex means.
For example, on the subject of safe sex, the article explains that you are your safest sex partner, for now. It reads, “You are your safest sex partner. Masturbation will not spread COVID-19, especially if you wash your hands (and any sex toys) with soap and water for at least 20 seconds before and after sex. • The next safest partner is someone you live with. Having close contact — including sex — with only a small circle of people helps prevent spreading COVID-19.”
You can access the full guide here, protect yourself, and have safer sex.
