Will COVID-19 change how you date and hook-up?
Image: Using apps to find love during the coronavirus lockdown. (image: Pixebay)
As the coronavirus pandemic spreads, and with increased warnings by the World Health Organization to maintain ‘social distance’, dating apps such as Hornet, Bumble, Tinder, Scruff, and Grindr have issued COVID-19 warnings, advising users to take precautions.
There is no doubt that dating apps will play a role in curtailing transmission, and although there has not yet been any ban on meetings from social apps other than authorities urging patients that show suspected symptoms to self-isolate, people are turning to these apps for remote social networking.
With millions of daily users it is expected that online traffic will increase on the apps as people bunker down. Despite young, healthy adults being least at risk for serious medical concerns, social interaction is discouraged, so voice or video calls could perhaps be the solution to your first-date.
COVID-19 is transmitted via physical contact or being within three feet of someone sneezing or coughing. There are probably only a handful of ways to attain sexual pleasure without close contact with another person. (Handful being the operative word).
Tinder shared a message on the platform, reiterating WHO’s recommendations to wash hands and avoid touching the face, while also adding:
“Tinder is a great place to meet new people. While we want you to continue to have fun, protecting yourself from the coronavirus is more important.”
The app has also postponed the international release of an apocalyptic-themed in-app video series, “Swipe Night”, citing sensitivity “to the current events our members are experiencing”.
The co-founder of Hornet, Sean Howell, said all users would be alerted of WHO’s safety tip in chunks of 100,000, with the company also saying that “social contact helps us stay mentally healthy and fights boredom”.
Meanwhile, Grindr, which sold this month for $608 million, issued an alert to encourage public health, reminding users to “take care of your mental health and be patient with those around you, both online and offline”
Don’t forget common sense: If you have symptoms such as a fever, cough, cold, or runny nose, avoid dating and kissing others.
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